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The 20th International Encaustic Conference
June 4-6, 2027
Bringing a community of artists together with gallerists, curators, critics and collectors engaged with wax, printmaking, mixed media and professional practices. The 20th International Encaustic Conference is directed by Cherie Mittenthal and produced by Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill.
The Conference will take place at Edgewood Farm in Truro!
Click the links below or keep scrolling down to learn more.
We will keep information updated on this page. Gallery Shows, and other events associated with the Conference will be added as the planning continues!
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Schedule
Schedule
2027 Conference Schedule
We’re excited to celebrate this 20th year with you - stay tuned for other fun activities to be announced!
*Schedule may be subject to change as plans evolve. As listed below is the current lineup:
FRIDAY, June 4
8:30
Registration Opens
Coffee, Pastries, and Info Under the Tent
9:30 - 10:30
DEMO: Edith Beaty
Jumping into Wax!
Beginning a fun, safe, and fruitful (or productive?) journey into encaustic painting
Curious about encaustic painting, but have never tried it or need a refresher? Feel you lack the basics? Join this demo for a brief introduction to encaustic painting, how to set up a safe, efficient work space back home, acquire basic affordable equipment and supplies, and how to begin the process of creating stunning works!
DEMO: Megan MacDonald
Wax + Paper : An Exploration in Mark Making
The drawn line is the structure upon which a painting is built A simple line can say so much. A line can be bold, expressive, graphic, or delicate, the list is long. There is however nothing more beautiful or unique than the hand drawn line, as a hand drawn line expresses ones individual style. This demo explores ways to stay loose when creating lines, drawing and ways of marking in encaustic. Discusses the importance of the drawn line and ways that one can utilize it to give new depth and focus to their work. Through mark making, I will show various methods of drawing in, under and on the wax surface. Show and discuss ways to continuously pull lines, visually up through the surface of the encaustic painting, while exploring a variety of arts media to make marks and draw. Thus coming away with a better understanding of what media to use and when. experimenting with techniques to bring finer detail in to ones encaustic painting.
TALK : Milisa Galazzi
So you Want to Publish a Book or a Catalog?
You worked so hard to hang a beautiful show and the opening of the exhibition was well attended. Now is the calm after the storm and you have a few more weeks until you de-install the work. What do you do with your time? You create a show catalog from the install photos so that the exhibition is well documented and can live on past the close of the show. This self-published, professional-looking book will launch your art career from this show into your next opportunity. This talk will give you an overview of the ways in which you can self-publish a catalog of your work, document a solo or group exhibition, or launch a full-fledged book into the world via self, hybrid, or traditional publishing means. From random images and words in your computer files to a beautiful book-baby you can hold, this talk will give you all the tools and the confidence to finally publish the book you always wanted to create! Come learn about the myriad ways you can take the next step toward reaching your book publishing goals.
10:45 - 11:15
Welcome and Orientation for Newcomers
11:30 - 12:30
TALK: Susan Lasch Krevitt
Looking Back / Moving Forward
This image driven presentation looks back at the work & ideas of the Key-Note speakers who have helped shape the history of The International Encaustic Conference. Over the past two decades The Conference has invited artists, writers, curators and gallery owners to offer their unique perspectives and broaden our understanding of contemporary art and creative practices. Twenty years of inspiration behind us. A world of possibilities yet ahead!
TALK: Isabelle Gaborit
What Do We Mean When We Say a Painting Has Materiality?
What do we mean when we say that a painting has materiality? We often use the word to describe the physical qualities of a work—the surface, texture, layers, transparency, or the materials from which it is made. But materiality can be much more than the physical presence of a painting. It can shape how we think, how we see, and how we experience the act of making. In this illustrated talk, Isabelle Gaborit explores what it means to work with encaustic as a deeply physical and sensory medium. Rather than focusing primarily on technique, she considers the ways in which beeswax, pigment, heat, surface, and the artist’s body come together in the making of a painting.
DEMO: Dietlind Vander Schaaf
Creating Smooth, Even Surfaces
Many artists struggle to create a smooth surface in their work. In this demo, artist and R&F employee Dietlind Vander Schaaf will share all of her tips and tricks for laying down thin, even layers of encaustic. Whether you are working with mixed media, transferring an image, or layering encaustic medium over encaustic paint, learning how to apply and fuse without creating ridges is important. And it's not as hard as it sounds. Dietlind will walk you through important steps in terms of temperature, application, and fusing.
12:30 - 1:30
Catered Lunch Provided
1:30 - 2:30
DEMO: Jodi Reeb
Alternative Surfaces for 3D Forms
Learn how to build armatures using wire on paper clay to construct 3D forms. You will learn layering techniques to include alternative surfaces with encaustic such as rust & patinas with metallic paints, applying cloth and found objects as well as oil pigment sticks.
TALK: Rosemarie Langtry
An Introduction to Contemporary Encaustic/Wax Practices on the Island of Ireland
How is wax/encaustic evolving across Ireland? Who are the artists working with wax today, and how are they exploring its potential within contemporary art? This talk will explore the diverse and evolving world of wax/encaustic across the island of Ireland. Through artists’' work, studio practices, exhibitions, workshops and collaborative initiatives, it will consider how this ancient medium continues to inspire experimentation, innovation and new ways of working.
DEMO: Jeffrey Hirst
Collage with Paint Media
Jeff Hirst will demonstrate an experimental drawing process using collaged papers incorporating R&F Pigment Sticks and R&F Drawing Oils. Drawing from years of experimentation and his experience teaching Experimental Drawing both online and in person, Jeff will share a selection of processes he has developed to explore texture, layering, color, and spontaneous mark-making.
2:30 - 3:00 Break
3:00 - 4:30
PANEL DISCUSSION : TBA!
