2025 Canadian Encaustic Conference — Archive

2025 Connect + Create

The inaugural Canadian Encaustic Conference, held in Owen Sound from September 5–7, 2025, brought together more than one hundred artists from across Canada, the U.S., and beyond. Over the course of the weekend, we gathered to share our passion for encaustic through presentations, demos, and workshops. The Bayshore Community Centre became a hive of activity as participants explored new techniques, connected with suppliers in the vendor room, and celebrated the breadth of creative voices working in wax.

At the heart of the event was the theme Connect + Create. The conference was designed not only as a place to learn, but as a space to build relationships and spark collaboration. In the studios, galleries, and community spaces of Owen Sound, artists exchanged ideas, experimented with new materials, and found inspiration in each other’s practices. Whether through exhibitions, panel discussions, or casual conversations over shared meals, the weekend embodied the spirit of encaustic art: layered, luminous, and alive with possibility.

The 2025 Conference organizing Committee members were Amelia Kraemer, Terry Gregg, Ruth Maude, Denise Callaghan, and Jane Cousens.

Presentations, Talks & Demos

The following presenters shared their approaches, techniques, and ideas in a wide range of talks and demos.

• Karen Brown — Finding Beauty in the Broken: Encaustics Inspired by the Art of Kintsugi
• Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch — Artist for Life: A Creative Pilgrimage
• Christina Lovisa — The Art of Backgrounds
• Barbara Vater — Expand Your Substrate Options
• Kerry Engel — Cyanotype Sun Printing with Botanicals
• Ruth Maude — Magnificent Monotypes: An Intro to Encaustic Printmaking
• Jodi Reeb — Colour Knowledge is Colour Power
• Holli Levy — Painting with Pressed, Encaustic-Soaked Papers
• Shary Bartlett — Creative Flow and Encaustic
• Lorraine Glessner — Most Common Encaustic Painting Woes & How to Fix Them
• Michele Randall — Setting Yourself Up for Success: Document. File. Promote.
• Jennifer Young — Creating Three-Dimensional Molds, Textures, and Sculptural Elements in Encaustic
• Susan Fisher — Euterpe’s Touch: Music, Rhythm, and the Encaustic Process
• Manjiri Joshi — Accidental Artist
• Amanda Pierce — Garden Goddess Powertex
• Megan MacDonald — The Versatility of R&F Pigment Sticks and Encaustic
• Dominique Prévost — Suminagashi: The Fun and Meditative Art of Paper Marbling
• David Gauntlett — Keynote: Connect + Create
• Dana Harris Seeger — Layers of History: Materials and Meaning
• Kathy Bradshaw — Going With The Flow
• Jennifer Vigil — Writing Artist Statements
• Susan Wallis — Developing Your Art Practice: Staying Creative, Inspired, and Authentic
• Natasha Zhukova — Painting with Wax Paints on Canvas with Textured Primer
• Cat Crotchett — The Elusive Line
• Sylvia Galbraith — The Photograph in Mixed Media
• Amanta Scott — How Do We See Women in Art?
• Panel: Connect + Create — with Susan Wallis, Amanta Scott, and Shary Bartlett moderated by Ruth Maude

Pre- & Post-Conference Encaustic Workshops

Alongside the weekend of presentations and demos, the Canadian Encaustic Conference offered an incredible range of in-depth workshops. These studio sessions gave artists the chance to experiment with materials, deepen their skills, and learn directly from experienced instructors. Running both before and after the conference weekend, they extended the creative energy and gave participants more time to connect, play, and explore new approaches to encaustic.

• Feathering Your Nest — Christina Lovisa
• From Photo to Fine Art: Encaustic & Cold-Wax on Photographs — Shary Bartlett
• Collaged Narratives in Mixed Media Encaustic — Lorraine Glessner
• Encaustic Underpainting — Ruth Maude
• Exploring Possibilities: A 3-Day Encaustic Workshop — Amelia Kraemer
• The Alchemy of Play — Ann Shier
• Illuminated Sculptures: Encaustic, Textiles & LED Lighting — Shary Bartlett
• The Elusive Line — Cat Crotchett
• Essential Encaustic with Photo Collage & Colour-Mixing — Jodi Reeb
• From Idea to Art: Consistently Create Cohesive Bodies of Work — Jennifer Vigil
• Eco-Printing Workshop — Kerry Engel
• Photo Encaustic — Karen Brown
• Creating Three-Dimensional Molds, Textures & Sculptural Elements in Encaustic — Jennifer Young
• Old Houses — France Benoit
• Artist for Life: A Creative Pilgrimage — Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch
• Cyanotype & Encaustic Fusion — Michele Randall
• Making Your Mark in Encaustic — Megan MacDonald
• Screen Printing and Encaustic — Dana Harris Seeger
• Encaustic Painting & the Landscape: The Act of Seeing — Susan Wallis

Banquet & Tribute to Andrea Bird

On Saturday evening, the community gathered for the conference banquet to honour artist, teacher, and mentor Andrea Bird. It was a warm, heartfelt celebration of the ways Andrea has shaped our encaustic world — through her generosity, curiosity, and courage. Stories were shared, the room stood in recognition, and many of us reflected on how her guidance continues to ripple through our practices.

2025 award recipients included: Donna Towers, Adia Van Buren, Tracy Casagrande Clancy, Ocean Streeter, and Penny Gunderson.

Andrea’s legacy lives on in the opportunities we’re building together. The Little Masterpieces fundraiser supports future awards.

Exhibition Opportunities

• The Beauty of Decay — works exploring wabi-sabi.
• Raise Your Voice — art engaging with identity, equity, and social justice.
• Figuratively Speaking — encaustic works centred on the human figure.
• Urban Easel — large-scale banner reproductions displayed along the Owen Sound harbour and later at the public library.
• Little Masterpieces — a joyful fundraiser where we raised $2,500 towards next year’s awards.

View the Exhibition Catalogues here.

As the Conference came to a close, it was clear that the sense of connection extended well beyond the weekend. Friendships were formed, collaborations were sparked, and new ideas began to take shape.