My teaching experience includes teaching in the public school system since 2003 (I am licensed in the state of Virginia to teach art PreK- 12) and teaching classes and workshops at various venues nationally. See my resume page for specifics.
Email me for more info! I am here to help you reach your creative goals!
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NEW LOCATION-My Home Studio, Roanoke, VA.
(Most materials are provided. Email me to sign up and for details. See below for email address.)
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Beginning Encaustic- May 10-11, 2025, 10 am-3 pm (Full)
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3-D Encaustic Sculpture- June 7-8, 2025, 10 am- 3 pm (One Space Left!)
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Beginning Encaustic- July 12-13, 2025, 10 am-3 pm (CLASS IS FULL)
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Open Studio Encaustic- August 23, 2025, 10-3pm Come work in the encaustic studio space for an open studio day. This day is designed to give you the space and set-up needed to complete or work on your encaustic pieces. Gina will be available if needed. (No teaching.)
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Beginning Encaustic-coming in August and September.
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Nature’s Palette workshop with Christine Kosiba and Keri Duff-Zink
@Keri Duff-Zink Metalworks Studio/Judith Duff Pottery Studio, Cedar Mountain, NC, June 16~ 21, 2025 ------->
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The Studio School, Roanoke, VA
Teen and Adult Classes Offered
Upper Level Towers Mall
Adult, Teen , and Children's Classes:
I am back at the Studio School in February 2025 with all new day classes!
Please email me for interest and more information via my contact page.
Summer Classes 2025-
Expressive Landscapes in Water-media
One class July 26, 2025
10-3 p.m.
An experimentation with water-media while creating intuitive and expressive landscapes. I’ll be sharing a few techniques to add interesting textural effects, color, patterns, and line. Great for beginners! We won’t be working with details!!!!
If you have watercolors or acrylic inks bring those, and cold press paper, 140lb to plan out your design.
I’ll be providing a bound concertina book with watercolor pages for everyone and a few other extras.
Cold Wax and Oil Alchemy Intensive Workshop
3 classes: August 8,9,10, 2025
10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (Includes some materials)
Discover the beautiful layers, textures, and marks that only oil and cold wax can achieve, finding inspiration within your own marks, composition and intuition using non-traditional oil techniques.
We will explore various working methods, substrates, drying times, opaque and transparent color, pigments and powders, blending color schemes, glazing, solvent reduction, printmaking techniques, creating textures, transfers, and collage. There are plenty of demos and individual discussions. A great explorative workshop for beginners and those who want a refresher with advanced options and plenty of time to work. Provided: Cold wax, some sample oils, tools, R&F Pigment samples, 2 sheets of Arches Oil Paper, and 1 cradled birch panel and a free gift
bonus of two tools to keep. Additional wax will be available for sale.
Upon registration, email Gina for the materials list and to confirm registration. Lougael@gmail.com
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Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center
439 E Ridgeway St, Clifton Forge, VA 24422
Wabi Sabi Landscapes - July 19th, 10-4pm (One Day)
Visit the site to enroll. https://highlandsartsandcraft.org/calendar/
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NEW LOCATION-FLOYD, VA.
The Happy Shack Art Studio (Retreat Space)
Coming Soon 2025, dates coming soon.
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Ongoing Online Classes: Sign up here:
Painting with Fire 2024-2025! I will be back and this time I will be exploring
Intuitive Nature! Garden Inspirations. (30 minutes)
Click the link here to find out more--> https://tinyurl.com/bderucze
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Lesson One: This lesson will focus on the use of grid (thumbnail) sketching and viewfinder technique, specifically for observing and considering nature at a variety of scales. We will begin in the garden or using images looking at the flowers and foliage creating thumbnails in our sketchbooks inspiration. We will then take those thumbnails and we will add color using collage and a variety of materials. (30 minutes)
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Lesson Two: Intuitive Nature - From the ‘Thumb’ to the Substrate. (1 hour)
We will return to our sketchbooks from Intuitive Nature Part 1 and choose an image(s) and create on to the substrate using encaustic mediums and pigments along with mixed media and a plethora of tools to create and enhance our pieces to create the cultivation and evolution of our
own botanical visualizations.
A year-long course that is devoted to studying best practices in Encaustic painting.
26+ world renowned Encaustic artists sharing their knowledge and expertise on all aspects of this wonderful medium plus you get to peek into
their practice and see what is behind the scenes and what inspires them. Plus a look at their studio setup!
Over 50 hours of tuition for one low price of $289.
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YOU CAN REGISTER ANYTIME! YOU GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE ALREADY RELEASED CLASSES WHEN YOU SIGN UP.
Classes delivered each Wednesday approximately 12 noon EST as prerecorded video and once they are available you can watch whenever you wish.
Lifetime access to all classes. Weekly classes are approximately 60 mins or longer.
Work along, at your leisure or just watch, and jump in when you are ready.
There will also be basic instruction videos as a bonus, if you need to get a little of the basics before you get to the fabulous fancy stuff. It has more to offer than just Encaustic!
PAINTING WITH FIRE 2023:
follow the link to sign up for my online course.
I will be teaching two lessons called, New Dimensions in 3-D with Encaustic. You will learn how to prepare a substrate and a plethora of techniques to create your own voice on the structures you build.
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In this workshop we will dive right in exploring the sculptural possibilities of plaster cloth, wax and encaustic to construct an encaustic 3-D work which best represents your personal idea or creative desire. Rigid and strong when dry, plaster cloth makes a wonderful support for dimensional encaustic work.
For this lesson you will need scissors, a pan of water, plastercloth and green floral foam or another sturdy substrate of choice, and encaustic medium.
This lesson is about creating the bases for the 3-d Sculptures that we will create in much more depth in lesson two (to be shown in the coming months).
Safety: “ALL foam needs to be 100% completely covered with plaster before any fusing occurs. Papers must be transparatized with wax prior to fusing. Only LIGHT fusing is needed to bond to plaster and wax. Always practice safely and have emergency items handy, as one always should.”
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Coming Soon: 'The Art Project' is coming!
Classes, Art Shows, Studio Rentals, and More!
Contact Gina for more info!
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For 2025/2026 (Please email me with interest.) I am offering a variety of online, private classes, and mentoring at my home studio to guide you in your creative process. Consider giving a 'gift' of an art experience of choice at my home studio. I also travel and host online classes for those who cannot travel to my studio. Email me for more info and for available dates and pricing I am here to help you reach your creative goals!
Please inquire by email for dates and various offerings or to request a class or session.
The classes available are from the following:
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Encaustic (beginning, advanced, and 3-D methods) ON-Going Basic/Experimental Drawing (multi-media)
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Cold wax and Oil (beginning and advanced)
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EcoPrinting-Cyanotype
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Printmaking without a Press (geli, linocut, and encaustic)
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Mixed Media and Collage (including WabiSabi and bookmaking techniques)
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Painting (Oil, Acrylic, and Watercolor)
