Colour Mix and Match Workshop

Although it can be a tedious exercise to paint colour charts, it is worth its weight in gold once completed. It takes the guesswork out of 'what colour/s will I use?'

I begin these workshops with demonstrations on how to paint the colours in the appropriate sections. This teaches how much water and paint to use, how to dilute colours and brush control. 

So there are a lot of skills rolled into one workshop.

Students working on the colour charts

I teach my Sydney workshops at WEA which is right in the city. The amenities are excellent, including fantastic light, ergonomic chairs, whiteboard and projection facilities and access to water and drawing boards.

Beginning the Orange Colour chart

For these charts I use 6 primary colours - red, yellow and blue in both warm and cool tones. I discuss how to also incorporate other colours to broaden the 450 colours made on their three charts. The dilutions are very important as they are another colour and easily demonstrate whether the colour is warm or cool.

Once the green charts are finished, the students match various green leaves to the colours they have made on the charts. Then they can paint the leaves. More class and individual demonstrations.

One of my demonstrations

Some finished charts

After more charts are completed the students can match a flower or other subject they have brought in.

It was a really enjoyable and successful workshop and enjoyed by all.

Plants & Pollintors Workshop in Canberra

Last weekend I taught a workshop in Straithnairn, Canberra ACT on Plants & Pollinators. 

The weather was absolutely glorious and the spacious studio/workshop provided ample room with the sun streaming through the windows and the viewlooking on to the rural scene and distant mountains.

The lovely group was all very enthusiastic and I am sure they were inspired by their subjects. In Canberra the artists will focus on the local native plants and pollinators which can be often found in their gardens.

I get quite excited when I see the subjects they are painting, and often wish I could pick up a brush and also paint. The group is very motivated and I am sure they will now begin to create more works including pollinators. I personally find it enchances a painting by adding further information and interest and it also stretches their abilities and encourages them to think outside the square.

Enjoy these photos from the workshop.

View from the workshop/studio

Another rural view

The colour study, part of the process

Helen painting a Monarch butterfly on a callistemon

Colour study of a Eastern Spinebill

Jann's painting of a Eastern Spinebill, sourced from her own photographs

Colour study with notes for a Fisheye Finch

Drawing and Colour Study for the Fisheye Finch

New Holland Honeyeater chick on a grevillea

Mature New Holland Honeyeater drawing and colour study - on a grevillea

 This was an excellent workshop. I enjoyed myself asmuch as the students. Jean made the most incredible morning and afternoon teas. Orange and poppy seed cake, moist and moreish, chocolate fudge slice, orange and almond muffins, a cheese platter and much more......

 

Mackay, North Queensland

Have just returned from Mackay in North Queensland, where I taught a two-day workshop at the Mackay Regional Botanical Gardens for the BAIG (Botanical Art Interest Group). This was my third visit and many of the enthusiastic group remain the same, with some new faces and an added wealth of knowledge. Not only does this group meet once a week to paint and share knowledge, but several members of the group give talks about rare local plants they may have discovered, or a lesson in botany from skilled members with an enormous amount of information to share.

 

Mackay Botanical Art Interest Group
 

Day One of the workshop we focused on leaves - this teaches the students everything they need to know about botanical art:- how to colour match and mix, how to apply washes, identifying and applying highlights and shadows, colour gradating, observation, leaf margins and dry brush work for final detail.

 

Some of the leaves were so well done, it was difficult to distinguish the leaf from the painting

 



 Day Two the focus was on flowers of their choice, and there were some wonderful examples brought in by the class, flowers that I do not see in Sydney. Lots of class demonstrations and individual tuition gave the students the confidence to paint with ease. I was amazed that most were well on their way to finishing their painting in a day. It was only the actual flower they painted, and they could add the leaves at a later date.

 

Just a few of the extremely competent paintings that were done



The staff at the Botanical Gardens are very encouraging and supportive of the painting group, and will furnish different plants for them each week, along with their botanical names and information on the species. The group also has an annual exhibition in the Gardens, which is a culmination of their work throughout the year.

 

What an incredible environment to work in! Fortunately while I was there the weather remained fine and warm. As I write this, Cyclone Ita is bearing down on Cooktown, so Mackay will bear the brunt of the winds and rain from the edge of the cyclone. I hope no damage is caused to the plants on the botanical gardens.

 

 

The  51 hectare Gardens are only ten years old, but built along the banks of the "Lagoons", they offer a beautiful community environment to be shared by all. There are a variety of paths, bridges and boardwalks to allow close-up viewing  of various habitats, with 88% being Australian native plants, some of which are rare or threatened in the wild.

 

A wetlands area attracts an incredible amount of birds to the range of habitats. Waterways and fringing grass line the lagoons. Sunbirds dart amongst the flowers within the small forrested areas, and Magpie Geese roost on the lagoon flats while Whistling Ducks feed among the waterlilies. The Kookabuuras laugh can be heard throughout the gardens. It is a haven for bird watchers.

 

 

I was intrigued by the seeds of several plants, and would love to add them to my repertoire of botanical paintings.

