Week 1

Monday September 26th

Gnomania- Ceramics

The little people have been part of European culture for a long, long time. Gnome, Goblin, Tomte or Leprechaun, they are all related and can bring good luck to the home. Turn away from mass produced plastic garden gnomes and make your own good luck charm! 

Learn a range of hand building skills to construct your very own gnome out of clay. Glaze it in your preferred colour scheme and then it will be fired in the kiln for a permanent finish. 

A workshop for everyone, Gnome matter what your skill level…               

 

Tuesday September 27th

Spring Sculpture – Recycled Materials Mobile

This workshop invites students to rethink familiar materials and capture a little of spring’s exuberance, in a dynamic mobile sculpture. Drawing inspiration from the work of Glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, and recycled materials sculptor Aurora Robson, students will create a hanging garden, from upcycled and new materials. Flowers, fruits, foliage and seeds can all feature here. Add birds, bees and some of the buzz and movement of the season.

 

Wednesday September 28th

Leather Craft  

Experience using one of the oldest natural, craft materials from around the world in this one day workshop. 

Work with an experienced leather worker to make a small purse and learn some decorative stitching and knots to work into your design. You will use leather crafting tools and learn techniques to cut and join this strong material.

Learn some leather decoration approaches to make your individual mark.

There will also be a chance to make another small craft item such as a bookmark or charm.

 

Thursday September 29th

Plaster Caster Maker – Sculpture    

Drawing upon images of masks from around the world, design your very own original mask. 

This mixed media workshop utilises plaster bandage, cardboard, cutting and assembling, using a range of costume jewellery and found objects.

Most masks have exaggerated features which can make them quite scary to look at. Huge eyes, mouths and teeth. 

You can be part animal or mythical beast.

What features do you want to create to bring your mask to life? 

 

Friday September 30th

Tree Of Life – Painting & Drawing    

Trees are some of the oldest living organisms on the planet. 

They are vital to life on earth and providers of shelter, food, oxygen and power. Cultures from all over the world recognise the importance of trees and their powerful symbolism; representing the cycle of life and the interconnectedness of living systems. 

Take a look at some beautiful tree imagery from across the globe and images of some of the mighty and ancient trees still living today.

Be inspired to draw and paint your own Tree of Life.

We will experiment with inks, paints and different drawing materials, markers and papers to express ourselves using this wonderful symbol.

Week 2

PUBLIC HOLIDAY     Monday October 3rd

Tuesday October 4th

Animal Planters – Ceramics

Build your own one-of-a-kind animal planter! 

Learn and develop hand building coiling techniques to build as large or as small a form you need to create the animal vessel of your choice. Investigate form, surface texture and colour, try different shapes. 

Concentrate on one large piece or construct  a smaller series of planters. Brainstorming and design is part of this process.

Glaze and finish your work with a waterproof glassy surface, all the planters will be fired in a kiln so they can grow plants in them for a very long time.

 

Wednesday October 5th

Self Portraits – Painting & Drawing

Self portraits are an excellent practice for the artist. They force you to have a really good look at the image in front of you- YOU! 

As well as a mirror, in this class we are going to use the aid of a small instant photograph from a Polaroid camera.

A self portrait does not have to be a perfectly rendered version of a photograph, it is an opportunity to explore self expression and include symbols of important things in your life. You can use colour and scale to exaggerate parts of the picture and create impact.

We will take a look at some self portraits by famous artists to get things started.

 

Thursday October 6th

Nesting – Ceramics     

Spend a day playing with clay and using Spring as a theme. We will explore ways to make clay butterflies & insects, flowers, nests and sprouting plants. 

Have fun with garlic crushers and other marking tools to make textural and varied surfaces.

Learn ceramic techniques to create small birds, animals and other harbingers of the season.

Assemble your collection of clay pieces and paint them with ceramic colourants in preparation for firing in a kiln.

All work will be available to take home at our next Open Day

 

Friday October 7th

Spring Painting     

Hooray Spring is here!

Capture a range of delicious Spring colours and celebrate Canberra’s best season! Students will spend the morning sketching and painting in ‘plein air’ to capture a little of Yarralumla’s deciduous trees bursting into life, then head inside for an afternoon of colour mixing and painting the Spring landscape at their easels. Participants will be able to work with both acrylic and watercolours over  the day and will have time to experiment with a range of approaches.