5:00
Last call at the Vendor Room
Gallery Stroll and other Events TBA
SATURDAY, June 5
9:00
Late Registration, Coffee, Pastries, and Info Under the Tent
Vendor Room Open
9:30 - 11:30
Keynote Lecture: Toby Sisson
The Artist as Truth-Seeker and Truth-Sayer
Artists act as a collective conscience — We question accepted norms and explore hidden realities to reveal the unjust and celebrate the overlooked. We translate subjective experiences into tangible forms through poems, songs, and pictures. We tell the stories that illuminate our own imaginations and captivate the larger world. In honor of the 20th International Encaustic Conference, Toby Sisson will speak about the art and artists that have guided her work and have inspired so many others, especially in these challenging times.
11:30 - 1:00
Break / Lunch Provided
The Gallery at Castle Hill will be open for viewing (just a couple minutes down the road)
1:00 - 2:00
DEMO: Kelly McGrath
Foundational Mold Making Techniques
Learn the basics of creating molds for encaustic! An intro into foundational mold making techniques, using two varieties of silicone, for casting objects in encaustic wax. The simplest reusable mold method and more advanced two-part processes will be touched upon.
TALK/DEMO: Patti Russotti
The Power of Play in the Creative Process
What happens when we stop thinking of our work as something we need to finish? What happens when we stop trying to control the outcome—and instead begin responding to what is happening in front of us? An image, a mark, a piece of paper, a piece of fabric, an object, an idea: we begin with something. Then we look. We respond. We alter. We obscure. We reveal. We layer. We scrape. We add. We take away. And then we respond again. This presentation explores play as an active creative practice—not as a break from serious work, but as a way of working that opens the door to curiosity, experimentation, intuition, happy accidents, and discovery.
DEMO: Bettina Egli
Fresco to Flame
Working with fresco materials and encaustic, we enter a process that is constantly evolving. Bettina will demonstrate how surfaces crack, layers disappear and re-emerge, wax transforms what lies beneath, and unexpected marks begin to suggest new directions. Rather than working toward a predetermined outcome, we practice responding to what is happening in the moment—observing, adapting, letting go, and integrating the unforeseen.
2:00 - 2:30
Break
2:30 - 4:00
DEMO: Karen Bright
Relief Transfer Collage
Learn my unique painting technique to create multi-layered, color rich, one-of-a-kind works of art. This demo will teach you how to make hot wax transfers and then apply, cold, to fine art paper. Acid-free printmaking paper (etching weight) will be used as the substrate.
TALK: Joanne Mattera
Celebrating Entrepreneurial Achievement in Encaustic and Wax
So much of the achievement in our encaustic world has been the result of entrepreneurial effort— sole proprietorships, some grown into small businesses; independent teachers, some creating schools; artists exhibiting, some creating galleries; and many lightbulb ideas that have gone on to become the foundations of our encaustic culture: books, gadgets, exhibitions, retreats. This slide talk will look at the pillars of the movement—paintmakers, a book, and a few artists who brought encaustic into the 20th Century--and how they have supported what came next. Interest in encaustic has grown exponentially since the first iteration of the International Encaustic Conference in 2007. This talk is not only a historical record, but a celebration of the extraordinary entrepreneurial efforts of so many in our community.
DEMO: Gabriela Sánchez
The Inked Surface - Wax, Ink & Expressive Encaustic Monotype
What happens when wax creates the first mark—and ink comes afterward to reveal, emphasize, and transform it? In this demonstration, Gabriela Sánchez will explore an expressive approach to encaustic monotype that begins with molten wax on a heated palette and continues with ink as a second layer of visual language. Rather than focusing on creating a perfect print, The Inked Surface embraces experimentation, spontaneity, and the dialogue between wax, ink, heat, and paper. Participants will see how a simple encaustic monotype can evolve through layering and response, creating surfaces that feel rich, organic, and completely unique.
4:10 - 4:45
Postcard Show: Sale Opens!
Other FUN TBA!
SUNDAY, June 6
9:00
Coffee, Pastries, and Info Available Under the Tent
Vendor Room Open
9:30 - 11:00
TALK: Chelsea Spengemann
Art Legacy Compass - Guidance for Managing, Downsizing, and Transitioning an Artist’s Studio and Estate
For her talk at Castle Hill, Chelsea will discuss the intersection of artists’ legacies, archives, and estate planning. Guidance for managing, downsizing, and transitioning an artist’s studio or estate, including organizing artwork and records, deciding what to keep, sell, donate, or archive, and planning for the future of your art and your legacy will all be addressed. Chelsea will clarify the importance of estate planning and provide resources for artists and their stewards as they consider how to sustainably care for creative work over the long term.
11:00 - 12:30
Break / Brunch / Closing Celebration
12:30 - 2:30
TENT FAIR: Show/Sell Your Work Under the Tent
CLICK for info
Keynote
Keynote
2027 Keynote: Toby Sisson
Toby Sisson earned her M.F.A. from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and is a Professor of Visual Art at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. In addition to her studio practice in drawing, painting, printmaking, and collage, Sisson’s areas of specialization incorporate community-based service learning, collaborative public art, and curatorial projects. Her creative research explores themes at the intersection of history and race in America with a recent focus on migration movements, ancestral homelands, and the ways place makes us who we are. She is a recipient of an Artistic Practitioner Fellowship from the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University, and an Artist Research Residency at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. Sisson has exhibited her work widely, including the Tianjin Art Museum in China, the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, the Hunterdon Museum of Art, Louisiana State University, Connecticut College, and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Her work is in numerous public and private collections, among them Brown University, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Newport Historical Society. She is also a member of the recently founded New England Black Artists Collective. Toby Sisson’s home and studio are located in Providence, Rhode Island.
https://tobysisson.com/home.html
Pre and Post Conference Workshops
Pre and Post Conference Workshops
Pre- & Post- Conference Workshops
Expand on the topics and techniques that are presented at the Conference, learn something new, or dive deeper into your practice!
