October 10 – December 12, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 10
Juror Talk: 1:00 PM
Reception: 2:00 – 4:00PM
Awards Ceremony: 3:00PM
Wax Currents: Fusing Tradition and Innovation is a juried encaustic exhibition presented by the International Encaustic Artists (IEA) and Woodstock School of Art.
DESCRIPTION
Encaustic, derived from the Greek word enkaustikos (“to burn in”), is one of the oldest known painting mediums. Originating in ancient Greece over 2,000 years ago, the earliest surviving encaustic paintings are several hundred Fayum mummy portraits, created by Greek artists working in Egypt.
Over the centuries, the popularity of encaustics has ebbed and flowed, but a resurgence occurred in the mid-20th century with the invention of electric tools and the evolution of encaustic paint manufacturers. This new found freedom and accessibility gave artists the ability to push the medium past it’s original intent and into a new era.
IEA and the Woodstock School of Art (WSA) invite artists to apply for Wax Currents: Fusing Tradition and Innovation with artwork that takes this ancient medium of painting with wax in new and innovative directions.
Artworks may encompass traditional themes and approaches, or explore radically contemporary techniques and fresh experimentation. All media are acceptable as long as wax (cold or heated) is the primary material. We are most interested in how you, as a wax media artist, are pushing your own practice to keep it current and vital, while standing on the shoulders of the centuries and millennia of artists before you.
JUROR
Dietlind Vander Schaaf holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco and an MA from the University of Southern Maine. Vander Schaaf is a Core Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints, an Ampersand Ambassador, and the former president of New England Wax. Vander Schaaf has taught workshops nationally and internationally. The recipient of grants from the Maine Arts Commission and IEA, as well as a Tending Space Artist Fellowship from the Hemera Foundation, she is represented by Portland Art Gallery and Artemis Gallery. For more information visit – https://www.dietlindvanderschaaf.com
View the Online Exhibition
UPCOMING EXHIBITION RELATED EVENTS
What Lies Beneath: Pairing Encaustic with Traditional and Innovative Materials with Tracy Casagrande Clancy and Michele Randall
Saturday, October 24th
3:30-4:00PM Meet & Greet, See the Exhibition
4:00-5:30PM Artist Talk
Click Here to Learn More
Live and Virtual R&F Painting Demonstration & Art Material Raffle
Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 4:00-6:00PM
With Dietlind Vander Schaaf at Woodstock School of Art.
Exhibition Tour & Talk with Exhibiting Artists
November 14, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Organized by IEA Board Member & WSA Artistic Director Heather Caufield at Woodstock School of Art, funded by a Grant by IEA.
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Encaustic Panel Discussion: Saturday, December 5, 2026, 4:30PM-6:00PM
Panelists: Richard Frumess, Darin Seim, Leslie Giuliani, Joan Ffolliott, and Leslie Yolen
Moderators: Regina B Quinn and Nina Doyle
Location: Robert H. Angeloch Gallery at Woodstock School of Art.
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Encaustic Connect: Studio Demos & Artist Meetup
December 12th 5:00-7:00 PM
Organized by IEA Board Member & WSA Artistic Director Heather Caufield at Woodstock School of Art, funded by a Grant by IEA.
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Encaustic/Pigment Stick Workshops at WSA in Collaboration with R&F Handmade Paints – Learn More Here
Abstraction with R&F Pigment Sticks and Drawing Oils
Instructor: Melanie Delgado
Saturday & Sunday, October 17 and 18
Color by Color
Instructors: Richard Frumess and Thomas Sarrantonio
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, October 20, 21, and 22
Wax and Blooms: Exploring Botanicals in Encaustic Art
Instructor: Alaina Enslen
Saturday & Sunday, October 24 and 25
Advanced Teaching: Encaustic for Educators
Instructor: Dietlind Vander Schaaf
Sunday – Thursday, November 1 – 5
Photo Encaustic and Mixed Media
Instructor: Wayne Montecalvo
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, November 10, 11, and 12
Fallen Blossoms: Encaustic on Paper
Instructor: Regina B Quinn
Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15
Introduction to Encaustic
Instructor: Joan Ffolliott
Saturday & Sunday, November 21 and 22
Conversation in Color
Instructors Lisa Pressman & Richard Frumess
Tuesday – Thursday, December 1, 2, and 3
Intro to Encaustic and Collage
Instructor: Leslie Giuliani
Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6
A Sense of Trees
Instructor: Regina B Quinn
Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13