The seeds of the Areca vestiaria and the Cordyline manners-suttoniae (Giant Plant Lily)

Last but not least, the intriguing Torch Lily, which is a flower I have painted while in Fiji, but the specimens in Mackays Regional Botanic Gardens were perfect in every aspect.

Botanical Art Course in Perth, WA

I have taught in WA before, at the Albany Summer School, and several courses at Cranbrook Art Centre. So am thrilled to have a fabulous venue in Perth.

 

Many of my Distance Learning students live in WA, and it would be a great opportunity to not only meet them, but to have them along in the course, to get some personal 'hands-on' tuition with me.

 

All skill levels are welcome, and an integral part of the course will be individual tuition and class demonstrations.

 



Winter School at Mittagong

Each year I teach a Botanical Art Course at Mittagong in the Southern Highlands of NSW, which is about 1-1/2 hours from Sydney. It is a wonderful environment to teach in, and despite a little cool outside, we are nice and cosy in all the rooms.

 

Winter school is very relaxing with about half the students that attend Summer School. We are spoilt with the fabulous food and excellent accommodation. Five days of nothing to worry about but art!!

 

 

Why not think about coming down for a week? I take all skill levels in my classes and it is  individual tuition throughout the week. You will leave motivated and enthused, and excited about starting more botanical drawings and paintings with the knowledge you have gained.

Savusavu, Fiji

Just back from Savusavu in Fiji, where I spent a wonderful week. Great weather, great group and amazing environment which is so rich and lush. There are more "greens

 

Savusavu is a town where time has stood still. Nothing changes which makes it so unique. Very few tourists (if any), no commercialisation and the local people run on "Fiji time". There is no rush and no pressure. No meals to cook while at the family run resort of Daku - in fact - nothing to do but paint and sketch.

 

Savusavu

 

After 16 courses in Fiji, I still look forward to returning the following year. My mornings are spent teaching botanical art in the yoga shala, high above the resort with spectacular views over Savusavu Bay. The balmy breezes glide through the shala and the peace is broken only by the staff bringing us freshly made pancakes with honey, or a delicious homemade cake as we enjoy a break.

 

The grounds on the resort, with the beachfront bures on the left

 

I am continually astounded by the spectacular sunsets, which occur most evenings. It is almost a group gathering as we stand by the waters edge to watch the sun gently sink into the sea.

 

The work produced over the week astounded even the particpants, as the brilliant coloured heliconia and crotons were painted in all their glory.

 

Here are a few of the paintings from the week. There were people on the course who had done no drawing or painting before, so it was a thrill for them to have such beautiful work to take home.

 

 

 

Next course: 2014 May 11-18

 



A week in Canberra

I have just returned from a week in Canberra where I taught a workshop on Painting Australian Native Plants at the Canberra Botanical Gardens. It was a wonderful week of sharing my knowledge with an enthusiastic group of students, catching up with friends and enjoying the autumn ambience.

 

When visiting Canberra I am always concerned about the "cold" as it can be very bitter. This time I stayed with the lovely Helen and Koos and they kept their house beautifully warm. I also took my own electric blanket. The room I taught in had underfloor heating so I was really comfortable.

 

The weather was the nicest I have every experienced in Canberra. It was mild during the days and up to around 20-23 degrees. Beautiful!

 

Glorious Canberra sunset
 

The autumn leaves were just amazing! In Sydney the weather hasn't been cold enough to turn the leaves into the wonderful orange, reds and yellow hues.

 

 

While I was there I attended the opening of the exhibition  showcasing the Queanbeyan Craft and Design. There was an array of crafts from blown glass, beautiful hand built sculptures (one in particular I would have loved to have bought, but it was quite large and I just wouldn't have room for it), silver jewellery and much more.

 

However, I fell in love with an exquisite glass vase about 13 cm high. It has a thick soft green base and when held up to the light, a beautiful rich red just above the base. Its colours remind me of autumn. The surface is very tactile with a brushed finish and a subtle design. It feels to lovely to hold in my hand, and it just glows when held up to the light. This was made by Harriet Schwarzrock from the Curtis Glass Studio in Queanbeyan.

 

It has pride of place in my studio where the light falls on it, creating a harmonious range of warm colours.

 

 

I am very much looking forward to returning to the Gardens in September where I am teaching another workshop on Banksias - and there were some in their full glory while I was there.

 











Workshop Canberra Botanic Gardens

Yesterday saw the sun setting after a glorious day - and the bats flying directly over our apartment. Some fly so low I feel I could reach up and touch them.

Notice the two bats in the photo. Sometimes there are many many dozens of them.

 

Have been working on my new painting of the Banksia prionotes and making good progress, as much as time will allow. I am working on the detailed areas now, which is my favourite part. I love the meditative experience of botanical painting, as it takes you into another world, where time stands still while you paint away contentedly.

 

In a few days I will be heading off to Canberra, where I am teaching a three-day workshop at the Botanical Gardens on 'Painting Australian Native Plants'. The subjects will be taken (under strict supervision) from the Gardens.