Please note that we have 2 campuses that host workshops, Edgewood Farm and Castle Hill. Materials may be included in the class tuition, you may be asked to bring other materials with you. Refer to the class materials lists for more information regarding supplies and location of each class. A reminder will be sent out prior to class via email as well. Please be sure to enter your preferred email when you register.
Bios
Bios
Presenter & Instructor Bios
Edith Beatty is a Vermont artist who works in encaustic, oil, fresco, and fiber, with earthy materials: wood, beeswax, resin, marble dust, pit lime, sand, coffee, shells, paper pulp, linens, silk, and natural pigments. Her work has shown in juried and curated shows in Seattle, New York City, Chicago, Portland, Cambridge, Truro, and throughout Vermont. She has enjoyed teaching encaustic painting in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Having earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Indiana University, she enjoyed an extensive career designing and leading programs to promote social justice and equity. She has since shifted her focus to making works of art that convey that same struggle and hope.
Beatty is drawn to encaustic painting because “the dance between transparency and opacity, the lovely way in which multiple layers of molten, pigmented beeswax, and resin, each fused in the process, conceal and reveal images, color, and textures beneath.”
Working in the abstract, Karen Bright’s painting and sculpture derive from an innate focus on the natural world and concern for the environment. Exhibiting since 1981, Karen’s work has won numerous exhibition awards and project grants from a wide variety of organizations including: Urban Coast Institute, International Encaustic Artists, and Monmouth University. Artist-in-residency appointments include: Weir Farm National Historic Site, Petrified Forest National Park, and Hot Springs National Park. Karen Bright, Professor Emerita, recently retired from Monmouth University after a 40+ year career in academia teaching all levels of graphic and interactive design and traditional printmaking. Previous academic appointments include: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey; Parsons School of Design, New York, New York. Professor Bright owns and operates Studio Bright in Newtown Square (Edgmont), Pennsylvania. Academic degrees include an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and a BFA with honors, from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Bettina Egli Sennhauser lives and works near Basel, Switzerland. Working with natural and sustainable materials, she builds layered surfaces that translate lived impressions of her environment into fields of color, texture, and subtle gesture. Her works explore relationships between people, place, and material memory, unfolding as contemplative spaces that invite for reflection.Since 2018, Bettina has extended her practice through international workshops and art retreats across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Ireland, and the United States, sharing process-based approaches to material exploration. In 2023, she published her first practical workbook on the Cold Wax & Oil technique.
She is a member of the SGBK (Swiss Society of Women Visual Artists) and the International Encaustic Association, and serves as a Core Artist with R&F Handmade Paints. Bettina has received scholarships from the International Encaustic Conference and her work has been juried into various exhibitions in Provincetown, New York, and Palo Alto. She has also been invited to speak at the International Encaustic Conferences in Provincetown, Cape Cod, and at the Celtic Convergence Conference in Ireland, contributing to the discourse on contemporary encaustic practices. Her work has been exhibited in Switzerland, Italy, and the United States. In 2024, she received the Director’s Choice Award at the International Encaustic Conference. Bettina is represented by Soderbergh Gallery of Sustainable Art in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
Isabelle Gaborit is a contemporary artist whose work explores the intersection of ancient technique and lived landscape. Working primarily in encaustic—a process using molten, pigmented beeswax manipulated with heat—she creates tactile, layered surfaces shaped by heat and immediacy. Based in the Auvergne region of central France, her practice is informed by its distinctive volcanic terrain, deep valleys, caves, and river systems. Her work is process-driven and arises from an ongoing engagement with the physical environment and its underlying geological forces.
Originally from La Rochelle, France, Gaborit studied sculpture, drawing, and painting at l’École des Beaux-Arts in Poitiers, France, before completing a BA (Hons) in Fine Arts in Ireland in 2006. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in France, Northern Ireland, the USA, Germany, and China. With more than two decades of teaching experience, Gaborit has led workshops and retreats across Ireland and internationally, including at the International Encaustic Conference in Massachusetts, Mulranny Arts in Ireland, and kunstfreiraum in Switzerland.
She is a core instructor with R&F Handmade Paints, contributes to the online program Painting with Fire, and serves on the board of the International Encaustic Artists (IEA).
@isabellegaboritencaustics
Milisa Galazzi graduated from Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design with degrees in art, education and administration. She attended Phillips Academy, Andover for high school and was ‘boat schooled’ as a child aboard a vessel her father hand-built in the back yard. Galazzi has mentored thousands of artists and educators while exhibiting her artwork worldwide in galleries and museums. She has self-published numerous exhibition catalogs of her art work exhibited in solo and group shows. In conjunction with Archway Publishing, her first book, Full Palette Human: Ten Touchstones for Creating Your Truest & Most Beautiful Life From The Inside Out, is now available on Amazon and at your local book seller by special order. Galazzi is owner and CEO of The Family Schools, Inc. in Brewster, Massachusetts.
Jeffrey Hirst has exhibited his work throughout the United States and Europe since 1987. He received his MFA from Louisiana State University and his BFA from the University of Minnesota. His work has been exhibited at national and international venues including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, McLean Project for the Arts in Virginia, McKinney Contemporary in Dallas, and the Bienal do Douro in Portugal. Hirst has received numerous grants and was awarded a fellowship at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland, where he has completed eight residencies. He is represented by Addington Gallery in Chicago and Brandt Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, and his work is held in numerous public and private collections in the United States, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland. In 2021, Hirst co-founded Catalyst Art Lab, an online art education platform, and teaches encaustic painting, experimental drawing, and printmaking workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, and Ireland. Hirst is a Core Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints and has taught and presented numerous times at the International Encaustic Conference.
