Adult Courses

Artists such as Bonnard and Matisse stepped away from mimicking nature instead painting a personal view of landscape. Their colours expressed how landscape felt to them rather than how it appeared to the world. In this course Juliet will lead you along pathways of colour, through exercises and explorations into the approach of those masters, so that you too can express your own vision of the known. She will teach you how to break from your habitual palette into new ways of using colour whilst experimenting with brave expressive brushstrokes. This will be exciting and lots of hard work!

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $30 materials *some experience

Juliet Holmes à Court’s work is quickly recognised due to her ability to capture light.  Over the years, her fascination with light has become integral in her paintings and it is often likened to Turner yet with the colours of Lloyd Rees, leading to many highly successful solo exhibitions. A winner in the Waverly Art Prize, Juliet has also been a finalist is several other significant prizes and is a passionate and energetic teacher.

A practical search for solutions in the ‘Still Life’ genre with an emphasis on composition, tone and colour decisions to finely detailed finished work with a respect for individual style.Working in acrylics, we use seasonal fruit, foliage, vegetables, china and linen as props. Learn to make big decisions about small things! The process is both meditative and exhausting. 

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $40 materials 

Charlotte Thodey has exhibited her work for over 25 years. She has produced a number of posters for the Botanic Gardens and Historic Houses Trust and illustrated many books. Charlotte regularly teaches at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney and exhibits her work in Australia and France.

Learn to draw and paint portraits with multi award-winning portrait artist, Rachel Milne. Start your week sketching head and shoulders using inspiration from images, posing fellow students and your tutor. Create structural drawings and employ caricature by capturing asymmetry and irregularities in people’s faces. Rachel will guide you in exercises of tone, using a limited colour palette to produce drama and in elements of visual language such as lost line. Explore colour, colour mixing and study the specific colour changes of the face itself. Conclude the week by combining exercises of past days with posing life models to produce your final painting.

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $60 materials

Rachel Milne studied at Cardiff University UK and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Fine Art Painting in 2000. Before leaving the UK Milne exhibited regularly at the Royal West of England Academy. Rachel was awarded the Singleton Portrait Prize in 213 and received highly commended in the Newcastle Emerging Artist Awards. She was twice a finalist in the Wynne Prize. Rachel is represented by King Street Gallery, Sydney. www.rachelmilneartist.com

Immerse yourself in a week of watercolour painting, developing your  experience and confidence in this classic, versatile medium.  Be prepared to be bold, make mistakes and persevere with repeated practice and experimentation, to gain new understanding and skill. Learn the essentials of composition, contour drawing and to look critically to ‘find’ your picture in the landscape. Explore the power of grey tones and how to use complementary colours. Discover techniques to master perspective and most importantly, learn to break the rules and paint with freedom and emotion!

Level: Beginners-Intermediate | Cost: $785 + $10 materials

John Haycraft initially trained as a perspective artist and over the years developed his interest in watercolour as a medium for expressive painting, particularly well adapted for plein-air.  An experienced teacher, John is grounded in sound technical knowledge, encouraging his students to look for the mood and atmosphere in a painting.  Beyond his extensive teaching, John is the author of 3 books as well as a regular exhibitor and award winner.  John is represented by Maunsell Wickes at Barry Stern Gallery in Paddington.

Learn to paint quick, expressive watercolours with fewer brush strokes. Choosing one focal point of interest, learn to apply a decisive  brush stroke and move on. Work with large brushes, adding shape against shape, stroke by stroke, leaving large areas of paper untouched. You will create atmosphere using a limited palette, simplify shapes avoiding too much detail, regardless of complexity of subject. Learn to make basic pencil sketches, then progress to paint directly with brush to produce artwork that is fresh and spontaneous.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $20 materials  *some experience

Tony Belobrajdic studied architecture and engineering in Croatia, before moving to New York, where he painted and exhibited. Tony has lived in Sydney since 1988, working as a freelance artist and illustrator in watercolour and other water-based mediums. He travels and paints overseas frequently in between conducting workshops. Upcoming workshops include New York and Bergamo, Italy.  Tony’s work has been published in many books and magazines.

