COLOR, DESIGN AND COMPOSITION IN COLD WAX AND OIL WITH PAMELA CAUGHEY

February 8-16, 2025

San Miguel de Allende

THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL AND A WAITLIST HAS BEEN STARTED

Pamela Caughey is returning to teach another cold wax and oil workshop in San Miguel de Allende. This workshop will focus on color, design and composition as you develop your personal artistic voice.

There will be comprehensive presentations, lots of demos and plenty of 1:1 time with each student to make this a custom fit experience for each artist.

Those with more experience are welcome to bring works in progress as well as work on the color and design projects. We will explore the world of color and abstract composition as we absorb the beautiful environment in San Miguel de Allende to inspire our shapes, textures and colors.

The emphasis in this workshop will be using cwm/oils, however you may work in acrylic if you like. (Pam’s demos will be in cwm/oil). Design and Color principles apply to ALL 2D mediums, so if you are working in another medium, please don't worry, Pam’s demos and presentations can be applied to any 2D medium and she will be there to help you if you have any questions! 

Be prepared to learn a lot, not only about color, but composition, balance and saturation.

This workshop is for beginner through advanced artists who would like to learn how to create “their best art” through powerful design and personal color. These techniques can be used by artists wanting to learn how to paint using cold wax, encaustics, acrylics and oil media.

Through demonstrations, presentations, and working one on one, each student will be able to approach a painting at any stage of development and understand the “when” and “how” to pull their paintings together to create art they “love.

A supply list will be provided upon registration.

This Escape Includes

• 8 nights at Casa de la Noche

• Welcome reception and fiesta

• All breakfasts, five lunches and 3 dinners (one lunch and one dinner on your own)

• Visit to markets

• Two cooking classes

• Free time to explore

• A farewell dinner with our amigo, Paco Cardenas, pastry chef and co-owner of Petit Fours'

Price: $3900, limited to 12 people based on double occupancy, limited single rooms are available for an additional $700.

A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. The balance is due Dec. 1, 2024.

Price does not include airfare to/from Mexico, alcohol, and travel insurance (mandatory).

Accommodations:

Casa de la Noche

Airport:(BJX) Del Bajio Airport, Leon/Guanajuato which is 1 hour and 15 minutes from SMA. We will coordinate transportation.

Itinerary

Day 1, Feb. 8. Everyone will meet at the Leon airport for transportation to San Miguel. We will meet for introductions, drinks and little bites before we send you off to bed.

Day 2, Feb. 9. Breakfast is at the Casa every morning. We will meet in the studio at 9:30 each morning. Lunch will be provided and dinner tonight at La Posadita.

Day 3, Feb. 10. Breakfast, lunch at CDLN. This afternoon we will visit our friend, Mojiganga Master, Hermes Arroyo in his studio for a special class. Dinner at La Sirena.

Day 4, Feb 11. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Dinner is on your own.

Day 5, Feb 12. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 6, Feb. 13. Breakfast, lunch at CDLN. Dinner will be at Los Milagros.

Day 7, Feb. 14. Happy Valentine’s Day. Breakfast at CDLN, lunch at La Biblioteca. Tonight will be a cooking class with Chef Ana Elena Martinez.

Day 8, Feb. 15. Breakfast, finish up projects and have a Show “n Tell. You have free time to finish shopping or exploring. Our farewell dinner will be with our friend, Chef Paco Cardenas.

Day 9, Feb. 16. Everyone leaves.

Pamela Caughey grew up in Wisconsin, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from UW-Madison in 1983. After moving with her family to Hamilton, MT in 1986, she began her serious study of art, and in 2010 received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Montana School of Art. She works in many media, with special interest in cold wax/oil, encaustic, mixed media and acrylic.

Her work is in the permanent collection of several museums and public buildings nationally and internationally. After teaching foundations courses at the University of Montana, Bitterroot College, Montana, she is now a full time studio artist and teaches workshops from her studio, online, and around the country. 

TRUSTING YOUR INTUITION WITH DEBRA FRITTS

Join artist Debra Fritts in Puebla City in trusting your intuition to create a sculptural piece that holds the energy of self and inspiration from the beauty of Puebla.

Puebla is the capitol of the State of Puebla, Mexico. It’s a tile laden city with an historic story. It is believed that the nuns of Santa Rosa Convent created mole poblano for the King of Spain. He was so thankful for this very special mole, that he sent tiles from Spain as a gift of appreciation and those tiles still line the ex-convent’s kitchen walls. For over 200 hundred years, Talavera Uriarte hand painted tiles and pottery have been created with only five colors, blue, black, yellow, green and a reddish pink. Today, Talavera de la Reyna is the more modern painted pieces that are sold world wide.

Puebla is also known for Calle de Los Dulces, or the Sweets Street lined with shops selling a wide variety of sugary treats. Lucky for us, Ana Elena Martinez, a pastry chef and owner of Margú, a bakery with four locations in Puebla, will be our guide. This is her home so she knows where to take us.