Rosemarie Langtry is an Irish Contemporary visual artist Graduated in 2014 with a degree in fine arts in GMIT Ireland. Since then, she has been exhibiting work nationally and internationally Rosemarie is inspired by nature, the Irish bog landscape that surround her home and marks made by nature and time. Rosemarie received a scholarship to attend the 10th (2016) and 13th (2019) International Encaustic conferences in Provincetown, Mass, USA. She was subsequently invited to exhibit at the prestigious 2019 Webster Art fair in St Louis and in 2018 was awarded a two-week Encaustic Residency, Encaustic Castle AIR Kentucky. Rosemarie has exhibited in many solo and group shows with her work included in the Irish State Art Collection.
Susan Lasch Krevitt received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she majored in Sculpture & Material Studies. Susan uses new & up-cycled textiles, rubber, cardboard, metal, leather & whatever it takes to build non-objective, free standing & wall hung sculptural paintings. She is passionate about materials, always looking for possibilities to incorporate something new. Her organic, process driven work explores themes of structure, connection, transformation & memory. She finds inspiration through observations of the natural world including growth & decay, earthly & underwater life forms & plants, especially cactus & succulents. Her work has been exhibited in galleries & museums internationally & throughout the United States since 1985. Susan has shown work at the Cape Cod Museum of Art & The Provincetown Art Association & Museum. In California, she’s shown at The Chaffey Community Museum & The Riverside Art Museum. A free standing sculptural piece was included in a group show at The Painting Center in NYC. Susan was a featured artist in an article published in The Surface Design Journal. Of 50 international artists she was one of only 3 artists from the United States whose work was chosen to be included in Feel Free, a show that traveled around the world for 3 years. Susan teaches workshops & works one on one with artists in her Thousand Oaks, California studio.
Megan MacDonald (she/her) is a multi disciplinarian visual artist with a focus on encaustic and Core Artist Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints. Megan is drawn to natural and organic forms, the energy of hand-drawn lines, and the alchemy that occurs with the convergence of natural elements. She gravitated to encaustics due to its beautiful depth and luminosity, as well as, the myriad of possibilities the medium offers. Although she continues to explore a variety of mediums in her art practice, her focus is primarily centred on encaustic. Through formal education, Megan studied fine art at Emily Carr University and resumed her studies through Emily Carr’s Continuing Education programs and was apart of the in-depth colour study program under Tom Hudson. Additionally, she has taken part in the Golden Acrylics training program and has been a guest instructor for a wide variety of groups and institutions. Megan has been instructing and mentoring for over 20 years, owned and operated an artisan gallery and studio space for over 10 years, served on the board of the Delta Arts Council, co founded a non profit group artists group and has curated and juried numerous art shows. She has been an instructor and presenter for both the International Encaustic Artists conference and workshop leader at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, Massachusetts. In September 2025, She will be a presenter and workshop leader at the inaugural Canadian Encaustic Conference in Owen Sound, Ontario Canada. An award-winning artist whose work has been in juried exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Her work can be found in numerous private collections around the globe. Megan continues to create and instruct out of her studio, The Crow’s Nest Art Studio is now located on Vancouver Island, in Maple Bay, just outside of Duncan, British Columbia, Canada.
In her almost five-decade career, Joanne Mattera has had 35 solo shows and participated in about 10 group shows annually, both national and international. Her most recent solo, From Dawn to Dusk, took place at Odetta Gallery in Manhattan in late 2019. Joanne’s curatorial projects include Textility in 2012 at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit; A Few Conversations About Color at DM Contemporary in Manhattan in 2015; and Depth Perception in 2017 at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, Massachusetts, which she curated with Cherie Mittenthal. Joanne’s work is in the New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut; Montclair Art Museum, New Jersey; Connecticut College Print Department; University Collections at the University of Albany; the U.S. State Department, Washington, D.C.; and numerous institutional and private collections. Joanne is founder and director emerita of the International Encaustic Conference and author of The Art of Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax. Her memoir, Vita: Growing Up Italian, Coming Out, and Making a Life in Art, was published in 2019 by Well-Fed Artist Press in Manhattan.
Kelly McGrath has been a practicing artist since 2007 and Art educator since 2009. She utilizes wax, paper, plaster, wood, clay and found materials in her process driven work. She explores themes that are influenced by biologic process like growth and decay, mutation and evolution. She has been invited to present and teach at R&F Handmade Paints, Women's Studio Workshop, Castle Hill Center for the Arts, Peter’s Valley and Snow Farm. She earned her BFA in Sculpture from SUNY New Paltz in 2007 and her Master’s in Art Education from Hunter College in 2019. She is currently employed at SUNY New Paltz as the Instructional Support Technician for the Sculpture Department.
Kelly Milukas works and teaches in a variety of media, among them pastel, water-based & ink-based paints, and mixed-media-sculpture; with a particular love of creative encaustic and pastel fused together. In addition to private mentoring, retreats, and instruction in her seacoast New England studio, Kelly serves as Core Instructor for R&F Encaustics, Instructor for the International Encaustic Conference at Truro Center for the Arts in Massachusetts, and a Master Pastelist Instructor for the International Association of Pastel Societies in New Mexico, where she holds an International Pastel Masters Circle title. Kelly is an instructor, speaker, and art & science residency collaborator, an award-winning artist whose practice began as a sculptor and has expanded to multi-media painting including pastel and encaustic painting. Milukas’ solo exhibitions have been hosted at the Ronald Reagan International Forum, Washington, DC, the Museum at Palm Beach Photographic Centre, FL, and the Regenerative Medicine Forum in Berkeley, CA. Her artwork is in national museums, international private and corporate collections, and been visible at international art fairs such as Red Dot Miami, and Boston International Art Fairs. Her story and artwork have been featured in IAPS Globe 2021, ArtScope, Newport Life Magazine, Palm Beach Times, and The Pastel Journal, and in several books: “100 New England Artists”; ”Best of American Pastel Vol. 2”; “Artists Homes and Studios”, “A Woman’s Shed”; “The History of Little Compton, First Light: Sakonnet, 1660-1820”; and The Cortland Review. She’s served as a curator and juror, and her ability to communicate ideas has established her as a respected and sought-after instructor and speaker in, arts and science forums, universities, and corporate leadership programs. She is a juried artist member of the Salmagundi Club, NYC, the Connecticut Pastel Society & the RI Watercolor Society, she’s the founding President Emerita of the South Coast Artists, RI & MA, and a past President of the Providence Art Club, the 3rd oldest art club in the United States founded in 1880.