This workshop will explore glazes, in particular glaze on glaze application. You will use exercises and experimentation to reveal how glazes respond and work together. Application through dipping, pouring, spraying, painting, wax resist and latex resist of the glazes will be used to develop the surface colours and finishes. Firing will be at stoneware temperature majority under reduction conditions. Students will also make thrown work to glaze.

Level: Intermediate - Advanced | Cost: $860 + $50 materials

Greg Daly, internationally renowned ceramic artist, has had a passionate interest in glazes spanning over 40 years.  Greg’s work is represented in numerous national and international galleries, including the NGA and Victoria & Albert Museum, London.  With over 100 solo exhibitions behind him, Greg has won many national and international awards and is the author of two books on glazes.  

In this workshop you will be guided through the process of idea generation using the human form and the natural world as inspiration. Using hand building techniques you will learn to create a figurative form (head and shoulders) using BRT clay. Additionally, you will explore techniques of making botanical elements using porcelain clay. These elements can be incorporated with the figure as decorative elements or used for another purpose. Allowing for one firing after the course is finished, students will take home a figurative sculpture and botanical forms suitable for placement in the garden or home.

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $65 materials

Helen Earl holds a Master of Visual Arts from Sydney College of the Arts. Helen’s practice combines ceramics with found, existent objects. She forms unique poetic responses to place, shaped by her personal observations of being in a particular environment and supported by cultural, historic and scientific research. Helen was a finalist and her work acquired in the 2019 National Still Life Award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. In 2018, her work was selected for the ADC’s touring exhibition, Clay Intersections. Helen has lectured in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at UTS and taught in Primary and Secondary schools.

Explore different styles of monotype printmaking including colour, multi – plate methods with one of Australia’s most respected printmakers.  You’ll cover the ‘drawn’ or transfer style  monotype, the ‘painterly print’ monotype and the reductive method to produce multi - plate colour work. A mix of printmaking, painting and drawing, multi – plate monotype printmaking is an ideal cross – discipline medium with which to work. During the week of Winter School, you’ll produce a set of 12 unique, individual prints utilising the techniques you’ve learnt throughout the workshop.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $60 materials  *some experience

Tony Ameneiro is an artist-printmaker, working within his drawing practice across the areas of etching, lithography, relief and monotype printmaking. Tony has been the recipient of the National Fremantle Print Award, finalist in the Dobell Drawing Prize three times plus exhibited nationally and internationally. Tony’s work features in major collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW and British Museum.

Learn to compose a figurative theme from your imagination by using various drawing methods, mark making, collage and your own selection of reference materials. Andrew will guide you through a series of drawing exercises, using charcoal and Conte crayons, to awaken you to the potential of drawing as a medium, while exploring and developing conventional and spacial distortion in your image. By the end of week you will create a composition, incorporating structure, movement and tone – and together, providing emotional impact.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $10 materials  *some experience

Andrew Antoniou has been teaching drawing from the imagination for over 30 years, though out many institutions in Australia including the ANU and National Art School. He has been a finalist in many drawing prizes including the Dobell, Jacarandah, National Works on Paper and the Hutchins. Andrew was the recipient of the Swan Hill Drawing Prize in 2014 and has appeared in many publications. 

‘Weaving new stories’ workshop will focus on creating concepts and developing narratives for weavings that are contemporary, innovative and relevant to the weaver. Woven stories can reference your experiences, surroundings, place or time; your community, cultural or environment – all can provide ideas for materials, scale, colour, texture, pattern and structure. Woven outcomes can be functional or non-functional, cloth, installations or purely experimental. The workshop will involve discussions, defining your story, designing, selecting materials and weaving. Weave structures could be plain weave, twills, double weave, patterned or any variation that is appropriate for your own, new woven story.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $10 materials + loom hire (if required)  *some experience  

Liz Williamson has been weaving since the late 1970s with innovative and diverse outcomes: designing for industry, weaving for exhibitions, commissions and production in her Sydney studio, teaching nationally and internationally, curating exhibitions, engaging with artisan groups in India and organising ‘Cultural Textiles’ tours to Gujarat and West Bengal. Liz’s practice was acknowledged in 2008 with a national award exhibition and publication. At the heart of her practice is an interest in innovative, experimental and unusual designs created at the loom. Liz has been an educator since 1991 and is an Associate Professor at UNSW Art & Design, Sydney, Australia.

