Five Day Tasmania Art Retreat - October 2019

If you want to stay in luxury accommodation whilst indulging your creative side and learning from the best, then this trip is for you. We are taking only 10 students and have timed this tour to be combined our favourite Tasmanian accommodation with the regions most popular flower festival - don't miss out! We have included all meals in the workshop pricing except for 1 lunch (at the Tulip Festival) and 1 dinner so that we can enjoy a night out together.

We have painting days with Clair Bremner as well as a full day at the Tulip Festival. At night, we dine by candle light as our chefs prepare local Tasmanian fare from locally sourced produce. There are beautiful gardens to explore as well as well as plenty of nearby walks along the river to truly experience the beauty of the area before or after class.

- Artable

Join me for a relaxing five day art retreat in Launceston, Tasmania with Gillian from Artable Retreats. We will spend the day creating in the studio, exploring the beautiful rural location at the Red Feather Inn and chatting about all things art.

We will spend one day wandering around the Tasmanian Tulip Festival gathering inspiration and taking in the food, wine and festivities. The lessons will be casual and relaxed, I will take you through some step by step techniques and also give you plenty of time to explore your own ideas. This retreat has a limited number of places available so get in quick if you are interested.

Some of the guided classes will include working in a sketchbook to loosen up and plan compositions, observing the landscape and interpreting it in a more abstract manner, acrylic painting techniques and colour mixing, sketching from observation, painting flowers and more. The materials list is very low key and easy to manage, we will be working mostly small scale on paper so you will come home with a big pile of work that you can experiment with further.

This workshop is suitable for all levels, so whether you are an absolute beginner or experienced artist you will learn something new and have the chance to meet like minded people. There is only a few places left and payment plans are available. Follow the link below to learn more and sign up.

Tools of the trade

The main medium I prefer to work with is Acrylic paint. Over the years I have experimented with every art supply and material imaginable. Early on, while I was studying Viaual Art at TAFE,  I was actually using oil paint because I thought that you weren’t a “real artist” unless you knew how to use oil paint. 

As I have aged and matured I have realized how rediculous that idea is and that you can be a real artist and use whatever materials you like. I also always hated the messy cleanup process that is involved with oil paint. So once I started to get back in to painting on a regular basis I decided to use acrylics.  

The fast drying time, vibrant colours and easy cleaning qualities are all perfect for the way I work.  

I also use a range of brushes to create my art, all of them are cheap and some of them are not even “artist” brushes. I use nylon brushes, house paint brushes from the hardware store and a few mop style brushes that are meant to be used for stenciling or applying gesso but I like the scratchy messy marks that they make.  

I am a terrible brush owner. I abuse them all the time. I let them dry out, or I soak them for days on end in dirty water. I use them to varnish and then forget to was them. I use them to scoop out blobs of paint, smoosh them into containers and clog them up. When they are dead I throw them out and buy new ones. 

I use a few different brands of acrylic paint, but mostly Derivan Matisse, Golden Acrylic and Hydrocryl. I mix different brands together to make up my own colours as well as using colours right out of the tube. If I know I’m going to use a particular colour a lot then I will mix up a big batch and keep it in a plastic container with a lid. I also use Liquitex paint markers to add in some of the fine details on top. 

I paint on both stretched canvas and watercolour paper, I have my canvas custom stretched and sent to me and I purchase my watercolor paper in large sheets or pads. The canvas is 12oz cotton and the paper is always 300gsm cotton or above. 

Open Studio 11th-12th November

This year I'll be taking part in the Yarra Valley Open Studio Tour which is held over three areas and three weekends between September and November. The Warburton area will be on the 11th and 12th of November from 10am-4pm.  

You can come and visit me in my studio at 21 Woods Point Rd in Warburton (in the YREC Business Village opposite the caravan park). I will have original artworks for sale, including paintings on canvas, paper and a exclusive collection of hand painted original ceramics.  

To find out more about the Open Studios, including the other participating artists, you can visit the official website at  https://www.yarravalleyarts.org.au/yvaopenstudios

Studio snapshots

Here is a little peek into the studio and what I've been up to lately. If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff make sure you subscribe to my instagram account.  

I've started another piece for my new series. This will be in my show in March titled Yarra where I will be focusing on the local river scenes. 

I finished (and sold)  this pretty piece. 

I also completed this commission that was started before Christmas. I usually don't take that long to finish commissions but I have been away a fair bit these last few weeks.  

I have a big pile of canvases due to be delivered soon so it will be a busy few weeks. If you would like to pop into the studio to view anything in person then feel free to message me. I haven't forgotten about that Open Studio day either... it will happen soon!  

Store update | small original paintings

I have just updated my store with a series of five small original paintings on canvas. These pieces are only 45cmx45cm (18inx18in) and are the perfect size for a gift, as a feature in a gallery wall or to brighten up a corner of your home.  

They are all following a bit of a night time theme and feature abstract floral trees and a star filled sky. I painted several larger pieces like this a while ago and decided it would be fun to revisit the idea.  

You can find them all in the shop originals section of my website. The price includes express shipping within Australia and if you purchase before the 14th it should arrive well before Christmas. 

New Year. New Studio

I mentioned on here a few weeks ago that I was planing on moving out into a new studio space. Well the time has arrived. I picked up the keys to the new studio last Thursday and I've been slowly moving in over the last few days.  

I have been a full time professional artist for about three years now, however now that I have a "real studio" I actually feel like a real professional now. So silly but that's how my brain works. 

I'm really excited to see where this next year takes me and to see how having a studio outside of my home for the first time ever changes the way I work. I'm hoping that I will be a bit more productive during the week. I find it hard to not procrastinate doing other things when I'm at home, it's always much more tempting to just sit on the couch with my knitting and Netflix. Hopefully having official working hours and a place to go every day will make me more accountable and productive when I need to be.  

It will also be awesome to be able to welcome clients into my studio without having to lead them through my lounge room and messy kitchen first. I am happy for anyone to pop in and see me whenever I'm there (which will be quite often during the week and by appointment on weekends).  

After the Christmas and New Years break and once I have settled in I am planing on holding an official opening/open studio day. I'll let you know when that's happening via Facebook early in the year.