Cherie Mittenthal, Director and Producer of the International Encaustic Conference. She’s been working predominately in wax or encaustic paint while integrating tar, marble dust, pigment sticks, dry materials, graphite, collage and miscellaneous mediums. She has her MFA from the State University of New York at Purchase and her BFA from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford. She’s the Executive Artistic Director of Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill since 2002. She serves on the board of Campus Provincetown, Provincetown Cultural Council, OCARC - the Outer Cape Artist Residency Coalition and is partners with Highlands Center & the National Seashore for the only Wood-Fired Kiln on Cape Cod. She won the 2019 Artist Fellowship award from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod.
Jodi Reeb received a BFA degree in Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, MCAD, where she instructed printmaking for over 9 years. Jodi has been a full-time working artist creating paintings and sculpture and a teacher in Minneapolis for over 28 years. She has taught printmaking, acrylic and encaustic painting as well as book arts classes/workshops at colleges and art centers regionally and internationally. She has taught encaustic workshops at the Essence of Mulranny in Ireland, Zijidelings in Netherlands, Kunstfreiraum in Basel, Switzerland, and San Miguel De Allende. Nationally, she has taught workshops at Arrowmont School of Craft, Penland School of Art, Tubac Center for the Arts, Wild Rice Retreat and Haystack School of Art. She has been an online video instructor with Painting with Fire for 4 years and has taught workshops at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, Massachusets for the past 7 years. She teaches monthly workshops in her NE Minneapolis studio and offers art study coaching to artists for professional development. She is a CORE teaching Artist for R&F Handmade Encaustic Paints, an Ambassador artist for Ampersand Art, Artist Educator for Silverbrush Ltd., and a GOLDEN Acrylic Paint Artist educator.
For more information, available artwork and workshops please contact Jodi at www.jodireeb.com
photo: Rob Strong
Lia Rothstein has BA and MFA degrees from Boston University. She was the Climate Change Artist in Residence at the Brattleboro, VT Museum and Art Center for 2023. Her work is in numerous public and private collections and she has taught extensively. She has exhibited her work with biomaterials, most recently in Tokyo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and her work has been featured in numerous publications, including the first and second editions of the ”Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations” by Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin. A new book, “Ideal Matter: Art, Bioplastics, and the Hope for Degradation” by art historian Yorick Berta, featuring Lia’s biomaterial work, has just been published in Germany.
Patricia (Patti) Russotti is an artist, explorer, maker, and educator whose work investigates entropy, negentropy, nature, and the small things she encounters within the world around her. She is fascinated by the alchemical magic that occurs in natural phenomena—and in the creative process itself. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally through solo, group, and juried exhibitions and is held in private and corporate collections. Her practice encompasses analog, digital, alternative, and historic photographic processes, with a particular interest in moving images across processes and substrates. Russotti has taught and presented on Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom since their earliest versions and has been a regular presenter at national and international imaging and education conferences since the 1980s. Today, she offers workshops online and in person, helping artists expand their practices through digital tools, alternative processes, experimentation, and play. She is co-author of Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow Handbook (Focal Press, 2010) and is Professor Emerita of Rochester Institute of Technology, where she taught for four decades across the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), and the School of Print.
Gabriela Sánchez is a visual artist from Mexico City, born in 1972, specializing in encaustic and mixed media techniques. With a background in Textile Design and a master’s in Visual Communication, her work is deeply rooted in the exploration of texture, layering, and personal narratives, often weaving in family letters, documents, and memories into her pieces.
Since 2002, Gabriela has built a solid career with solo and collective exhibitions, recognized for her technical mastery and emotional expression. Her teaching practice extends beyond the studio, offering workshops on encaustic painting and mixed media techniques in both Mexico and internationally, inspiring others through her creative process.
Chelsea Spengemann is the co-founder and Executive Director of Soft Network, a New York City–based nonprofit founded in 2021 to support under-resourced artists and estates. Soft Network houses AFELL (Artist Foundations and Estate Leaders List), a professional resource group for people stewarding artists’ legacies. Spengemann also serves as Artist Legacy Liaison & Planning Coordinator at the Law Office of Pamela L. Grutman, PLLC, where she supports artists and estates with legal planning.
Since 2008, Spengemann has worked with the estate of Stan VanDerBeek, guiding the preservation, scholarship, and exhibition of the pioneering experimental filmmaker’s work. In 2019 she co-curated VanDerBeek + VanDerBeek at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Her other curatorial projects include Becoming Disfarmer (2014) and The Instant as Image (2016) at the Neuberger Museum of Art. Spengemann holds an MFA in Photography from Bard College and an MA in Art History from Purchase College, and she completed the Aspen Institute Seminar for Artist Endowed Foundation Leaders in 2019.
