As I continue my exploration of oil painting, I'm diving into the fascinating world of cold wax medium. This technique allows for incredible depth, texture, and layering—perfect for my approach to textural expressionism. Cold wax, mixed with oil paint, creates a matte, velvety finish and encourages experimentation with scraping, incising, and layering.

To build a solid foundation, I've gathered a list of references and resources that offer insights into materials, techniques, and artistic approaches. Whether you're new to cold wax or looking to deepen your practice, these should be helpful:

Books:

📖 Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations – Rebecca Crowell & Jerry McLaughlin

📖 The New Oil Painting – Kimberly Brooks (not cold wax-specific but excellent for modern oil techniques)

📖 Encaustic Art: The Complete Guide to Creating Fine Art with Wax – Lissa Rankin (covers encaustic, but has relevant insights for wax-based painting)

Comprehensive Online Courses & Workshops

🎨 Cold Wax Academy – Run by Rebecca Crowell & Jerry McLaughlin, this academy offers memberships, workshops, and mentoring on cold wax techniques.

🎨 Pamela Caughey’s Art & Success Academy – Features online courses, including abstract painting with cold wax.

🎨 R&F Handmade Paints Workshops – While known for encaustics, they also offer courses that touch on cold wax techniques.

🎨 Linda Banfalvi’s Workshops – Linda offers online and in-person courses focusing on cold wax and oil painting.

🎨 Jaime Byrd’s Art Academy – Online workshops covering cold wax techniques and mixed media approaches.

Free Tutorials & Blog Resources

📄 Gamblin Cold Wax Medium Guide – A technical guide on how to use cold wax medium, mixing ratios, and application methods.

📄 Dorland’s Wax Medium Tips – Instructions on using Dorland’s wax medium, a softer alternative to Gamblin’s.

📄 Rebecca Crowell’s Blog – Insights on working with cold wax, including technical details and creative approaches.

📄 Jerry McLaughlin’s Articles – Covers essential cold wax techniques, tools, and artistic philosophy.

📄Michael Wilcox School of Colour – A great resource for understanding color mixing in oils

📄How to Paint with Cold Wax Mediums | Bromleys Art Supplies

📄Cold Wax Painting: A Guide

YouTube Channels & Video Tutorials

📺 Rebecca Crowell’s YouTube – Demos and insights from one of the leading cold wax artists.

📺 Jaime Byrd Art – Covers cold wax, oil painting, and mixed media techniques.

📺 Pamela Caughey Art & Success – Excellent resource for abstract cold wax painting.

📺 Serena Barton’s Tutorials – Explores expressive, layered techniques with cold wax.

📺 R&F Handmade Paints Channel – While focused on encaustics, they have useful insights for working with wax-based mediums.

Artists to Study:

🔹 Rebecca Crowell – A pioneer in cold wax abstraction

🔹 Serena Barton – Known for expressive, layered compositions

🔹 Pamela Caughey – Explores cold wax in contemporary abstraction

🔹 Linda Banfalvi @lindabanfalvi – Stunning atmospheric and textural works

🔹 Jaime Byrd @jaimebyrd – Expressive and vibrant cold wax paintings

🔹 Kym Balthazar @kym.balthazar – Bold compositions with rich textures

Cold Wax Medium & Materials:

🖌 Gamblin Cold Wax Medium – One of the most accessible brands

🖌 Dorland’s Wax Medium – Softer, more translucent alternative

🖌 Squeegees, brayers, palette knives – Essential for building layers

Exploring Water-Based Wax Mediums with Acrylics

Water-based wax mediums, such as Powerwax by Powertex, offer artists the ability to achieve rich textures and layered effects similar to traditional cold wax techniques but are compatible with acrylic and other water-based paints. Unlike solvent-based wax mediums, Powerwax is non-toxic, odorless, and VOC-free, making it a safer and more environmentally friendly option for artists. classes.marinatvb.com +1classes.marinatvb.com +1 Powertex Products USA+1Carolyn Dube+1

Key Features of Powerwax:

Versatility: Can be mixed with acrylic paints, pigment powders, metallic pigments, and other mediums to create a variety of effects. Amazon+5Powertex Products USA+5Powertex Products USA+5
Transparency Control: Dries transparent when used alone but intensifies colors when mixed with pigments. marinatvb.com +9Powertex Products USA+9Powertex Products USA+9
Quick Drying: Dries faster than traditional oil-based cold wax mediums, allowing for a more dynamic creative process. marinatvb.com

Online Resources and Tutorials

To help you get started with water-based wax techniques, here is a selection of online resources and tutorials:

1. Video Tutorials:

"HOW TO USE POWERWAX - Water-based Cold Wax from Powertex" Ashley Hay Art provides a comprehensive guide on using Powerwax with various mediums.powertexart.us+10YouTube+10YouTube+10
"Cold wax and Acrylics: Create luminous thin layers" Demonstrates how to create luminous layers using water-based cold wax medium with acrylics.YouTube+4YouTube+4classes.marinatvb.com+4
"Acrylics and water-based cold wax (Powerwax)" Marina Teding van Berkhout explores the use of Powerwax with acrylics in her blog post.marinatvb.com

2. Online Courses:

"Exploring Painting with Water-Based Cold Wax and Acrylics" Marina Teding van Berkhout offers an in-depth online class on painting with acrylics and water-based cold wax.marinatvb.com+1classes.marinatvb.com+1
"A Figure in Cold Wax and Acrylics"Learn to create stunning figures using cold wax and acrylics in this online class.YouTube+9classes.marinatvb.com+9classes.marinatvb.com+9

3. Articles and Blogs:

"What is Powerwax and how to use it in an art journal" Carolyn Dube introduces Powerwax and demonstrates its application in art journaling.powertexart.us+11Carolyn Dube+11YouTube+11
"Acrylics and water-based cold wax (Powerwax)" Marina Teding van Berkhout shares her experiences and techniques using Powerwax with acrylics.marinatvb.com

Artists Utilizing Water-Based Wax Mediums

Several artists have incorporated water-based wax mediums into their practice, offering inspiration and insight into the versatility of this medium:

Marina Teding van Berkhout: Specializes in using water-based cold wax with acrylics to create textured and layered paintings. classes.marinatvb.com +1classes.marinatvb.com +1
Ashley Hay: Provides tutorials and live demonstrations on using Powerwax in mixed media artworks.
Carolyn Dube: Explores the use of Powerwax in art journaling, emphasizing its non-toxic and versatile properties.

Exploring water-based wax mediums like Powerwax opens up new possibilities for artists seeking to combine the rich textures of wax with the versatility of acrylics. The resources and artists mentioned above provide a solid foundation to begin your journey into this innovative medium.

If you've worked with cold wax before either water-based or traditional, I'd love to hear your insights! What techniques or tools have been game-changers for you?

Exploring Cold Wax Medium: A Journey into Texture and Depth