The Workshop

Using a chunk of clay we will work solid and manipulate the clay until a personal visual appears.

This can be human, animal, plant…there is no limitation on subject.

Once the clay is strong, we will carve out the interior of the form. Surface treatment will be added by using slips, oxides and dry clay.

Let this beautiful city in Mexico give you new information for your art.

Schedule

Day 1, February 16. Everyone arrives in Puebla at Hotel Boutique Casareyna. We will meet at 7:00 for botanas and a margarita.

Day 2, February 17. Breakfast at the hotel and then we depart for the studio. We will be in the studio all day, breaking for a walking tour with lunch. Dinner this evening will be at Tacos Arabes.

Day 3. February 18. Breakfast at the hotel then in the studio all day breaking for lunch. Dinner will be provided.

Day 4. February 19. Breakfast at the hotel and then it’s a half day at the studio. We will have cemitas for lunch and then head to Uriarte for the Talavera Tour. Dinner will be provided.

Day 5. February 20. Today is a travel day. Breakfast at the hotel then off to the nearby colonial city of Cholula. We will visit the Cholula market with our friend Monica Mastretta who will also teach a cooking class in her beautiful home. If we have time and the energy, we will also visit the Zona Arqueológica de Cholula, an ancient Mesoamerican site known for its huge pyramid & tunnels.

Day 6. February 21. Today will start with breakfast at the hotel and then, depending on whether our pieces have cooled from the firing, we will go to the studio or walk to the Amparo Museum.

We will add cold finishes to our pieces either this afternoon or the next morning. Free time and dinner will be at Ana Elena’s home - we are in for a special treat.

Day 8, February 22. Breakfast at the hotel then off to the studio to finish painting. We will have our show “n tell before going to lunch. Free time this afternoon before our final dinner at Salon Mezcali.

Day 9, February 23. Art Escape is over and you can leave anytime today.

This Art Escape has been cancelled

This Art Escape Includes:

• Four days of class with Debra

• Seven nights accommodation at Hotel Boutique Casareyna

• Walking Tour

• Uriarte (Talavera) Tour

• Visit to Cholula Market and Pyramids

• Private cooking class

• A special dinner at Chef Ana Elena’s home

• Private Facebook Group

• A new art tribe

Hotel Boutique Casareyna

Privada 2 Ote. 1007, Centro, 72000 Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Pue., Mexico

Price for this workshop is $4,100 and includes lodging (based on double occupancy, there are a limited number of single rooms available for $900) and all but one meal. A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due now with the remaining due Dec. 3, 2024. The workshop is limited to 12.

Please do not make your plane reservations until notified.

AIRPORT: Puebla International Airport otherwise known as Hermanos Serdán International Airport. Km 91.5 Carr Fed Mexico/Pueblo Municipio, de Huejotzingo,

Airport Code: PBC. United has a direct flight to Puebla. Taxis are available 24/7. Uber is around $600 pesos.

We will Provide

• clay

• slips

• oxides

• boards to work on

• spray bottles

• Dowels - 7/16 inch diameter, 12” long

Artists Supply List

• Sketchbook with resources and ideas

• Apron

• Photos of animals, flowers, etc.

• Tools for working in clay - a wire cutter, needle tool and loop tools for carving (see below)

• Brushes (see below) - cheap utility brush, soft watercolor brushes and one detail brush

Ana Elena’s bakery - Margu. Check out the artwork that she had made for the shop!

Debra Fritts is a studio artist working in Abiquiu, New Mexico. She received her undergraduate degree in Art Education from the University of Tennessee and continued graduate studies in ceramic sculpture, painting, and printmaking.  Debra currently conducts figurative sculpture workshops at her studio, and master classes nationally and internationally.

Debra enjoys national recognition for her work in ceramic sculpture through invitational exhibitions and awards, museum exhibitions and collections, gallery representation, private collections and publications.  Her one of a kind sculptures are hand-built and multiple fired with a painterly glazed surface. The work is a continuous story of awareness and the celebration of daily living.

THE POWER OF 12 WITH MICHAEL SHEMCHUK

October 3-11, 2025

Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico

Join Michael Shemchuk aka Shem in the UNESCO city of Oaxaca, the state capital of Oaxaca, Mexico for a dynamic workshop that will allow you to produce a cohesive body of work.

The Power of 12 workshop is designed for artists who desire to create a body of work. With a focus on quality and quantity, we work on 12 (yes 12!) 12”x12” panels.

In this class we take our creative energy onto the production line. This fast paced class is an exercise in design, composition and decision making at a high production level. The grouping of 12 panels presents a pivotal opportunity to format and orient your work in numerous ways. You decide which orientation format and visual dialog you want between your panels — Rows (6 over 6), Stacked (3 over 4), Vertical, Diptychs, Triptychs or all 12 panels in a linear installation. It’s your preference.

