Between Dusk and Dawn: Painting Luminous Encaustic Nightscapes

Liminal spaces are those times and places that are on the threshold of becoming something else. Be they physical, metaphorical or psychological, those spaces evoke an emotional response—ranging from unease and apprehension to peace, resolution, and anticipation.

We’ll explore ways of evoking the liminal space between dusk and dawn, that is at once mysterious and magical, as we build layers of luminous encaustic paints combined with inks, oils, and pastels.

In the darkness, the moonlight, and the hints of sunlight at dawn and dusk, colors of familiar objects in our environment shift dramatically in hue, saturation and value while details and clear outlines become barely discernable forms. Expressing those shifts in a painting is a challenge for artists working in any medium, although encaustics provide a unique opportunity to combine darkness with luminosity through the beauty of layered wax.

We’ll spend five days diving into this topic and creating paintings full of mystery, darkness and light during the beautiful month of October in the Catskill Mountains. In addition to our studio time, we’ll visit the nearby R&F Handmade Paint Factory in Kingston and take a close look at a wax-media exhibition on view at the WSA Gallery: Wax Currents, Fusing Tradition and Innovation.

Wednesday and Thursday, October 14 and 15, 2026
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Studio 5

Friday, October 16
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
R&F Handmade Paints*
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Studio 1

Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 2026
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Studio 5

*Students will meet Friday, October 16th at 9:00 AM at R&F Handmade Paints (84 Ten Broeck Avenue – Kingston, NY 12401). The visit will include a tour of R&F as well as an opportunity to shop in their store.