Discovered Landscapes with Kelly Williams and Bridget Benton - Sat 6th September

Ready to play with wax, mark-making, and two inspiring instructors? In this vibrant workshop, we’ll explore how to discover landscapes in the most unexpected places—through abstract forms, bold marks, and the magic of encaustic (hot wax) painting. Whether you’re an experienced encaustic painter or a curious beginner, this workshop invites you to get your hands messy and your mind loose!

Starting with photos as a jumping-off point, you'll learn how to simplify and abstract landscape elements—think shapes, shadows, and contours—while sharpening your skills in value and composition. But here's the twist: the real magic happens when we let go of perfection and start to feel our way through the process. Expect to find your landscapes in surprising places— a hint of collage, a bit of texture, the carved suggestion of a horizon line. The goal isn’t to recreate nature, but to capture its energy, movement, and mystery through expressive, unexpected marks.

 Working on paper allows for flexibility and spontaneity, starting with applications of ink and watercolor, adding thin layers of encaustic, and ending with accents of oil paint and pastel. We’ll pull out the irons for added texture and even encourage you to cut and tear your paintings! In this workshop, quantity will lead to quality and experimentation will be essential, though we’ll kTime:eep coming back to color and composition as our touchstones.

 By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with several completed paintings and a better sense of how to balance creative exploration, self-expression, and the “rules” of composition.

Date: Saturday Sep 6th

Time: 10:30am - 5pm

Tutors: Kelly Williams & Bridget Benton

Level: All levels welcome

Materials: All materials included, but students are encouraged to bring landscape images for inspiration

Participants: Maximum 8

Venue: Olive Stack Gallery

Please note: Your payment secures your place in the workshop and is therefore non-refundable. A minimum number of participants is required for workshops to go ahead. If this number is not met, the workshop will be cancelled and a full refund will be issued.

Biographies 

Bridget Benton

Kelly Williams 

I am a contemporary painter exploring materiality, ecology, and cultural narratives through hands-on processes that engage environmental and social themes. My work is rooted in encaustic (beeswax paint) and mixed media, incorporating site-specific materials like wildfire ash and peat ash to reflect the environmental impact of resource exploitation. These materials connect past and present, revealing cycles of destruction, renewal, and resilience in nature and society. I create abstract, map-like compositions that use shape and symbol as narrative and figurative pieces that delve into mythology, history, and feminine power as forces of transformation. I examine how place and identity shape our understanding of environmental responsibility, history, and our connection to the land.

As a CORE Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints, I lead workshops and presentations at encaustic conferences, art centers, and online platforms, expanding the practice through technical instruction and conceptual exploration. For over two decades, I have conducted professional-level workshops in my studio and served as Educational Chair for Portland Open Studios, where I developed an internship program and continue to mentor emerging artists through high school and community-based programs.

I use art to drive social and environmental change, leading RACC-funded projects that engage marginalized communities through dialogue and creative expression.

In addition to teaching and mentoring, I curate exhibitions that showcase contemporary artists, fostering community engagement. My curatorial experience includes working with galleries, performance art centers, and juried selection panels, such as serving as a juror for the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and curating multidisciplinary exhibitions like Brothers Grimm at the Portland Performing Arts Center.

Through my teaching, presentations, curatorial projects, and community-driven work, I equip artists with technical skills, conceptual depth, and professional opportunities, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment for artistic exploration.