Mediums: Oil & cold wax
Level: All levels welcome
Class Dates: Wednesdays, August 5-19, 2026
Class Times:
• 10:30 am-1:00 pm Pacific Time
• 1:30 pm-4:00 pm Eastern Time
• 6:30 pm-9:00 pm UK Time
This workshop is dedicated to the drama and poetry of sky. We’ll explore expansive compositions where the sky becomes the subject — not the background. Using oil and cold wax, students will build layered atmosphere, create luminous transitions, and capture shifting light without chasing unnecessary detail.
Storm fronts rolling in. Late afternoon glow. Horizon lines dissolving into haze. That electric stillness before rain.This is mood over minutiae. Space over stuff. Light over literal.
Week One: Structure & Atmosphere – We begin by simplifying. Strong horizon lines. Large value shapes. Clear design.
Through layering, scraping, and soft veils of color, you’ll learn how to:
• Design powerful sky-to-land ratios
• Build dimensional cloud forms with restraint
• Create distance using temperature and value shifts
• Establish luminosity through controlled layering
• Keep compositions expansive and intentional
Week Two: Shifting Light – Now we push further.
We’ll explore transitional light — sunrise, sunset, and approaching storms — where subtle color shifts carryemotional weight. Cold wax techniques allow us to soften edges, veil passages, scrape back into light, and build atmosphere that feels expansive and alive.
Focus areas include:
• Capturing glow without overworking
• Using subtraction to reveal light
• Balancing bold gestures with quiet transitions
• Creating believable atmosphere through temperature contrast
• Allowing the painting to breathe
Week Three: Refinement, Depth & Series Development – This final week is where the work matures.
Students will revisit and strengthen their paintings — pushing contrast, adjusting composition, deepening
value structure, and developing cohesion. We’ll explore how to build a small sky series and how subtle
editing can elevate a painting from good to powerful.
You’ll learn how to:
• Refine value structure for stronger impact
• Edit and simplify without flattening the work
• Add depth through glazing and selective scraping
• Develop multiple variations from one compositional idea
• Know when to stop
This week transforms experiments into finished work.
This workshop is accessible to beginners and deeply engaging for experienced painters. If you’re new to oiland cold wax, you’ll gain a strong foundation in layering and atmosphere. If you’re returning to the medium, this class will refine your understanding of space, restraint, and light.
Expect confident marks. Large shapes. Skies that feel limitless.
In stock
$225.00
Chicago-area artist Karen Sako creates paintings that fuse the precision of design with the freedom of abstraction. Her background in graphic design and decades as an instructor fuel her mastery of color, composition, and mark-making. Sako’s work, celebrated for its boldness and emotional resonance, has earned numerous awards and recognition in both national and international exhibitions. Collected across the globe, her paintings invite viewers to experience the mystery of light, the rhythm of nature, and the energy of pure expression.
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