Join artist educator and curator Helen Dannelly for a week-long, innovative exploration into painting with encaustic on paper. For beginners through advanced encaustic artists, learn how to master techniques of working with encaustic on a substrate different than a panel. Working on paper allows you to work quickly and creatively to create compositions in the size of your choice that can be easily matted and framed. Let the beautiful dramatic landscapes of the rural Irish coast inspire your creative flow with wax!

​

The Setting: Ballycastle & Ballinglen

Located in Ballycastle, a village of 350 residents nestled in northwest County Mayo, the Ballinglen Arts Foundation has welcomed artists from around the world since 1992. Situated 3.7 miles (6 km) from the iconic sea stack Dún Briste at Downpatrick Head, and 5 miles (8 km) from Céide Fields, the world’s oldest known stone-walled field system, the area is steeped in both natural wonder and ancient mystery. Expect rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, rolling farmland, and sweeping Atlantic vistas, all animated by the ever-changing weather and light. This is a haven for artists and wildlife alike — a rare place where creative solitude and natural grandeur meet.

​

What's Included

Total Retreat Fee: $3,300

Deposit: $300
Maximum Attendance: 12 participants

- 8 nights accommodation – All private rooms, most with ensuite baths
- Round-trip transport from Dublin Airport to Ballycastle
- Daily lunch and dinner – Traditional Irish meals with accommodations for food allergies, vegan, and gluten-free diets
- Workshop tuition with Helen Dannelly
- Basic supplies in your cottage
- Studio space at Ballinglen
- Support from Ballinglen staff and facilities
- Optional advance ordering of select supplies (e.g., solvents for oil painters)

​

Who This Is For

This is for artists ready to go deeper. Painters seeking space, support, and an elemental setting that sparks something new. Beginners comfortable with self-directed time and established artists looking to reignite their vision are all welcome. This week is about more than technique — it's about transformation.

​

Materials to Bring

• 3 sheets of 300 pound individual sheets of Arches watercolor paper cut in half to have 6 sheets which will fit in your suitcase.You may also bring a watercolor block or two of any size as well.

• Small sketchbook and sketch materials 

• Stencils

• Removable tape, 1” and 2” wide 

• 10 sheets of newsprint, which can be folded to fit in your suitcase 

• A small set of watercolors or gouache

• Freezer paper or parchment paper to wrap your work in.

• A small jar of R&F encaustic gesso

• a brush to apply the gesso 

• A few various types of thin, natural fiber papers for collage

• A metal clay loop tool or two for scraping

 

Materials Provided With Registration

• Encaustic medium

• Encaustic paint colors, 

• Pigment sticks

• Prismacolor pencils 

• Aqua dispersion pigments

• Jars

• Fine line sharpies or other waterproof ink pens

• Walnut oil

• Hake brushes

• Masking tape

• Palettes, heat guns and torches to share

• thread and some other collage materials, 

• Mylar to create your own stencils.

• Razor blades

• various widths of artist tape

​

Workshop Content

The class will consist of PowerPoint presentations, demos of tips and techniques for working with encaustic on paper, Q&A, critiques, discussion of working with thin layers of encaustic to achieve subtle, complex color, outdoor sketching as weather permits to gather compositional, textural and color inspiration, and plenty of studio time to achieve your unique voice and vision in your creations.

 

Try your hand at this new way of painting with encaustic!

​

Registration & Payment

To reserve your space, a deposit of $300 is required (refundable through January 31, 2027). Installment payments are available. Full payment is due by March 31, 2027.

Travel insurance is required. There will be no refunds after March 31, 2027.

​

Payment Options

Zelle (helen.dannelly@gmail.com)

Check mailed to: Helen Dannelly, 2721 W. Berwyn Ave. #3, Chicago, IL 60625

Travel insurance is required. There will be no refunds after March 31, 2027.

​

Installment Options (12 or 6 Months)

12 Months

March 15, 2026: $275

April 15, 2026: $275

May 15, 2026: $275

June 15, 2026: $275

July 15, 2026: $275

Aug 15, 2026: $275

Sept 15, 2026: $275

October 15, 2026: 275

Nov 15 2026: $275

Dec 15, 2026: $275

Jan 15, 2027: $275

Feb 15, 2027: $275

March 15, 2027: $275

 

6 Months

October 15, 2026: $550

Nov 15, 2026: $550

Dec 15, 2026: $550

Jan 15, 2027: $550

Feb. 15, 2027: $550

March 15, 2027: $550

 

Instructor Bio 

An award-winning artist, educator, and curator, Helen Dannelly is a formally trained painter and sculptor raised in California and currently living in Chicago. She studied painting and printmaking at San Francisco State University and sculpture at the University of Minnesota. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S. and internationally, including Slate Contemporary (CA), Conrad Wilde Gallery (AZ), and the Ballinglen Museum of Art in Ireland.

Helen is co-founder of Catalyst Art Lab, curator of the Forshey Gallery in Chicago, and teaches workshops nationally and abroad. She is a featured presenter at NorCal Wax at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto in 2026.

​

Suggested Packing List

- Casual art clothes
- Good walking shoes (that can get wet)
- Layers! From Summer -Fall clothes + rain jacket with hood and umbrella. (The Emerald Isle is green for a reason!)
- Toiletries and any personal medications
- Copies of driver’s license and passport
- Art materials (paper, canvas boards, flat substrates)
- Parchment or freezer paper for wrapping work
- Brushes, paints and dry materials
- Sun hat, apron and gloves 

​

Praise for Helen

Master Artist Steve Puttrich: “Helen’s painting speaks with sophistication. The interplay of shadow and form shows a mature understanding of contrast and restraint... What I appreciate most is the patience in her brushwork; everything is resolved with intention.”
 

Student Testimonials
“You were answering questions I never knew how to ask. Such a generous teacher.” – Suzanne D.
“I’ve loved the class and been humbled by how much there is to know about color.” – Karen F.
“You’re an excellent teacher. I’m growing by leaps and bounds.” – Jan M.
“Loved the course. Your feedback helped me get comfortable with beginner’s mind.” – Adelaide S.
“Absolutely wonderful class.” – And E.
“What an inspiring class. I’m learning so much!” – Deb P.