AbD (Abstraction by Design)

The Abstraction by Design method is the process of exploring collage and painting techniques by multi-layering the mediums of paper and paint on panels.

The layering of paper and paint enables us to sand, scrape, wet, peel, paint, collage and repeat to create controlled and incidental textured surfaces. We use acrylic polyurethane as a glue to attach papers, as a resist coat, and as a top coat as well.

Collaging involves color selection, paper choices, placement, gluing, mark making, composition and surface extraction. Painting involves panel prep, trowel application, brushing, sanding, surface manipulations, paint mixing and texturing.

A.R.R. (Action, Review, Reaction)

We begin the AbD process with an action by applying paint or collage to our panels. Pause and review the action, then repeat another action.

This requires taking time to observe your work, measure your response to both the controlled (deliberate) and spontaneous (incidents/happy accidents). We follow the A.R.R. principles as we create your work.

ITINERARY

Day 1, Friday, October 3. Everyone arrives and we will meet at 6:30 outside of the studio for a welcome drink and some botanas.

Day 2, Saturday, October 4. Have breakfast and then meet in the studio at 9:30 a.m. to start creating with Shem. We will stop for lunch at 12:30, then afterward, we will take you on a quick walking tour to help orient you to this wonderful city. We will return to the studio and continuing working until 5:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. we will walk to our friend Chef Pilar Cabrera’s La Olla restaurant for our special dinner on the rooftop.

Day 3, Sunday, October 5. Breakfast and then into the studio at 9:30 a.m. We will break for lunch and then continue creating. You will have some free time at 4:30 before we meet for dinner this evening.

Day 4, Monday, October 6. TRAVEL DAY Have breakfast and then meet in the lobby at 8:30 a.m. We will travel to the Blind Potter’s studio in San Antonio for a private lesson with members of his family. We will stop for lunch before our back strap weaving demonstration with the lovely Gomez family. Afterward, we will visit Jacobo and Maria Angeles’ expansive studio in Tilcajete to learn about the alebrijes, those colorfully painted animals found in this village. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Blind Potter’s Studio below

The amazing work of Jacobo and Maria’s studio - from carving, painting and some of the finished work.

This Art Escape includes:

• 8 nights accommodations (double occupancy)

• Visits to different artisan villages -alebrijes, backstrap weaving, pottery

• Instructions/guidance from Shem

• Welcome reception and fiesta

• All meals except for two dinners

• Visits to markets

• 2 Cooking Classes

• Free time to explore

• Farewell dinner

• Some supplies

• Private Facebook page

• New Art Tribe

The price for this workshop is $4,100 and limited to 12 people. A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional $600.

A $1,000 non refundable deposit is due upon registering. The final payment is due June 11, 2025.

Price does not include:

• airfare to/from Oaxaca

• alcoholic beverages

Travel insurance is required. See FAQs for recommendations.

Accommodations: Located in a colonial building just two blocks from the zocolo, Hotel Naura has free wifi, a restaurant, a pool, bar and rooftop terrace. It is located across from the Textile Museum. 

Airport: Xoxocotlan International Airport is an international airport located in Oaxaca City, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The Airport has only one terminal that handles domestic and international air traffic. Code: OAX.

We will Provide

• scrubber sponges

• 80 grit sandpaper and sanding block

• 2” chip brushes

• gallon buckets

• paint rags/stir sticks

• White and black latex house paint

• Acrylic urethane/varnish clean medium (gloss or semigloss)

• Pint/quart plastic mixing containers w/lids

• Gallon buckets

• Heat gun

Student Supply List

• Twelve 12”x12” wood panels

• 18+ sheets black tissue. Resource: https://www.papermart.com

• 12+ sheets 18”x22” newsprint.

• Variety of personal collage papers and color tissue (color, pattern, graphics, craft paper and re-purposed).

• Color paint. 3-6 colors of latex house or acrylic artist paints or liquid pigments

• One 6”wide flexible broad knife and

• One 1” putty knife.

• Scissors

• Utility knife

• Spray bottle (atomizer)

• wiping rags

• artist brushes

• painters tape

Day 5, Tuesday October 7. Breakfast, studio, lunch, studio and then we will meet this evening for dinner of tlayudas.

Day 6, Wednesday, October 8. Same as day 5 except this evening, we will have a cooking class with Chef Ana Elena Martinez.

Day 7, Thursday October 9, TRAVEL DAY. Have your breakfast and then meet in the lobby for our ride to the weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle for our cooking class with Chef Reyna Mendoza. You will have some free time after we return to Oaxaca and dinner will be on your own.

Day 8, Friday, October 10. Breakfast and then meet in the studio at 9:00 a.m. to finish our work. After we clean up, we will have a Show ‘N Tell. You will be amazed at what you create! Then off to the market for lunch and then you will have the afternoon free before we gather for our final dinner together.

Day 9, Saturday, October 11. The trip is over.