Workshops, Classes, & Retreats
For Teen and/or Adult Students
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Coming Soon:
SPRING
MARCH 7-8, 2026
Encaustic
Painting
New Two-Day Workshop
One-Day option also available for Saturday only
Saturday 10 to 5
Sunday 12 to 4
At Firstlight in Cool Springs
What Is Encaustic?
Encaustic paint is an ancient medium composed of beeswax, damar resin and pigments. Worked from a molten state, this versatile paint makes richly colored paintings and is a superb vehicle for mixed media exploration.
The Encaustic workshop introduces you to a variety of mixed media processes. You get the basics of working with this expressive technique: using temperature controlled electric griddles as palettes, heating and fusing layers of wax with heat guns, making homemade encaustic medium, preparing painting surfaces, brush application of paint, creating a variety of encaustic surfaces, mark-making with a variety of tools, image transfer, and incorporating collage elements into your design. It is a weekend of fun and play, expressing yourself in new ways.
Location at Firstlight Art Academy, Brentwood (Cool Springs)
Presented by and in partnership with: Fly Forward Studios
Some personal materials you’ll need to bring:
A variety of collage elements and photo-copied or laser-printed images (NO INKJET prints or copies) – small, high-contrast images are the easiest to begin with. Some suggestions for collage materials include: papers (scraps are excellent) such as tissue, magazine images, newspaper, old prints/drawings, photographs, lightweight fabrics and thin scrapbooking papers. When selecting collage elements, look for materials that are somewhat permeable. Color, composition, texture, translucency and individual exploration will be emphasized as you transform your collage and image transfer elements into your own piece of art!
Supplies included
All the rest of the supplies needed for encaustic will be provided for you, and are included in the cost of the workshop. Just be sure to bring any special items from home that you have been saving and would like to use in some form of artistic application, such as the above suggested list.
11 hours Of creativity
Adults & Teens
One day or Two
Saturday, March 7
10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, March 8
12 to 4 pm
Encaustic Workshop
$225 for Full Workshop ($150 for Saturday only) – includes all supplies and materials except for personal items (see above).
Please note that the link above will take you to the Fly Forward Studio Website for registration.
CREATIVE GROUPS
MARCH-JULY
MARCH 30 – JULY 6
WORKING ARTIST INITIATIVE
MONDAY
6:30-8:00
Brentwood, TN
next door to Firstlight
APRIL 6 – JUNE 29
OnO Society Creative
Monday
6:30-8:30
Brentwood, TN
next door to Firstlight
Art Journaling
Location at Firstlight Art Academy, Brentwood (Cool Springs)
Presented by and in partnership with: Fly Forward Studios
Please bring a sack lunch or eat before you arrive.
All Supplies Included.
A variety of hot teas will be available during the workshop.
5-Hour Workshop
ADULTS & Teens
Saturday, August 9
12 pm to 5 pm
Journaling Workshop
$125 – includes all supplies and materials.
March 13-15
creative
Restorative
retreat
In Culleoka, TN,
about an hour south of Nashville
Please Note Location Change
Silent directed creative retreat
MARCH 13-15
SOUL CARE RETREAT CENTER
CULLEOKA, TN
STILL SPOTS LEFT
Presented by and in partnership with: Fly Forward Studios
Please note that the link above will take you to the Fly Forward Studio Website for registration.
Jennie Schut, instructor
Jennie Schut is an award-winning artist, author of Waking Up Grey: An Exploration of Creative Awakening and certified Enneagram Applications Professional. She is the founder of Fly Forward, an organization that aids creative and spiritual exploration, awakening and flourishing through educational materials, small groups, retreats, workshops, individual art instruction, creative direction and leadership training. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Middle Tennessee State University and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Selah Center for Spiritual Formation. She is currently working on certification in the Somatic Enneagram. She works primarily with oils and encaustic, a wax-based medium.
Jennie has been an instructor at Firstlight for several years.
