Umbrella Studio - Townsville
It's not even 10am on a Sunday that the gallery is buzzing with visitors. Angela, the Gallery and Media Coordinator is (gracefully) rushing around, helping me to install and looking after the participants.
The workshop space would make any artist very jealous with its large space, its own kitchen area and access to an outside patio. Three press are waiting for the creative minds to take hold of them. We are setting up next to them on two large tables, today is a book out day.
The general enthusiasm and positiveness is filling the air and the brushes with wonders. Until 4pm on the dot, participants ink, gold or paste their creations. The result is varied and as always, surprising!
Ink at Townsville Art Society
Townsville has a vibrant art scene with renowned street artists who have been commissioned 'to do their thing'. Interestingly, seeing a lot of black and white murals felt like a good sign from the stars for the workshop I was about to run the next day.
Working with Townsville Art Society was a bliss. Today's practice was experimental, gut driven and fun! I even got to speak a little French which felt extra special.
The participants were fearless (or so it seemed!) and jumped in each experimentation with so much freedom, it was very refreshing.
Thank you Sonia and Debbie for making this happen!
Contemporary ink at Byron School of Arts
The Byron School of Arts focus on contemporary arts and teaches the students processes, concepts as well as mastering various media.
On offer are short courses, long courses, weekend workshops (like the one I ran), art residency and much more. Visit their website for more information or pop in to talk to Jo Petrou who runs this wonderfully creative space.
It is very well ressourced with an art library, two large workshop areas and an exhibition space.
As always, this weekend workshop was action and tips packed. Thanks to the large space we were working in, the participants also got to experiment on large formats and it was very refreshing to get more physically involved with the ink.
Ink magic at the Blue Knob Hall Gallery
Today was "magink" at the Blue Knob Hall.
On Saturday, they have a farmers market and the cafe serves non stop coffee and homemade delicious food. There's a spacious, well lighted gallery that holds solo and group shows. It looks very professional and warm. Opposite, there's a shop area with local craft such as ceramics, illustrations on postcards and textiles.
Everyone knows each other and call you by your name. It is friendly, respectful and I felt immediatly at ease. It reflected on the workshop I believe and the level of creativity only exceeded the participants concentration and magic artworks.
This was truly another great workshop on the Gold Coast!
Morning ink workshop with
Tweed Unlimited Arts
Today's workshop was held at Tweed Head. Everyone arrived early and was set up even before I dropped my bag!
I squeezed in as many tips and techniques as possible which just allowed us to make one A3 ink painting. Here are just a few snaps of what was created, though there was much more waiting to dry!
A big thank you to Bob the president and to Wendy the secretary for organising things so smoothly. I had a wonderful time.
Ink at Woolgoolga
I must admit, I am very impressed by Woolgoolga Art Gallery. It is all disable access, has a a painting AND a ceramic room, next to the gallery is a shop and a reception desk, on the side the bathrooms and the kitchen has been newly refurbished. It is all run by volonteers and the level of positive energy in this building is spectacular.
The participants of the workshop were all over it, and it was heart warming to see so much enthiusiasm. There were many waos when looking at each others' work. What a great way to end the day.
Grafton ink workshop
I arrived in Grafton early morning when the river was still smoking with fogg. Historical buildings were standing quietly on each side of the two main roads of the city centre. It was not long before people starting going about on their daily chore.
Rhondella, the organiser of the workshop, welcomed me at the art centre where the tables were all set up with water pots already on the table.
We had a lovely morning, full of creativity and chatting. The art centre is running art classes every day and have the luxury of life model on Friday evening. If you live in the area, it is a must!
Abstract Ink with the Coffs Harbour Creative Art Group
The CHCAG workshop lasted a full day. From calligrapher to watercolour artist, young creative mother and fibre artist, the group of participants were amazing!
I was particularly impressed by the variety of experimentations. It was rich and fearless. A great day indeed.
Bellingen Sustainability Centre
The Bellingen Abstract Ink Workshop lasted for a whole day and it was just enough to fit everything in!
If you have never been to Bellingen before, I highly recommend it. The town stands by the river, it is human size and beautiful. Its people are warm and creatives... a perfect set up for ink painting!
Inktastik workshop with Hastings Valley Fine Art Association
A huge thank you to Jan and Terri of the Hastings Valley Fine Art Association, for helping organising this ink workshop.
It is the first one I run as part of my research trip around Australia and I could not have hoped for a better place to start. The participants were many, all sharing great passion for the arts.
Above is a short video showing what we did in only 3 hours.