 

I am looking forward immensely to my stay in Canberra and meeting more of the lovely ladies that paint there. I will be sure to take lots of warm clothes as it has been very cold in the mornings and evenings.

 

Here are a few progess photos of my banksia painting.

 

 

 

 



 

and this is where I am now -

 

 

 

 

Not much time to finish this painting before I go - as have quite a bit of preparation to do for the workshop. So near and yet so far.....

 

 

I already have the subject and design in my head for my next painting, which will be something a little different.

Looking at Leaves

Yesterday I taught a botanical art class and we explored the theme of 'Looking at Leaves'. Nothing is truer than "if you can paint a leaf, you can paint the world." (John Ruskin 1819-1900). He was an English philospoher, artist, art critic and author.

 

John Ruskin

 

John Ruskin - some of his botanical images

 

 

My class of 16 students of all levels, did some excellent work yesterday. It gives me enormous satisfaction to see just what can be achieved in a one-day workhop. Teaching adults is extremely rewarding, as they really have a passion for learning.

 

 

Just some of the leaves from the workshop
 

 

 

Someone asked me the other evening what would I do if I wasnt teaching, painting, writing, travelling and involved in my other projects and art career. Without hesitation I replied "exactly what I am doing now - as I love my work which really isnt like work at all."

 

That sums it all up...I suppose being a bit of a workaholic (according to my husband) doesnt hurt.



Mt Tamborine Workshop

I have just returned from Queensland, where I taught a weekend workshop "Looking at Leaves", at Mt Tamborine, which is in the Gold Coast Hinterland. This is an important workshop as it teaches not only colour identification and mixing skills, but of course colour matching. I think one of the most difficult things to do in botanical art is highlights, so there were plenty of demonstrations and skills taught about brush control and the importance of how much water to pigment to use.



Just some of the leaves painted by the group



One of the great things about botanial art is that you meet so many lovely people, and I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with my lovely friend Margot who organised this workshop. So not only was I able to explore a new area and enjoy a new environment, I had a great time teaching the new group, who were also extremely nice (as botanical artists and gardeners tend to be), and also had some valuable time to catch up with Margot.



The view from Margot's house, which is situated on the Coomera River.

It was coolish on the mountain, so I was pleased I packed some warm clothes. I am not good with cold, and going away is the bane of my life - ensuring I have clothes for all seasons. Mt Tamborine is a beautiful spot with spectacular views over valleys and distant mountain ranges.

The workshop was held in an extremely well appointed facility within the Heritage Centre historical site, where original buildings are now used as a museum to show what life was like in the 19th and early 20th century.





Some of the ladies at the workshop lived locally, and others had travelled from around the Gold Coast area. They also put on the most amazing morning teas and lunches. It was an absolute feast. Very difficult not only to be aware of calories, but to decide whether to have a piece of coconut-chocolate slice, the date and nut cake or jam and coconut slice. And that was just for morning tea! Lunch was much more varied, with fruits, cheeses, several incredibly delicious quiches, a wonderful vegetarian nut slice, salads - and not forgetting desert. Maureen had made a sumptous trifle, and on the last day Janice brought in a carrot cake. Who can say no! I tell my students that "watercolour is like weight - easy to put on and hard to get off". Now I am home I will certainly have to walk a few more kms. 



Some of the delicious food the ladies provided at the workshop. Margot is on the left.



After the workshop on Saturday afternoon, Margot and I were invited to Pat's place on the mountain. As an avid gardener she spends many hours creating wonderful areas of garden, including a Japanese garden, a rose garden full of strongly perfumed heritage roses, several different rainforest walks, an English garden and much more. It was amazing.



Deep wine red of the hollyhocks from Pat's English garden



Heritage roses



After a great workshop, which we all enjoyed immensely, on the final day the group were invited to Jenny's house, which was on the western side of the Mt Tamborine ridge. In another life Jenny was a garden designer and her "borrowed" vistas in her garden, as well as her creative input into her own garden created a fantasic backdrop for our champers and nibblies and closure for the weekend. It could not have ended on a more pleasurable note.



The view from Jenny's house and garden on Tamborine mountain



The setting western sun



As I wasnt leaving Margot's until Monday afternoon, it gave us a chance to wander around Coomera Waters, pick up various plant specimens (which I am now eager to start on) and enjoy the peace and serenity. As a city girl, living about 7kms from the heart of Sydney, the actual quietness of Coomera Waters and the lack of traffic was in total contrast to the usual hustle and bustle of my daily life.



An iridescent beetle on the Brachychiton (Kurrajong) trees, which were in full bloom.

So thank you Margot for a wonderful time, and thank you ladies of the Mt Tamborine group for your hospitality and enthusiasm, and for you all in making my workshop and stay such a pleasant experience.

My new office/studio

It is finished, but having been away for 4 days, I am a little behind with putting things back into the office. It is all functional, and today I am focusing on putting back my books. There are still hundreds of them stacked in the lounge room, but hopefully most of them will be in their new home today.



I will post some photos once it is all organised.

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