Dietlind Vander Schaaf holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco and an MA from the University of Southern Maine. Her work has been described as “the transformation of disparate objects into elegantly simple compositions of pattern and grace” (Artscope). Vander Schaaf has exhibited at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, The Fuller Craft Museum, and On Center Gallery, among others, and been featured in Maine Home + Design, Decor Maine, UPPERCASE, and Downeast magazines. Vander Schaaf is a Core Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints, an Ampersand Ambassador, and the former president of New England Wax. She has taught workshops throughout the country, including Haystack, Arrowmont, Castle Hill, Snow Farm, Penland, Maine College of Art, R&F, and internationally at Zijdelings in The Netherlands, Essence of Mulranny in Ireland, and Kunstfreiraum in Switzerland. The recipient of grants from the Maine Arts Commission and International Encaustic Artists, as well as a Tending Space Artist Fellowship from the Hemera Foundation, she is represented by Portland Art Gallery and Artemis Gallery. Vander Schaaf is a 500 hr Kripalu yoga instructor with specialty training in meditation, advanced asana, Ayurveda, vinyasa, and pranayama, as well as a Level 2 Archery Instructor through USA Archery.
dietlindvanderschaaf.com
instagram.com/dietlindvanderschaaf
Harbor Hotel
Harbor Hotel
Come Stay in Provincetown!
Book a room at the Harbor Hotel in the Conference Block.
The Harbor Hotel has offered to match the prices of prior years for this year’s Pre/Conference/Post weeks.
Visit: https://www.harborhotelptown.com/
On the website click "Book Now". This will bring you to a pop up and you will see an option for PROMO code directly under the date range. Enter the code Encaustic27 and this will generate rates for all of the different room types.
harborhotelptown.com
508-487-1711
Traveling to Provincetown & Truro
Traveling to Provincetown & Truro
Traveling to Provincetown and Truro:
Provincetown is located at curled fingers of the flexed arm of Massachusetts, and Truro is about 15 minutes down Route 6. We’re at the very tip of Cape Cod.
There are many ways to get to the Outer Cape, if you're new to the Conference, these are your travel options:
20 minutes via Cape Air from Logan International Airport
90 minutes via ferry from Boston Harbor
2.5 hours driving from Logan Airport in Boston to Truro
2.5 hours driving from T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I. (near Providence), with less traffic than from Boston
Fly from Boston to Provincetown: Cape Air
Plan on around $350 round trip. Check website for latest schedule and rates
Some conferees have found it cheaper to book their flight directly to Provincetown via Jet Blue, which partners with Cape Air. You'll still change planes at Logan, but through-booking should offer a better price.
If you wish to rent a car, Enterprise at the Provincetown Airport has cars available--but you must reserve as a limited number are typically available.
Ferry from Boston to Provincetown: Bay State Cruise Company & Boston Harbor Cruises
Check websites for latest schedule and fares
One caveat: A crossing can be a bit unpleasant if the bay is rough. Come prepared with anti-nausea medication if you are prone to seasickness.
If the company determines that the crossing will be too rough, you will board a bus and be taken directly to McMillan Wharf in Provincetown, where the ferry normally disembarks
Ferry: McMillan Wharf is where the ferry arrives. There are always taxis and pedicabs at the wharf to meet arriving passengers. It's about a mile from the Inn
Cape Air: The Harbor Hotel is about a 15-minute taxi ride from the airport.
Thinking of renting a car in P-Town? Enterprise is the franchise, and you have to reserve. You'd pick up the car at the airport. But unless you are planning to drive around the Cape, it's actually cheaper and far more convenient to take a taxi when you need one and walk the rest of the time. Besides, with so much taking place at the Inn, your car will sit in the parking lot. A car will come in handy if you are taking workshops at Castle Hill, but we can work with you for Pre- and Post-Conference to hook up folks with cars to those who need a ride.
*If you are looking to share a ride, try the Facebook page to link up with other travelers!
Edgewood Farm Info
Edgewood Farm Info
Edgewood Farm, 3 Edgewood Way, Truro
Edgewood Farm is located on 7.5+ pristine and protected acres in Truro at the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts and bounded by the Cape Cod National Seashore on the east and the Town of Truro Conservation Land on the south. It is a beautiful campus located right off of Route 6 where you can find a slice of peace and quiet, connect with the natural world, and unleash your creativity here on the Outer Cape!
The environmentally conscious Printmaking Studio is home to 3 presses that can produce intaglio, relief, monotype, silkscreen, bookmaking and lithography.
3D Studio and Welding Pad, is well equipped for woodworking and includes a CNC machine. The outdoor Welding Pad is a great space for not only welding, but other metalwork, papermaking, and sculpture.
The grounds of Edgewood is the home to a sculpture garden, that was installed as a celebration of Castle Hill’s 50th Anniversary, as well as an outdoor stage, “Sam’s Stage” and community garden that is open for the public to join. The large meadow is a great place to take in the view, or find some shade under the magnificent walnut tree, or American Elm tree that grow in the garden grove.
The Wood Kiln, a part of the Ceramics Department, is located at Edgewood Farm. This train kiln is fired multiple times throughout the year.
The Barn at Edgewood is a favorite place for visiting faculty as well as the Artists in Residence. A cozy living area and large dining room makes this space ideal for writing workshops.
The Main House has 5 bedrooms that are available to students throughout the summer, as well as the Artists in Residence. The Cottage is a stand alone building that is also available for student and visiting artist housing.
All three buildings in the upper courtyard, the Barn, Main House, and Cottage, have been fully renovated to historical standards to maintain the integrity of Edgewood Farm’s rich history.
Postcard Sale
Postcard Sale
Yes, we will still have the postcard show and sale!
The Postcard Show is one of those glorious win/wins. Conferees--as well as friends of the Conference--donate postcards for show and sale. It's an exhibition for the artists donating, and every penny of the sale goes toward scholarships for the following year.
Each year will see a different group of artists receive the Conference Scholarship Grant, which offers a paid-for entry to the Conference. Additionally, the Scholarship Grant is a legitimate entry for your resume.
How to pack: Please try to cut down on excessive packaging. The flat lightweight-cardboard or padded mailers available at the Post Office or FedEx should be sufficient to protect your work. You might wish to interleave your postcards with glassine, and then sandwich the stack between two lightweight layers of cardboard--the type that comes in a digital-print paper box--before inserting the whole thing into the mailer. For good measure, I'd write "Do not bend."
