Waterworlds: Encaustic Monoprint + Mixed Media

Dive into a world of color, texture, and imagination as you explore encaustic monoprinting and mixed media techniques inspired by the mysteries of the sea.

We'll begin by creating abstract underwater landscapes on a heated glass palette using encaustic medium and delicate Japanese calligraphy paper. Once your monoprints are complete, you'll enhance them with water-soluble media, adding details, depth, and unexpected discoveries.

In this workshop, you'll learn:

• Encaustic monoprint techniques

• How to successfully combine wax and water-based media

• Ways to build layers, texture, and visual interest

• How to train your eye to recognize shapes and imagery through pareidolia—the tendency to see familiar forms in abstract patterns

  
  

No two pieces will be alike. As your underwater worlds emerge, you'll discover fish, coral, sea creatures, and imaginative forms hidden within the layers.

You'll leave with a collection of vibrant mixed media artworks, fresh creative inspiration, and new techniques to incorporate into your own artistic practice.

Whether you're new to encaustic monoprinting or looking to expand your mixed media skills, come ready to experiment, play, and be surprised by what surfaces.

About the Instructor:

Sharon Gottula is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the fragile intersections between memory, nature, and time. A graduate of San Francisco State University with a BA in Fine Art and an emphasis in photography, Gottula spent decades as a successful commercial, editorial, and portrait photographer in Los Angeles before relocating to the Pacific Northwest to pursue her fine art practice.

Her artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2010 after a single encounter with an encaustic painting. The medium—ancient, tactile, and infused with beeswax—offered a powerful new language. As a Leo with a fire-sign-heavy chart, painting with a blowtorch felt less like a technique and more like destiny.