Monday 30 April 2018

Grafton Workshop April 2018

I spent the most enjoyable week in Grafton teaching a group of lovely ladies how to paint their chosen subject. The workshop was Plants & Pollinators: the Birds and the Bees.

There are several reasons I do this and not have every student paint the same subject.
  • They can paint a subject they are passionate about
  • They are not forced to paint a subject with no relevance to their preferences
  • They receive absolute individual tuition so all necessary techniques and methods are clearly understood and demonstrated
  • They gain confidence as to how to complete their own paintings once they return home
  • They understand the workshop is not about producing a finished painting, but learning HOW to correctly complete a finished painting
Here are a few photos from the workshop of some of the student's paintings. 

Krysia's  painting


Felicity's eucalyptus - nearly finished

Grace's finished Strelitzia reginae - Bird of Paradise

The class enjoying morning tea. I am third from bottom left.

Hilary's painting of an Eastern Spinebill bird on a banksia. Almost finished

Janet painting her New Holland Honeyeater on a banksia. 

Jenny's first washes finished. 

The Coldstream Gallery at Ulmarra held a tutors exhibition during the week. There was wonderful response from the locals as well as tutors and students. A great opening night.

I am second from left, with Hilary, Jude and Janet.
I will be back in Grafton in 2020, and look forward to another rewarding week.

Tuesday 10 April 2018

Grevillea victoriae - large painting

I enjoyed my previous painting of the Grevillea victoriae so much that I decided to do a large scale painting of the actual florescence. There are so many interesting growing formations and various hues which respond beautifully to transparent overglazing to make them glow.

I have been working diligently every day and set myself a goal to do each day, which helps me to focus and manage my time efficiently.

Here are some of the stages of the painting. It is large scale on a half sheet of 640gsm Arches watercolour paper, which is a joy to work on.

I am also experimenting with some new brushes - da Vinci Maestro series #10 which you will see in one of the images. So far, so good. They are not expensive, are retaining their lovely points and are comfortable to use.


The painting to too large to fit comfortably on my painting desk in the studio, so I have moved to the dining room table. Love the light here.

My original colour matches and basic colour study

My initial first washes


 

I love working on the detail
I leave on Saturday to teach a 5-day workshop in Grafton, NSW, so this is another incentive to get as much done as I can on this painting before I leave.

Will post more as the painting continues to progress.