Stephanie Roberts-Camello will be collecting the postcards and getting them ready to hang.
Please mail directly to Stephanie: 24 Standford Hill Road, Pembroke, MA, 02359
You can reach out to Marisa with any questions: marisa@castlehill.org
Postcard Guidelines
Size: postcard dimensions of 4x6 inches. Horizontal or vertical orientation is fine. Please keep your cards as close to the 4x6 size as possible so they can fit into the plastic sleeves which will be provided
Paper: People have used 300-lb watercolor paper to paint on, lightweight Japanese paper to print with, and everything in between. Other: Some artists have used 4” x 6" prepared panels, and others have used small stretched canvases or thin boards
Dimension: Most of the postcards are two-dimensional, but who are we to cramp your style? Relief and three-dimensional works are entirely welcome
Installing: We provide the archival poly bags. A small group of enthusiastic volunteers will pin each poly bag to the walls around the room.
Materials: Most artists have incorporated wax entirely or in part, but we're open to your particular material expression
Limit: There is no limit to the number of cards you donate or buy
Getting into the room to buy: We'll have specifics listed on the schedule. The room will be open just for viewing prior to sale.
Sunday Art Show
Sunday Art Show
You’re Invited!
SUNDAY, June 6, 12:30pm - 2:30pm
We are opening up space at Edgewood for Conference attendees to show and sell their artwork and books!
We will also open the doors to the public to come by and have a peek! This is a great opportunity to show our local community what this Conference is all about, and to share your work with a wider audience. Tables will be provided, but you are responsible for setting up your work and handling all sales.
If you are thinking about participating in the art show, please fill out the form below so we can get a general idea of how much space will be needed.
Comments, questions or suggestions to make this a success are welcome!
FAQ
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will there be any virtual component to the Conference this year?
Sorry, no, we will not be recording the sessions this year. All talks and demos are going to take place in person over the weekend!Is there an orientation for those of us who are new to the Conference?
Yes, on Friday morning after the first session! Cherie will chat about all things conference, and answer all of your questions!
All are welcome to attend as the venue is new. We’re excited to share our campus with you!What if I want to register for just one day of the conference?
We very much prefer for you to sign up for the full event.Are post-conference workshops included in the conference price?
No, there is a separate fee. A lot of really great options this year! Workshops take place in Truro.Do I need to bring materials for the conference demos or workshops?
Conference demos are strictly demonstration, so you do not need to bring materials. The Pre- and Post-Conference workshops are different. Teachers will provide a list of supplies that you may bring with you, and also what is provided. Castle Hill or the specific teachers will contact you if you're signed up. Also, it's important to note that our wonderful vendors donate a large amount of paint, medium and materials for you to try.Could I register only for the Pre or Post-Conference sessions?
Sure. But you'll miss a great conference!What if I decide at a later date that I wish to register for a Post-Conference workshop? Possible?
Sure. If there is space, you can register even during the conference if you wish. Please know, however, that the workshops can fill up quickly.What are the hours of the post-conference workshops, and where do they take place?
The workshops run from 10:00am to 4:00pm with an hour for lunch as determined by the instructor. Informal events are planned for some of the evenings. We have two campuses in Truro - the specific location will be listed on your materials list and also emailed out as a reminder a few days prior to class.I see you have multiple-day workshops. Is there any chance I could take just one day of, say, the three-day workshop so that I may take different workshops on other days?
Nice try, but the point of multiple-day workshops is to have the opportunity to explore one area in depth with one teacher and the same group of equally committed participants.Where can I find a map of Provincetown?
Click here for a fully printable map of Provincetown.Where can I find information about the local galleries?
Encaustic-specific info will be posted and shared when it has been finalized. Gallery Guides should are also available at Castle Hill, and the Harbor Hotel.What's the weather like in Truro / Provincetown?
Normally, the temperature range in early June is is in the high 60s to low 70s during the day, and in the low 60s to high 50s at night. But that's an average. It can get hotter or colder. And the weather can turn on a dime. As the town meteorologist, Cherie guarantees it will be perfect!So how should I dress?
Bring a light jacket or a sweater, a turtleneck, a t-shirt and a tank top; pants and shorts; sunglasses and an umbrella. In other words, dress for New England weather, which encompasses a meteorological range. You can safely leave the boots at home, however: The only thing you don't have to plan for this time of year is snow.Is there a dress code?
Nope. Wear what you like, whether it's a sundress, jeans and a t-shirt, a suit, or cutoffs. Your choice.Does the Conference provide food?
If you are staying at the Hotel, breakfast may be provided. There will be light snacks and lunch provided at the Conference, as well as coffee and pastries in the mornings. We try to accommodate as many dietary restrictions that we can, but if you have severe allergies or prefer to pack your own food for any reason, you are more than welcome to. (A staff member can point you in the direction of a refrigerator if you need one!)Can I purchase paint or paper or panels from the vendors?
Yes, the vendors will sell lots of stuff from the amazing Vendor room!What is your Refund Policy?
We offer refunds before 30 days of the workshop or conference, after 30 days no refund.
History of the Conference
History of the Conference
Take a peek back in time, learn how the Conference started and evolved.
2007 - 2015: The History of the Encaustic Conference by Joanne Mattera
2016: Conference #10 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Mary Birmingham
Juried Show: The Mark of the Brush, juror: Christine McCarthy
With the emphasis in encaustic on techniques such as scraping and pouring, melting and smoothing, the tra- ditional act of painting with a brush often gets overlooked. For this exhibition we challenge you to create works in which the composition has been created with a brush, in which there is strong evidence of paint application by a brush and by what the brush can do. While the subject matter need not be traditional, the means by which it is realized should demonstrate traditional paint handling. Printmakers, your brush marks would be in the matrix or on the plate, so while the surface of your prints won’t necessarily have texture, your image will bear the result of the brush. Sculptors, even dimensional work can evidence a surface marked by the brush.
