Abstract Painting in Oil & Cold Wax with Karen Piercy

Saturday 3 April, 10am–4pm

Material costs are included

All materials and tools are provided, including oil paint, cold wax medium, A4 and A3 oil paper, pigments and tools such as squeegees, palette knives, brayers and texture tools. Karen also provides all supporting materials and incidentals, so you can simply arrive and focus on painting.

No need to purchase anything in advance — everything is set up and ready for you on the day. Just turn up and enjoy exploring this versatile and expressive medium.

Course Outline:

In this one-day workshop, Kapiti Coast artist Karen Piercy will introduce you to the rich and expressive world of abstract painting with oil and cold wax medium.  If you missed her course in 2026 or did the Landscape oil and cold wax and loved it then this course is for you, 

Working through a series of structured, step-by-step exercises, you’ll explore how to build a painting through layers of colour, texture and mark-making. Rather than starting with a finished image in mind, you’ll learn how to respond to what is happening on the surface and allow the painting to develop organically.

The focus is on experimentation and discovering the possibilities of oil and cold wax — creating interesting surfaces, developing colour relationships, making expressive marks and finding balance within an abstract composition.

You’ll explore:

• working with oil paint and cold wax medium
• building transparent and opaque layers
• creating texture and interesting surface effects
• creating veils of colour and learning transfer methods
• using squeegees, palette knives, brayers and texture tools to make marks
• developing a painting through addition, subtraction and experimentation
• finding balance, movement and visual interest in an abstract composition

The day begins with smaller A4 studies to give you the opportunity to experiment with the materials and techniques and build confidence before moving on to larger A3 works. You’ll be encouraged to work intuitively, take risks and discover your own responses to colour, texture and mark-making.

You will also receive an 8-page printed handout covering the techniques explored, designed to support you in continuing your oil and cold wax practice at home.

This workshop is suitable for beginners through to more experienced painters looking to loosen up their approach, experiment with abstraction or explore a new medium.

What to bring

All painting materials and tools are provided. Participants will need to bring a flat piece of cardboard or similar rigid material at least A3 size to protect and carry their paintings home. The paintings will still be wet at the end of the workshop, so please bring something suitable for transporting them safely. They will be interleaved with baking paper.

About your tutor

Karen Piercy is a Kapiti Coast–based artist who works with oil and cold wax, creating layered, atmospheric abstract works inspired by nature and the coastal environment.

She has studied at The Learning Connexion and undertaken further training in oil and cold wax techniques with established artists in New Zealand and internationally. Karen is a member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and exhibits regularly, including at the Kapiti Arts Trail, Paekākāriki Art Show and the Manawatū Art Expo.

Karen has been running workshops on the Kapiti Coast and is known for her clear, supportive teaching style. She focuses on helping participants build confidence, understand the process and develop their own way of working.

• Website: www.karenpiercyart.com
• Instagram: @karenpiercyart
• YouTube: @karenpiercyart www.youtube.com/@karenpiercyart