The seven workshops listed below have limited vacancies, to register you may call the office on 02 6643 1528.
05 Malcolm Carver: Watercolour Magic
08 Herman Pekel: Free the Artist Inside You: Using Acrylic as Watercolour
10b Patrick Carroll: Adventures In Acrylics
11 Donald James Waters OAM: Embracing The Unknown Mixed Media
15 Leoni Duff: Designing Winning Landscapes in Pastel
18 Janet Matthews: Aussie Animals in Colour Pencil
19 Paul Margocsy: “Walk on the Wildside” In any Water based medium
An email campaign that we sent out earlier today had an error in the April 2020 workshops listing.
We sincerely apologise for this oversight and have therefore included the corrected list in this post.
A follow-up email apology is queued to be sent to all the subscribers who received the incorrect email earlier today.
Julian Bruere Biomorphic Expression leading into Snow gums Themes and Abstract Designs and Water concepts incorporating boats, harbour scenes, river reflections
Paul McDonald Smith – you may choose to do a portrait or still life for the five days.
David Chen Seascapes including boats, Landscapes and Streetscapes including people. One day with a nude model.
We are offering eleven fine art workshops for 2020 in a variety of mediums.
Browse through the list and book your place early by paying a deposit either online or by downloading an application form.
2020 Fine Art Workshops on offer
You may enrol and pay the full fee or a $205.00 DEPOSIT either using our online store. Please note that there will be a $5.65 PayPal transaction fee added to the transaction for credit card payment when using our online store.
Linda will teach you the fundamentals necessary to capture the light and create more realistic paintings using acrylics.
Focusing on landscapes, seascapes and streetscapes this workshop will show you how you can render any subject quickly and authentically in paint. Although our subject will be the landscape, this five-day intensive program aims to give you the tools and confidence to tackle any subject realistically.
More Information on Linda’s workshop.
The focus of this workshop will be mainly acrylic painting techniques using texture, design, and colour with some mixed media (charcoal, pastel etc). You will be playing with backgrounds and also be learning many different application techniques. Exciting colours and colour combinations will be used, taking reference from nature and life and applying our own little twists. We will get a bit more adventurous and explore the unknown, and also resurrect some old works. For those not so adventurous there is always plenty of detail to apply which is included in the process anyway, a bit of fine-tuning.
Paul McDonald Smith OAM, FVAS, FRSA
This workshop will explore a range of Still Life, Portrait, and Landscape subjects. Students of any level will rise to the challenges of these exciting subjects. They will love the relaxed and happy atmosphere that Paul’s classes are renowned for.
We are pleased to announce that the 2019 visual art workshops will be on the following dates.
New tutors are being confirmed regularly, so check back often to see who is tutoring in 2019.
Please Note that the start day for the 2019 school is a Saturday, whereas we usually start on a Sunday, this is because of the Easter Holidays beginning on April 19th, 2019. This will give students of the workshops who travel from afar enough time to be home for Easter.
Paul McDonald Smith OAM, FVAS, FRSA
This workshop will explore a range of Still Life, Portrait, and Landscape subjects. Students of any level will rise to the challenges of these exciting subjects. They will love the relaxed and happy atmosphere that Paul’s classes are renowned for.
The focus of this workshop will be mainly acrylic painting techniques using texture, design and colour with some mixed media (charcoal, pastel etc). You will be playing with backgrounds and also learning many different application techniques. Exciting colours and colour combinations will be used, taking reference from nature and life and applying our own little twists. We will get a bit more adventurous and explore the unknown, and also resurrect some old works. For those not so adventurous there is always plenty of detail to apply which is included into the process anyway, a bit of fine tuning.
Paul McDonald Smith OAM, FVAS, FRSA
This workshop will explore a range of Still Life, Portrait, and Landscape subjects. Students of any level will rise to the challenges of these exciting subjects. They will love the relaxed and happy atmosphere that Paul’s classes are renowned for.
Paul McDonald Smith has added landscapes to the topics covered in his art workshop he is tutoring for us in April.
Paul’s workshop will now cover portraits, still-life, and landscapes in oils.
Still life, portraits, flowers, landscapes, streetscapes, and marine. We’ve got you covered.
“Is it really worth it?”
” When will I ever have the time?”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I could never afford it.”
“I could never paint like that.”
“I can learn just as much from videos and books.”
“I don’t really need the help.”
“This is just a hobby to pass the time.”
Just so you know, some of those same instructors you admire had the same thoughts before they took their first workshop and before they became serious about their art.
Sometimes you don’t choose art, it chooses you. Taking the first step can be what makes all of the difference.
There are many ways to learn a new medium or technique with all of the books, DVDs, magazines, and online classes, you would hardly ever have to leave your house. But, none of those less interactive sources will ever compare to attending live art workshops. With a varied list of mediums and tutors available, you can most likely find something just right for you here. Then, make your arrangements with that workshop in mind.