This introduction to printing on cloth will teach the fundamentals of mixing fabric paints from scratch to develop a full colour palette to extend your textile creativity. These principles will then be used to explore hand painting, block printing, stencilling and screen printing onto fabric. Learn how to transfer designs, carve print blocks and combine with readymade stamps to develop fabric prints for unique gifts, household items and beautiful works of art. No experience necessary, just the willingness to explore and experiment with your ideas.

Level: Beginner-Intermediate | Cost: $785 + $55 materials

Julie Ryder is a textile designer, artist and educator based in Canberra, who has gained international recognition for her work. She has been a practicing textile artist, designer and educator for over 26 years.  She exhibits regularly both nationally and internationally. Her work is represented in many public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Powerhouse Museum and the Art Gallery of South Australia..

In this workshop you will botanically dye and stitch a beautiful heirloom quilt in a week! Learn to extract colour from the landscape, using plants to dye fabric and threads. Through improvisation, learn to design your own patterns with colour and stitching, to create a finished quilt to hang on your wall or warm your body. Explore mindfulness, gain creative confidence and push creative boundaries as you delve into the power of making, mending, stitching and connecting with cloth.

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $120 materials + pay tutor for batting (if required)

Ellie Beck is a textile artist, writer and creative teacher. Her many exhibitions share her works inspired by nature, mapping landscapes, memories and self. Ellie works with natural plant dyes, sourced from her garden or surrounding environment, dyeing her materials and yarns before stitching sewing, weaving them. While loom weaving, mindful slow hand-stitching and improv (‘fear-less’) quilting are her favourite, Ellie doesn’t limit herself but allows curiosity to guide her along a journey of process-led creative work. Ellie writes for magazines and online. She published her first book “Mindful Thoughts for Makers” in 2019 and  is currently working on her next, while teaching and sharing her slow creative lifestyle through social media. 

Reassess what you imagine a basket to be and consider it through the lens of nature; explore traditional basketry from a sculptural perspective. This workshop is more than learning techniques, it’s an opportunity to relate to nature, revisit your stories and delve into powerful creativity that is ready to surface. Using freshly foraged and harvested natural fibres, weave various vessels and sculptural forms. Catriona will guide you through her favourite basketry techniques including: random weaving, twining, Neolithic twining and looping. and complete a series of woven forms culminating in your own sculpture using the techniques and materials you have explored during the course.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $110 materials  *some experience

Catriona Pollard has had many solo exhibitions and exhibited extensively in selected and group exhibitions. She has been shortlisted in various awards including Emerging Artist of the Year Craft NSW, finalist Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize, Northern Beaches Art Prize, North Sydney Art Prize, Warringah Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, and Little things Art Prize. Catriona teaches a range of basketry workshops in Australia and internationally. theartofweaving.com.au

Gain insight into the techniques, timber knowledge and workshop practices required for wood carving. This course will guide you through the fulfilling process of designing and creating your own relief carving, the only stipulation is ‘a leaf’ must be included within the design. You will learn various practical elements of carving such as hand carving techniques, tool maintenance and sharpening plus safe workshop procedures. Gain theoretical knowledge in timber selection and valuable design skills such as the use and language of form, texture and colour.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $45 materials *some experience

Alby Johnston specialises in creating sculptural forms within his unique furniture designs. He produces commissioned pieces and exhibition works, for national and international audience, that push the boundaries of woodcraft. Alby’s inherent love of natural forms is evident in his work and stems from having completed a degree in ecology. His award winning ‘Rainforest Rocker’, ‘Tricholoma’ nest of tables and ‘Black Forest’ bench seat display concepts inspired by our surrounding environment. www.bayspokestudio.com

Explore Japanese joinery and design and make a ‘Chigiri’ serving plate or fruit bowl. Chigiri means butterfly joint but also refers to strong connection when given as a gift. Chigiri plate symbolises the giver’s personal ties to the receiver. Designed by Yamaguchi (Koitoya), this beautiful project is constructed from contrasting timber and includes various butterfly joints. The workshop will include an introduction to Hiroshi’s work and the beauty of Japanese art Tsugi-Hagi. Using Japanese tools and joinery techniques using pre-dressed materials, fashion your project into a serving board, fruit bowl or add a frame to create a tray.  

