This immersive workshop will venture into the Japanese Gardens to explore plant shapes, textures, dyes and qualities suitable for printmaking. Using botanical materials, natural sunlight and earthy elements, you will create cyanotypes and eco-prints on paper and fabric which will result in an exciting personal collection of prints – a chance to unleash your creativity with surprising new outcomes.
Anita is a UniSQ graduate, with a Bachelor of Visual Arts. Born and raised in the remote highlands of Tanzania, her passion for art and botanicals was ignited by her fascinating life on a tea and coffee plantation. Taught to draw by her father, Anita has been creating all her life. Now, as a full-time emerging artist, Anita has exhibited at the Toowoomba Regional Gallery and is currently exhibiting work in the Redlands Regional Art Gallery. Her commissioned work can be found interstate and overseas, with her practice venturing into home decor, wallpapers and fabric design.
Bill Powell
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Estimated Materials Cost: $320
Workshop Outline
In this five-day wheel throwing workshop, you will be covering all the techniques for large and controlled throwing that Bill has developed over a forty-five-year production and creative ceramic career. You will explore large form throwing along with joining multiple pieces and exaggerated forms. Bill will deliver his suite of techniques to grow your practise by improving your overall wheel skills. Methods of texturing and stretching the clay will be demonstrated to create new and exciting creative outcomes. The focus over the five days is to achieve better throwing with greater understanding of the process. We will fire what we can but student expectations should remain squarely focussed on improving skills more than producing a body of work. This workshop is not for beginners. If you can handle two kilos or more of clay then this week of throwing will accelerate your abilities for greater success and bigger things.
Bill completed the Fine Arts Diploma at the University of Southern Queensland in 1979, majoring in ceramics. He went on to establish his own studio on the Gold Coast in 1980. Bill is a former President of Ceramic Arts Queensland and currently owns and operates CeramX School of Clay and Glass in Nerang. In the preceding 45 years, Bill has honed his wheel throwing skills as a production potter at numerous Queensland potteries, quickly developing a reputation as a master of the potter’s wheel.
Bill’s recent workshops and residencies in Spain, the United States, New Zealand and France, have seen his reputation grow. Bill specialises in Crystalline Glazes and high fired porcelain, along with textured stoneware and kiln formed glass.
In this class, Helena and Lasse from Deka Design will guide you through the process of restoring and re-upholstering your own upholstered furniture piece. This class is a hands-on, practice- based class that covers knowledge and skills specific to your project so is suitable for all skill levels. As you work on your piece you will learn about important upholstery and restoration topics, including use of hand tools, material selection, traditional and modern furniture construction, timber restoration and finishes, fabric selection, pattern making, cutting and sewing, upholstery processes and sustainability.
Helena and Lasse Kinnunen from Deka Design are master furniture makers working in Australia and Finland. Specialising in the use of upholstery, timber and steel, their furniture pieces draw on traditional craftsmanship processes. They combine beautiful materials and unique handcrafted decorative elements that reflect the colours and textures of the Australian landscape and the timelessness of Finnish design. Alongside their furniture making, they also restore furniture and teach furniture making and restoration so that these essential skills are maintained into the next generation.
Deb Mostert
Level: All
Estimated Materials Cost: $100
Workshop Outline
This course will involve getting into a daily habit of drawing in the context of a sketchbook. With a simple materials kit you can carry everywhere, you will discover that you can be opportunistic about drawing and this can help you make daily creative habits of observation, gratitude and wonder.
We will run through different drawing exercises each day and practise our skills. We will explore the versatility of pen, ink and watercolour as a fast and fun way to record what we observe around us from still life to the figure, on the fly and from life. We will look at mark making and try different types of ink media in soluble and non-soluble, with the addition of quick watercolour washes and glazes. Our subject matter will include found objects, live models and field trips outside.
Deb’s art practice is 30 years young and involves drawing, painting, small sculpture and public art. Interested in objects and collections in both social and natural history, her artworks use gentle, offbeat narratives and a crisp aesthetic pointing to beauty, truth and grace.
Deb lives and works in a home studio on the Ipswich/ Brisbane border. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from the Queensland College of Art, has had over 17 solo shows and been involved in more than 60 group shows in both regional and commercial galleries. Deb has over 15 years’ teaching experience and runs workshops and artist in residencies.
Annette Raff
Level: All
Estimated Materials Cost: $200
Workshop Outline
Watercolour can be most captivating when we allow it some freedom. In this workshop, you will be encouraged to utilise the watercolour medium’s unique unpredictability, encouraging pigments and water to flow in unexpected ways, creating excitement and vibrancy. You will observe Annette’s comprehensive demonstrations and be given time to practice and experiment. Annette will share her extensive knowledge of watercolour techniques, including colour mixing, brush control and wash applications. Annette will inspire you to see new possibilities and interpret everyday subjects using vibrant colour and dynamic compositions. Each day you will be introduced to a new painting approach and subject.
Annette Raff has an extensive knowledge of art and design fundamentals and is skilled in drawing and watercolour painting. Annette is a sought-after teacher, having taught at TAFE, Artist Network University, Royal Qld Art Society, Bienarté Art School, and regional art workshops. Annette enjoys exploring new ways with drawing, water mediums, printing, digital art and mixed media, and loves to experiment with unconventional surfaces, and using watercolour in non-traditional ways. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art and Advanced Certificate in Art and Design.
