blueBanksia

In May this year, I was very excited to join Yvonne Langshaw in a two day workshop at Ku-Ring-Gai Art Centre in Roseville, NSW. The studio was light and airy with plenty of room for everyone to work comfortably. Tables and easels were all set up and ready for the workshop participants

Abstract art is sometimes thought of as quite childish, and while parents in art galleries are sometimes heard to say 'my child could do that!', painting in an abstract form is surprisingly difficult. It requires a real understanding of colour, tone and line to be able to create the beautiful abstract art works that Yvonne Langshaw consistently produces.

by Vivienne Linnett

Recently I attended another highly enjoyable and productive McGregor Winter School at USQ in Toowoomba. This was my second Winter School, this time choosing to stay off campus, whereas last year, as a first timer, I lived in.

Having become enthusiastic about painting early last year, I set out to find some tuition to fast track my impatience to improve faster than I was progressing alone. I came across McGregor School's advertisement, which seemed like the perfect arts retreat. A whole week of painting and socialising with fellow artists and no cooking in sight!

by Cindy Tonkin

I have attended more than eight summer schools and three winter schools at Sturt Craft College in Mittagong. They are always an intense, well-managed experience, where you can get obsessed by a new skill or even perfect an old one, in a friendly environment.

I was impressed with David Lake’s exhibition David Lake: Feet of Clay, at the Bathurst Regional Gallery - March to May. His interesting works full of light and extended horizons capture the big skies, mood and atmosphere of the Australian landscape. He has been inspired by the scorched earth and clear horizon lines of far west NSW, utilising this subject matter and transmuting it into works of art.

When I realised that he was running a workshop in Bathurst for one day, I joined the waiting list. Luckily I got in when someone cancelled out.

Review by Barbara Tate-Asgill

Bathurst NSW is well known for its car racing but sadly not as well known for another event it hosts twice yearly on the campus of Sturt University, the Mitchell School of Arts Summer and Winter Artists Workshops.

What a truly delightful way to spend a week that is not only informative and a great learning curve but also a chance to meet really nice like minded people and have some fun as well.

It is especially good for those who love to paint and for one reason or another can never devote a whole week at a stretch without interruption.

By Teresa Spedone

Medium: oils or acrylics

I have always wanted to learn to paint portraits, and as I have been setting up my new studio I came across photos from the past of a couple of portraits I had done of an old boyfriend. I showed them to Merilyn, my art tutor and she said that she would be running a portrait workshop for two days over two week period in a couple of weeks time. Would you like to attend?  I thought to myself...Archibald here I come!

But on the day when I turned up at Merilyn’s wonderful studio in the Evan’s Plains area of Bathurst I was terrified!  I thought “What am I doing here? I can’t paint portraits!”

‘Modern Impressionism’
Medium: Oils

Art work by Colley Whisson

In January Stephanie and I attended a week long workshop in Bathurst at the Mitchell School of Arts Summer School. The Summer School is organised by The Art Scene and Colley Whisson was our tutor.

Colley is a warm and dedicated teacher. He was well organised and always started workshops on time (which is more than can be said for myself or Stephanie; we were always a little late – especially back from morning tea!). Colley made sure that he worked with each and every person in the class every day. The physicality of the workshop left us both exhausted at the end of each day but eager to learn more every morning.

‘Abstraction and Reality’
Medium: Acrylic

by Jenie Clough

Jenie Clough

I have just returned home to Sydney after an inspiring week painting at the Summer School. My tutor was Patrick Carroll and the class title Abstraction and Reality gave scope to paint in a variety of different ways.

After arriving at Charles Sturt University and collecting keys I set off to find the classroom. Map reading was never my strong subject and after getting the number wrong - all went well and I unloaded my car of paints, canvases and easel.