Art makes us more human; it helps us to communicate in a different, personal language. This is a great benefit for all people and mainly for those who have conditions with a lack of communication or problems expressing themselves such as shyness, autism and other disabilities.
Painting is an individual activity even in the workshop or classroom; the student enters his/her own world, a world which is full of possibilities. The stimulus of the creative mind allows the student to positively isolate from reality, which provides a mental rest that lowers stress and generates relaxation and happy feelings. This is especially significant for people with aggression or nervousness conditions.
Working in a non-competitive, relaxed environment (the teacher plays a major role here) will enable the student to come closer to greater personal achievements; this will strengthen his/her individuality and self-esteem. This is especially significant for people with co-dependency, traumatic conditions and elderly people who need activities that can strengthen their autonomy.
Learning to hold and handle a brush and/or pencil will help regulate the hand movements and stimulate brain connections at the same time the skill is being developed. In elderly people, painting helps them strengthen their fine motor skill.
People who immerse themselves several hours painting or creating something enter a purer area, in a very strong state of concentration; they abstract themselves from their surroundings and time passes by without noticing it. Physical pains fade away; it is almost like entering another dimension without leaving our body. This is a state similar to that achieved through praying, meditation, music, aromatherapy, and being in love. There have been cases of miraculous temporary healing in painters, musicians who, when in this state, are able to move their atrophied hands or don´t feel pain when creating or executing. Painters Renoir and Gauguin and musician Andrés Segovia are examples of this.
People who immerse themselves several hours painting or creating something enter a purer area, in a very strong state of concentration; they abstract themselves from their surroundings and time passes by without noticing it. Physical pains fade away; it is almost like entering another dimension without leaving our body. This is a state similar to that achieved through praying, meditation, music, aromatherapy, and being in love. There have been cases of miraculous temporary healing in painters, musicians who, when in this state, are able to move their atrophied hands or don´t feel pain when creating or executing. Painters Renoir and Gauguin and musician Andrés Segovia are examples of this.
Painting helps us get distracted from our problems; it helps us take anguish out and transform it into something nice, which is given a title. This helps us identify the feelings and increase our expression capabilities. This is especially significant for people with nervousness, mental conditions (like schizophrenia) or people going through an emotional imbalance like a break-up who use the visual expression to achieve catharsis. Adults who learn to paint fight the fear to confront themselves, learn to persevere and are encouraged to create something that belongs only to them, a personal project, unique and enormously satisfying.
Drawing and painting stimulate both the left and right brain hemispheres. The first deals with the rational, logic elements and the second one maximises our creativity and emotions. Painting is helpful during the growth and development stages of children as well as in adulthood when it is very valuable to fight illnesses like Alzheimer. Painting boosts imagination; the imagination of Alzheimer patients, whose memory starts to vanish, is strengthened.
Emotions are part of the creative world we all have inside. Making those emotions flow through painting helps create harmony between the heart and mind, which leads us to experiment happiness, love, empathy and peace. Within this chaotic world we live, the visualization and relaxation that we obtain through painting are tools that in the long run, benefit our emotional, organic, energetic and spiritual being.
Practice, understand and talk about art creates a better understanding of it. Individuals see themselves reflected and motivated by the work of others, which also allows us to be a receptor of this type of communication, which dates back to the beginning of human history.
The knowledge that a person can achieve when learning to paint enables him/her to understand human history through art.
Learning how to paint has all the benefits of good entertainment: we laugh, socialize, learn something new, feel motivated to finish what we start, appreciate nature and feel passion for something good.
Learning how to paint has all the benefits of good entertainment: we laugh, socialize, learn something new, feel motivated to finish what we start, appreciate nature and feel passion for something good.
So it’s up to you, for your health, your amusement or personal goal, let’s paint!
Look at the Tutors and Mediums we offer.
We have added some more images to Christopher’s gallery on his art class description page.
We are proud to support the Go Art Open Exhibition which is presented and organised by the P&C of the Grafton High School.
The aim of this prize is to not only foster the artistic talent of people living within the Clarence Valley, but to bring together talented Artists from all over Australia for an inclusive exhibition.
Browse through the works created by our 2018 Tutors online now.
The workshop information will be added soon.
Well another year of fabulous workshops and incredible talent has come to a close.
We wish to thank the tutors, volunteers and students for another successful event.
Wishing safe travels home to everyone.
We hope to see you in 2018, we have a great line up of tutors ready to inspire you.
We are well underway on day 2 of the 2017 workshops, apologies for not posting yesterday as I was out where no internet lives.
Looking forward to the fantastic work that will come out of these workshops.
2018 info updated on the website.
There will be a number of 5-day workshops on offer with tutors who have been selected to provide students with professional, expert tuition in their chosen form of the Visual Arts.
Places are filling fast so be quick.