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $120 materials

Hiroshi Yamaguchi began training as a woodworker in 1994 at the Shinrin-Takumi Juku wood school in Japan under master craftsman Osamu Shoji, and for 10 years, Hiroshi taught at the Gifu Academy of Forestry, Science and Culture. In 2012 Hiroshi moved to Canberra and established his studio 'Koitoya' – design, make, teach in 2016. A strong theme running through Hiroshi’s work is connection – connecting people’s needs to design, connecting responsible use of forest materials to design and making, and connecting people to wooden craft making through teaching.

Explore a creative side to wood turning and develop good design practices, combining skills on and off the lathe. On the lathe there will be focus on bowl turning techniques and flowing form, then adventure beyond. Off the lathe, you will work on simple power carving techniques using a rotary tool. It is surprisingly easy and exciting to change the entire feel of your work with a few carved dots and dashes. The goal of this course is to push your creativity, learn to select suitable timber for your  projects and gain confidence in making well designed, unique pieces.

Level: All* | Cost: $785 + $20 materials *some experience

Simon Begg is a professional wood turner, creating for over 10 years. His works are displayed in galleries around Australia, clearly identifiable by the carved embellishments that bring the timber to life and highlights the beauty in the wood. In 2019 Simon became one of the youngest demonstrators at Turnfest, where he taught some of his carving techniques. Simon is passionate about sharing his knowledge as he loves inspiring students to push themselves to try something new.

Tassels have a long and fascinating history in fashion, costume, decoration of animals and the home. Your adventure into tassels begins with an historical introduction and the myriad of techniques used to make them, then continues on to explore the different parts of the tassel and the skills required to make the them: the head, the skirt and the diverse cords and loops from which they hang. You will be guided to construct and cover the head of a tassel then create elements such as knots, pompoms and tufts which can be used to form the skirt. Once assembled, explore techniques for making twisted, braided, knotted and knitted cords and different approaches to connecting the pieces. You will create three tassels based on historic examples from the 17th Century and finally apply the knowledge learned to designing and making a tassel of your own.

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $85 materials

Angharad Rixon is a technical textile historian specialising in lace and passementerie. Her studies in Italy, Switzerland and Spain have led to her exceptional skillset, specialising in off-loom techniques. Angharad lectures in Milan and Florence and consults for museums and universities around the world.  A generous and inspiring teacher, Angharad runs workshops nationally and internationally.

This five-day masterclass will push your smartphone to its limits as a photographic and artistic tool. You will learn how to take better portrait, still life and close-up shots and capture architectural and urban landscapes and outdoor scenery. You will also be introduced to free and low-cost apps for photo retouching, colour adjustment, special effects and image manipulation to get the most from the smartphone camera as a creative device. This course is suitable for IOS and Android phone owners. We do recommend using a smartphone that is no more than four years old to get the most from the course.

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $10 materials + apps (up to $30)

Corinne Podger is a world leader in teaching the use of smartphones for photography and video. She has taught journalists and NGOs in over 16 countries to use smartphones for photography, video production, documentary-making and podcasting. She has lectured on Digital and Mobile Journalism at the University of Melbourne, and is the author of “The Mobile Journalism Manual for Reporters and Newsrooms” (2018). Corinne brings 20 years of experience as a multimedia reporter with the ABC and BBC to her teaching.

Making and meanings aims to spark your creativity and renew revelations of self. Learn novel and unfamiliar methodologies of painting with Chinese ink on rice paper and paper cutting. Enjoy working individually and collectively under the guidance of Dr Tianli Zu. Explore making and meaning about a topic of your own life and the impact on your contemporary practice. Create a deeper understanding of the multilayered relationships between the environment and self, both dynamic and ever-changing. It invites and evokes ideas, imagination and inspiration. The course also seeks to enrich and extend the experience of your own art practice, by learning new skills and ideas.

Level: All | Cost: $785 + $50 materials

Tianli Zu is an award-winning Chinese-Australian multimedia artist. She creates large-scale paper cuts by hand and cinematic animation projections that weave history and the present, using shadow and light in powerful dynamic installations. Her work captures experiences of places and cultures through intuitive and metaphysical means. Tianli employs art to engage and comment on complex social phenomena, culturally, philosophically and psychologically. A practicing artist for over 30 years, Dr Zu lectures and leads workshops at art museums and universities, both nationally and internationally.