I consider myself lucky to have met my primary teacher Ellen Koment at a time when encaustic painting was starting to ascend in popularity. Ellen showed me good techniques, spoke in the language of design, and urged me on without trying to tell me how or what I should paint.
Students contact me often wondering how to get a grasp of this sometimes frustrating material or how to get their foot in the door with studio practice and gallery representation. I use the same template as Ellen and throw in a bit of the wisdom I have absorbed from my yoga teacher and the yoga tradition. It takes regular practice, showing up especially when you don't want to, and a belief that you are involved in a process or experience that is greater and more involved than yourself. As a teacher, I try to guide students into their own areas of expression rather than trying to turn out carbon copies of myself. There are some basic techniques that are helpful for working in encaustic. I have taken several of these basic techniques and produced a set of online video tutorials. My hope is that if someone is interested in my techniques or teaching, they can preview my teaching style online from anywhere and begin their encaustic journey without having to travel to a workshop. I also enjoy working with artists one on one. I have helped painters conceive imagery for groups of work, create artist statements, apply for exhibitions and worked in tandem on completing large paintings. My private workshops with students are now the bulk of my teaching time.
I am always trying to evolve as a teacher and artist.
I have traveled throughout the west and southwest and recently all over the world meeting artists and teaching. These adventures have brought freedom and joy to both my artistic and personal life. As I transition away from a decade of aggressive traveling and teaching, I am hoping to pass the torch on to a small group of teachers who are interested in maintaining the passion and wisdom that has informed my work and involvement with students. There are many benefits of teaching workshops from your studio or traveling to regional art centers. The time that you can reserve for your own art making is the