Your Creative Self
Exploring, Reworking & Transforming Your Encaustic Paintings
with Dietlind Vander Schaaf & Bettina Egli Sennhauser
From Stuck to Flow
We all know the moment: you look at a painting and simply don’t know what to do next.
Perhaps something isn’t working, but you can’t identify what it is. Maybe you’re afraid of losing the parts you love. Or you have simply worked on the piece for too long and can no longer see it with fresh eyes.
This four-day workshop is about exactly those moments.
Rather than teaching you “quick fixes” for your paintings, we will help you develop a repertoire of creative responses for those moments when you don’t know what to do next. Through playful exercises, series work, experimentation, critique and individual coaching, we will explore ways to loosen attachment, see our work differently, take creative risks and discover new directions.
You will also be invited to bring an encaustic painting from your own studio that you feel stuck with. Together, we will look at these works with fresh eyes, explore what is already working and consider different possibilities for moving your work forward or transforming it completely.
Encaustic is particularly suited to this process. Its possibilities for layering, covering, scraping back, excavating and rebuilding allow a painting to change radically while still carrying traces of what came before.
The workshop will be held in Bettina’s spacious, fully equipped encaustic studio near Basel, providing everything you need to focus on your creative work.
Registration opens September 15, 2026
What else is there to do in Basel
Why not turn your workshop into a little art escape?
Basel is one of Europe’s most vibrant cultural cities, with an exceptional concentration of museums, galleries, architecture, and contemporary art. From the Fondation Beyeler, Museum Tinguely, Kunstmuseum Basel to the Vitra Design Museum just across the border, there is plenty to discover before or after the workshop.
The city itself is well worth exploring, too. Wander through Basel’s beautiful Old Town, enjoy a walk along the Rhine, discover its lively food scene, or simply sit in one of the cafés and take in the atmosphere.
And with Switzerland, France, and Germany meeting right here, Basel is also a wonderful starting point for extending your stay and exploring the region.
Schedule
October 13, 2027, Arrival Day, Welcome Wine & Cheese at the kunstfreiraum studio
October 14, 2027, Full Studio Day*, light vegetarian lunch
October 15, 2027, Full Studio Day*, light vegetarian lunch
October 16, 2027, Half Studio Day, light vegetarian lunch. Optional: Museum Visit or Open Studio, Dinner at Dietlind’s and my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Basel (Tibits)
October 17, 2027, Full Studio Day*, light vegetarian lunch & Farewell Dinner in Alsace, France
October 18, 2027, Departure Day
* 10 AM – 5 PM
What is included
Four intense workshop days with max. 10 students and two R&F Core Encaustic Teachers, exploring, reworking & Transforming Your Encaustic Paintings
Plenty of 1:1 time with both teachers
Fully, professionally equipped Encaustic Studio with an ample selection of R&F Paints
Meet & Greet Wine & Cheese and Farewell Dinner in Alsace, France
Four light vegetarian lunches, water & coffee
Materials Fee
You can book your workshop with or without catering.
What is not included
Air Fare, Travel, Transfers and Accommodation
Museum Visits and optional dinners
We recommend to stay at Hotel im Schlosspark in Binningen which is located in the park of a small local castle, is close to the studio and offers wonderful buffet style breakfasts. A list of other, possible suitable hotels will be provided and Bettina will be happy to assist organizing your stay.
Recommended Aiports nearby: Basel or Zurich
Registration & Tuition Fees
CHF 990 / $ 1’250* (including catering and Materials Fee)
CHF 780 / $ 970* (excluding all catering, including Materials Fee)
Deposit: CHF 200 / $ 250 due at registration
Balance Due by May 01, 2027
The deposit is credited against the tuition fee.
All cancellations must be made in writing. Cancellations received no later than May 01, 2027 receive a refund less a CHF 200 cancellation fee. If you cancel after May 01, 2027 your fee is non-refundable.
* Exchange Rates may vary and will be applied at the time of booking. The price in Swiss francs (CHF) is binding; prices shown in $ are for reference only
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend taking out comprehensive travel insurance when booking the workshop. Your insurance should ideally cover trip cancellation or interruption, illness or injury, travel delays, lost or damaged luggage, and other unforeseen circumstances.
Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel insurance and for ensuring that the coverage is appropriate for their individual needs. The workshop organizers cannot be held responsible for costs arising from travel disruptions, cancellations, illness, or other circumstances beyond their control.
