Drawing, looking at Margaret Preston and a new day class starting June 3rd!
Last month we took a look at Australian artist Margaret Preston, and in particular her use of colour and pattern-making as inspiration for some experimentation in the use of colour and mark-making.
This was followed by a drawing project which all the classes have been taking part in with fabulous enthusiasm. It’s been very exciting to see so many different styles emerge from the same subject. These drawings will be used as the starting point for new paintings. Watch this space!
For our ongoing and mentored students we continue to offer optional projects such as these to encourage experimentation and to help further develop painting skills and critical thinking, but all students are welcome to take part.
Please contact us if you would like to join our new beginners day class on Mondays 10 am – 1 pm.
As Melbourne settles into Autumn it’s a great time to take up that class you’ve always wanted to do. We get many enquiries from students wondering if they can join with no previous experience. The answer is yes you can! The classes are designed for complete beginners, taking you through the basics and getting you painting in no time. For our ongoing students whilst we are more than happy to help you realise the work you want to make, there are always new projects on offer for those who simply want to turn up and paint.
Our new Wednesday evening class is filling quickly and there are just a few places still available. If you are considering joining us, please let us know. There is a wait-list for filled classes and places are offered in order of registering interest.
This month several students have work in the annual St Luke Exquisite Palette exhibition, a few examples above. As always, the exhibition features a wide range of imaginative works from artists both established and just beginning, and all works begin with a simple palette. The exhibition runs from April 11 to May 1 at St Luke, 32 Smith St, Collingwood.
NEW WEDNESDAY EVENING CLASS!
Wow, it seems that 2013 is the year everyone in Melbourne wants to learn to paint! When we first started out four years ago we were a small group on Monday nights, but the classes popularity continues to grow. If you are interested in joining one of our classes please let us know and we can put you on the wait-list if your choice of day is full, and keep you updated as places become available regularly. This month’s places are:
Monday night class: (currently full, wait-list only)
Tuesday morning class: (currently full, wait-list only)
Tuesday night class: limited places available
Wednesday night class: limited places available
We will be running an extra ongoing class on Wednesday evenings beginning March 20 2013. This class will be taken by Terri Brooks, a colleague, professional artist and experienced teacher. I am very happy to welcome Terri to Painting for Beginners, and for the opportunity for our students to expand their range of skills and techniques, as well as receive fresh feedback. You can read Terri’s blog here and visit her website here. Terri has been a practicing artist for 30 years and exhibits regularly both in Australia and overseas.
The new Wednesday classes will run at the same time of 6.30 – 9.30 pm and will cater for both complete beginners and those with some experience wishing to further develop their practice.
Happy new year and welcome to all the new students starting this week. It’s exciting to have so many new faces, and so much enthusiasm for our classes!
The classes for the start of the year have filled incredibly quickly, with many students choosing to continue on after their 8 week block. New places should become available in February and March, if you are interested in joining our classes it is recommended that you contact us ahead of time to register your interest or to make a booking.
All classes continue to be a mix of complete beginners and ongoing students. From February new student intake will be the first week of each month, depending on places available.
2013 classes begin Monday January 14:
- Monday 6.30 – 9.30 pm (currently full, wait list only)
- Tuesday 10 am – 1 pm
- Tuesday 6.30 – 9.30 pm (currently full, wait list only)
The end of 2012 was a very busy period in the studio, with 11 students entering the Belle Arti Prize, and all students producing a sardine painting for our end of year show which was a huge success with a very large turn-out for the opening, and quite a few sales! You can see the pictures here. Remember to ‘like’ us on Facebook to stay up to date with what’s happening in the classes and all our news.
Classes resume from Monday January 14 2013.
Classes for 2013 are:
- Monday 6.30 – 9.30 pm (currently full, wait-list only)
- Tuesday 10 am – 1 pm
- Tuesday 6.30 – 9.30 pm (currently full, wait-list only)
The classes are filling quickly and interested students are encouraged to contact us in advance as class sizes are limited.
Gift vouchers are available, a fantastic present for anyone who has always wanted to take up painting and so much more fun than another pair of socks! There is also a possible summer weekend workshop coming up, enquiries welcome.
Our end of year show is coming up shortly, so keep an eye out for updates, and ‘like’ our Facebook page to receive your invitation! All 2012 students are invited to exhibit their work and it’s a great way to see what we’ve been up to this year.
The end of the year is rapidly approaching and it has been a busy month in the studio! We have had lots of new students, and an amazing amount of fantastic work emerging from the studio. Many of the ongoing students are finishing their entries for the Belle Arti Prize, and next up will be our annual group show of all 2012 students. Details soon.
There will be a couple of small changes in 2013: from January the Thursday night class will move to Tuesday nights, and from February new students can still enrol at any time to book a place, but will start classes during the first week of each month. This will enable new students to have other beginners to start the journey with, and also ensure that ongoing students still receive quality one-on-one time.
Class timetable beginning Monday January 14 2013:
- Monday 6.30 – 9.30 pm
- Tuesday 10 am – 1 pm
- Tuesday 6.30 – 9.30 pm
Classes may be booked at any time, it is recommended that interested students contact us early as places are limited and the classes fill quickly. Gift vouchers available.
Spring has certainly inspired a lot of budding new painters!
The Monday night class is momentarily full but we are taking names for our short wait-list, and there are a still a couple of places available for the Thursday night and Tuesday morning classes.
For the last few weeks some of the ongoing students have been working on a tonal values ‘refresher’ with some fabulous results. Our exercises are designed to develop an awareness and understanding of the basic cornerstones of painting such as drawing, composition, colour and tonal values, critical regardless of which path you eventually follow.
In other news, don’t forget that this is the last week to see the wonderful Napoleon exhibition at the NGV.
If you are in need of new brushes St Luke art supplies are having a brush sale until October 20.
Painting for Beginners is taking a short break, and there will be no classes for the week beginning Monday August 27, for two weeks. Classes will resume on Monday September 10.
Classes and gift vouchers may still be booked by email. See you all in the Spring!
It has been a busy month with lots of new students braving the winter chill to join our classes! Some students are just finishing, so there are a limited number of places now available in all classes.
One of our former Monday night painters, Gary Anderson, recently had work exhibited in the group show 25% at VCA Student Gallery, where he is currently completing an MCA. Gary’s beautiful and ephemeral installation Untitled Marquettes (transient performative objects) incorporated a mixture of materials including glass, concrete and ice, which slowly melted during the exhibition.
Please note: Painting for Beginners will be taking a short break for the last week of August and the first week of September. The last class this month will be Thursday August 23rd and classes will resume on Monday September 10th.
Image by one of our Monday night painters.
The cold weather certainly hasn’t slowed us down! The Monday night group is currently full but there is still room to join our Tuesday morning (almost full) or Thursday evening group.
If you are interested in joining one of our classes at a later stage you may put your name down on the waiting list for notification as places become available. Places become available regularly, and class sizes are kept to a maximum of ten.
Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook if you would like to see what the class has been up to lately!
