Pre Conference + Day One of The 6th International Encaustic Conference

Well it's Sunday June 10th,  And I have been straight out since the day after Memorial Day. The 6th International Encaustic Conference, which was founded & directed by Joanne Mattera and co-produced by me and Castle Hill. It really went amazingly well. First and foremost the Castle Hill Staff was incredible! Week one began with Paula Roland's 3 day Monoprint Workshop. It was a great way to start out. We had 12 students that were able to spread between 2 rooms. Everyone had HotBoxes which were invented by Paula Roland. She came here from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She stuck around for almost 2 weeks taking classes and surrounding herself with wax all day, all the time!

Catherine Nash making some lovely Monoprints

Paula Roland cutting a stencil

Laura Moriarty doing Monoprints

Paula doing a demo

 Things just got better as the 3rd day came to a close. Not only did Lisa Pressman and Sara Mast take it outside and do their own thing. It was great to watch. One of the great things about the pre & post conference workshops, many workshops had presenters and teachers as students! That's a great thing, and just shows how there is always more to learn. Great teachers,  great students.

I think this is the Lisa Pressman wall

This is Laura Moriarty's suitcase of paint chunks!

Catherine Nash, made some "to die for prints!"

Sara Mast & Lisa Pressman having a conversation with Art

They are still conversing!

Demos' everyday!

I can go on and on about every class, and this post can go on for ever and ever, so I am going to keep going in a somewhat orderly fashion. Thursday night was the opening reception of the MERGE Show: Contemporary Print Invitational (that I curated) & the Wax Book Show, juried by Supria Karmakar also at Castle Hill, in Gallery 10.  It was a wild opening, it seemed like it was around a couple of hundred people showed up by the looks of the parking lot! It was a welcome to Truro, to Cape Cod and to see Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill if you have never been there before. Fun was had. Seeing old friends, gearing up for 3 intensive days of learning, networking & Wax!

This week we offered a Transfer Workshop with Sherrie Posternak, Bricolage with Nancy Natale & a Beginner Workshop / demystifying Transfers with Binnie Birstein.

A view to the West in Gallery 10, this doubles as the Castle Hill Library! Perfect for a book show!

Nancy Natale in the foreground and Deborah Winarski in the background.

Toby Sisson, as part of the MERGE show

Lisa Pressman

Marybeth Rothman

Paula Roland to the left & David A Clark on the right

I was very happy with the outcome of both shows! Supria did a great job and they printed a beautiful printed catalog!

THEN THE CONFERENCE BEGAN! All 250 people arrive on time and rearing to go! Joanne thought the people would slowly trickle in, but since we started a week earlier, with classes, openings the vendor room opening earlier, our first session had a bit of a line and ran out of space. We did warn the people that it was first come first serve with a limit of 50 people. We crammed in as many could fit.

At noon Joanne and I did a welcome to all those who wanted to come chat about things, we made some announcement. When I looked at these photos I had to laugh as both Joanne and I both talk with our hands. Every picture our hands were flapping around. Funny.

I had to hold my hands behind me!

 While all of this was happening the Vendors were going wild in the Porch Cafe! AND so were the people! Paint, panels, more paint, paper, dry pigments, pigment sticks....it was crazy good!

Every panel sold from Richard Frost, this was his first Conference as a Vendor

Richard chatting with Dorothy Cochran

Gregory Wright, holding up his new book, Encaustic Works '12, which debuted at this Conference

Dora, I wanted a brush too! She is in a brush excitement coma!

Hylla Evans is blowing me kisses!

Evans Encaustic has great paint

Encaustikos showcases the new SNAP Stick!

R & F Paints had a fabulous booth, with lots to choose from!!

Laura from the Paper Connection a bit overwhelmed on Day One

Here is Erin giving a little in-service to Lois, one of the Castle Hill Volunteers! Did you get your newCastle Hill T-shirt?

Miles Conrad with his fabulous paint, medium, brushes, gesso....

Vincent & his wife (sorry I forgot her name), with KAMA Paints

Now the conference begins....

Jeff Hirst does a demo on Encaustic and Silkscreen - the start of the Print-a-paloosa!

Binnie teaching beginners

Jenn Moller did a fabulous job filming and doing a live feed

The fabulous Castle Hill Staff: Caitlin, Erin & Kathy

Laura Moriarty doing a talk on fundraising for an art project

Andrea Bird & Lynette Haggard doing a demo on working with an Iron and a Torch

Andrea Bird with her Iron

 The book signing begins at 5:00. There were 10 people who made books or show catalogs this past year! Pretty incredible.

Laura Moriarty big release of TABLE OF CONTENTS, a very beautiful book.

Linda Cordner signing away!

Joanne making the rounds and having good conversations with all!

The Wax Book Catalog! All the people signed! 13 were in the show!

Gregory Wright with his Pollination Catalog

As you can see the big crowds made their way through the lobby!

Oh and did I mention, Laura & Wayne were celebrating their 16th Anniversary!

As the book signing winded down....14 galleries were having openings in about an hour. There will be no time for dinner, we are waiting until 10:00. I can't believe this is only Friday. Day one of the Conference. The weather is perfect for the Friday night on the town.

Schoolhouse Gallery, show of all the Presenters at the Conference

Wall at Schoolhouse, Pamela Blum, sculpture on the right SOLD!

A night on the Town and Sherrie Posternak got very dolled up!

Greg at Schoolhouse

Here is a Cherie Mittenthal piece with light switch and thermostat

This is the juried conference show Confluence: Water & Light at Kobalt Gallery, very beautiful Show

Kobalt Gallery, the crowds have arrived!

Francine D'Olimpio, the Juror and Gallery Director & owner at Kobalt

David A Clark winner of the Directors Award

Nice view from the street

Improbable Topography show curated by Joanne Mattera at Rice Pollack Gallery

Laura Moriarty - Rice Pollack Gallery

Larry Caulkins - at Rice Pollack Gallery

Nancy Natale piece on the wall straight ahead

Binnie Birstien - solo show at Charles Baltivik Gallery

The moon was still getting bigger on the Friday night. All Wax, No Wanning yet!

Good Vibrations Show at Gallery Ehva, curated by Laura Moriarty

Jeff Hirst at Gallery Ehva

Me hugging Ewa

At Gallery Ehva

Here is my work in the Pollination Show, curated by Gregory Wright at ArtCurrent

Misa Galazzi - in the Pollination Show at ArtCurrent

Another shot of my dyptych at ArtCurrent

Kelly Weeks part of the Pollination Show at ArtCurrent

Binnie Birstein - at Pollination show at ArtCurrent

Lynette Haggard and Sue Katz at ArtCurrent

A Gallery had a grey landscape show! Crow by Adam Peck

Fun wax bottles cupcakes at A Gallery

Love this piece and I don't know who it is.

A Gallery with Marian Peck

Lynette Haggard, Gregory Wright & Me, at Kobalt Gallery couch

This is the end of Day One and Dinner at Napi's with about 15 people. And the end of this blog post! More later! Joanne Mattera and I really do make a great team. This was a fabulous day, and it wasn't just us who felt it, it was all 250 people from 35 states and 8 countries.