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Buildings and Landscapes in Oil and Cold Wax (Online Course) Winter 2026 w/ Nicki Heenan
February 13 to March 6 (Fridays), 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/FWboqN3MA_4
Course Description
Buildings often add scale and a sense of human existence to landscape paintings. The difference between the straight edged architecture and soft edged landscape will be covered in this workshop. The medium of oil and cold wax lends itself to articulating textures and surface which can create evocative scenes of nostalgia and palimpsest. We will learn different techniques to achieve spatial depth and division of the picture plane.
Course Outline
Week 1: Unit 1 - Working with Cold Wax
The fundamentals of surface preparation, mixing
wax and paint, getting familiar with the tools. Working on oil paper
Demo: small landscape studies to demonstrate the fundamentals
Week 2: Unit 2 – Design and Texture
Proficiency with mark making and composition.
Working on top of old paintings, collage and sgraffito. Working on panel
Demo: layers of different materials and their effects in context of painting a building.
Week 3: Unit 3 – Purpose and Process
Learn the process of working in layers using different ratios of cold wax and oil paint. Pouring and solvent reduction.
Demo: oil bar and pastel underpainting of a landscape with layered oil and cold wax, how and when to use texture.
Week 4: Unit 4 – Working Spontaneously
Landscape with Building and placing structures in a painting using stencils and masking. Applying the knowledge of the modules.
Demo: Working over a dry underpainting using a base colour and impasto oil and cold wax
Reference images will be provided for each module.
Course Materials List
4 Ampersand gessobord 8 x 10” or similar primed boards
Arches Oil paper
Inovart soft roller 4" (or cold wax academy)
Gamsol
Gamblin Cold Wax
Oil Paints including
Red Naphthol
Hansa Yellow, yellow ochre
Ultramarine Blue, light blue
Black, White, Chromium oxide green, turquoise
Neutral grey, citron green
Broad brushes in various sizes.
Gloves
1 x roll of greaseproof paper or palette paper
Tissue paper – for blotting
Messermeister 4’ silicone blade (Amazon)
Palette Knife - square tip
Baby wipes.
Jam jar (for solvent, with lid).
Dry pigment, marble dust
Masking tape
Linseed oil (small amount)
Straight edge
February 13 to March 6 (Fridays), 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Eastern Time
**All sessions are live and will be recorded, students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session, after 3 months the recording will be deleted.
Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite.
DEMO: https://youtu.be/FWboqN3MA_4
Course Description
Buildings often add scale and a sense of human existence to landscape paintings. The difference between the straight edged architecture and soft edged landscape will be covered in this workshop. The medium of oil and cold wax lends itself to articulating textures and surface which can create evocative scenes of nostalgia and palimpsest. We will learn different techniques to achieve spatial depth and division of the picture plane.
Course Outline
Week 1: Unit 1 - Working with Cold Wax
The fundamentals of surface preparation, mixing
wax and paint, getting familiar with the tools. Working on oil paper
Demo: small landscape studies to demonstrate the fundamentals
Week 2: Unit 2 – Design and Texture
Proficiency with mark making and composition.
Working on top of old paintings, collage and sgraffito. Working on panel
Demo: layers of different materials and their effects in context of painting a building.
Week 3: Unit 3 – Purpose and Process
Learn the process of working in layers using different ratios of cold wax and oil paint. Pouring and solvent reduction.
Demo: oil bar and pastel underpainting of a landscape with layered oil and cold wax, how and when to use texture.
Week 4: Unit 4 – Working Spontaneously
Landscape with Building and placing structures in a painting using stencils and masking. Applying the knowledge of the modules.
Demo: Working over a dry underpainting using a base colour and impasto oil and cold wax
Reference images will be provided for each module.
Course Materials List
4 Ampersand gessobord 8 x 10” or similar primed boards
Arches Oil paper
Inovart soft roller 4" (or cold wax academy)
Gamsol
Gamblin Cold Wax
Oil Paints including
Red Naphthol
Hansa Yellow, yellow ochre
Ultramarine Blue, light blue
Black, White, Chromium oxide green, turquoise
Neutral grey, citron green
Broad brushes in various sizes.
Gloves
1 x roll of greaseproof paper or palette paper
Tissue paper – for blotting
Messermeister 4’ silicone blade (Amazon)
Palette Knife - square tip
Baby wipes.
Jam jar (for solvent, with lid).
Dry pigment, marble dust
Masking tape
Linseed oil (small amount)
Straight edge