2017: Conference #11 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Sharon Louden
Juried Show: Sense of Place, juror: Patricia Miranda
A sense of place is something that we ourselves create in the course of time. It is the result of habit or custom.... A sense of place is reinforced by what might be called a sense of recurring events. A particular experience of a person in a particular setting (feeling stimulated, excited, joyous, expansive..
2018: Conference #12 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Sharon Butler
Juried Show: Trans, juror: Tim Doud
Trans: a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin transcend; transfix; on this model, used with the meanings “across”, “beyond,” “through,” “changing thoroughly,” “transverse,” in combination with elements of any origin: or a prefix meaning “on the other side of,” referring to the misalignment of one’s gender identity with one’s biological sex assigned at birth: Other words include: transaction, transfer, transferred, transformer, transparent, transitive, translated, transpose, transverse, transsexual, translation... so many options!
2019: Conference #13 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Judy Pfaff
Juried Show: Anything But Flat, juror: Joanne Mattera
The challenge for this year’s juried show is to create a work that has a tangible, physical presence. Of course you can submit paintings, but we’d like to see depth or dimension in your paintings, whether the surface is built up, carved into, embellished, or assembled in some way. Sculpture by its very nature is dimensional, so show us how you handle space. Mixed media works are welcome, as are book objects.
2020: Conference CANCELLED due to Covid-19 Pandemic
2021: Conference #14 goes Virtual! This year, we presented a new format due to Covid-19.
Keynote Speaker: Joan Snyder
Juried Show: Pushing Boundaries: Bent, Cut, Cracked, Stapled, Smashed and Hammered, juror: Kaveh Mojtabai
The creative process is not judged and seen all the way through, a transformation happens. The work can hang from the ceiling, on the wall or sit on the floor or on a pedestal. This show is to think outside the box, think about ways one gets to the final process. Work must have encaustic in it, but it isn't limited to encaustic alone
2022: Conference #15 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Michael David
Juried Show: Lucky Charms, Mojos, Signs, Cyphers and Zodiacs, juror: Deborah Dancy
2023: Conference #16 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Hrag Vartanian
Juried Show: Sweet 16, juror: Adam Peck
2024: Conference #17 at the Provincetown Inn
Keynote Speaker: Petah Coyne
Juried Show: Inspiration, with juror Barbara O’Brien
“Inspiration” is the theme of this year’s conference exhibition, to be held at Truro Center for the Arts Gallery. The juror, Barbara O’Brien, is well-known to the community of artists who work in encaustic. This year’s keynote speaker, Petah Coyne, has taken inspiration from the myriad possibilities of working with wax to create sculptures of startling originality. Who or what inspires you? Being a studio artist is often a solitary experience built upon years of education, ambition, and discipline. Returning to this place of creation (ranging from a kitchen table to a large warehouse) and then putting one’s creations out into the world takes a leap of faith. Motivation can come from looking at the work of a living artist, or exploring the lineage of an art historical movement. Insight can emerge from a connection to powerful social and political issues. The Muse can be found walking along the shoreline, across a wide field or through a crowded cityscape. I want to know what inspires you to find your voice, create art, and continue along a challenging path.
2025: Conference #18 at Edgewood Farm
This is the VERY FIRST YEAR the International Encaustic Conference was hosted at Edgewood Farm, a campus of Truro Center for the Arts.
Keynote Speaker: Esperanza Cortés
Juried Show: Resist, Create, Love, juried by Patricia Miranda
2026: Conference #19 at Edgewood Farm
The Encaustic Conference was hosted at Edgewood Farm, a campus of Truro Center for the Arts.
Keynote Speaker: Portia Munson
Juried Show: Thinking About a Garden, juried by Nancy Natale
Your garden may be literal, imaginative or inspirational, organized geometrically or freely representing a place of pure color and shapes unrelated to the real world.
This Juried Show was displayed in Castle Hill’s new Gallery Space at 8 Meetinghouse Road.
Meet the Vendors
Meet the Vendors
The Vendor Room at Edgewood Farm
Don’t miss a chance to stop by the Vendor Room! Located on the first floor of the printshop building. Our wonderful vendors have art supplies, tools and equipment for you at bargain prices!
Founded in 1988 by artist and paint-maker Richard Frumess, R&F Handmade Paints manufactures three unique and heavily pigmented paint lines: our classic wax-based encaustic paint, linseed-oil based Pigment Sticks®, and the newest addition to our product line - the Drawing Oils™. Located in Kingston, New York, R&F is committed to producing the highest quality paints with materials meticulously sourced from around the world.
Darin Seim and Sean Sullivan are the owners of R&F. Both started in paintmaking many years ago (Darin in the 90s and Sean in 2007).
Christina and Kevin Brady
Encaustic tools and equipment, custom made in-house (USA) by an encaustic artist and her engineer husband.
Enkaustikos encaustic paints are made from the finest ingredients: we select the most beautiful pigments, the finest Damar Gum, and United States Pharmaceutical Grade (USP) Refined Natural White Beeswax. Our paints contain no bleach or synthetic adulterants whatsoever. Using these main ingredients, we manufacture a full color range of professional encaustic paints. 100 colors to date are being milled. Click on paint links below to view color swatches and read detailed descriptions of each of our colors. All colors are available in Hot Cakes, Hot Sticks, Wax Snaps and refills, unless otherwise noted.
Scholarships
Scholarship Opportunities
Scholarships
Scholarship Opportunities
Thanks to the annual Postcard Sale, we are able to offer scholarships for the 2027 Conference!
This scholarship includes access to the whole Conference weekend at Edgewood Farm, but not housing or workshops.
Priority is given in 3 categories:
1-International artists
2- Never been before
3- Have been, but life happens, and can’t afford it this time, but really want to come!
Please fill out the form below to apply for a Scholarship. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.