A workshop to start the New Year

The long summer holidays in Australia are a great way to enjoy the wonderful climate so nothing much happens until after Australia Day. I decided to get things going a little earlier in 2017 by having a One Day workshop on Friday 20^th January. 

There are a couple of free spaces available.

We'll be looking at a theme that's been around since Jacobo Barbaro painted Still Life with Partridge and Iron Glove in 1504. We'll have a brief look at historical examples and then how contemporary Still Life differs from its predecessors.

Still life Workshop

Hamilton Road Studio

9.00 am to 2.30 pm - Fee $75.00

A light Lunch will be provided. 

Coffee can be ordered from Deja Bru Cafe`

Please advise any dietary requirements in advance.

*Brief Historical background

*Composition

*Setting up the objects

*Lighting

*Colour & Value

Three similar still life stations will be set up so you can draw and paint from life. 

Two artists to each station; work in either acrylic or oil. 

Please note that no materials will be provided. 

A list of suggested materials will be provided on registration.

Limited to 6 artists

If you would like to enrol please contact Carol – carolbeckx@bigpond.com

Rebooting

Holidays are great. It's good to slow down; to take time to relax with family and friends; to read a new book and to enjoy seasonal celebration meals. All too soon however life forces one back to reality. 

I love the start of a new year. I love to make plans. I love to think of all the things that will enrich the coming months. I love planning a new body of work.

But planning is good only when the ideas flow and the ideas are plentiful. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes the ideas just don't come and you battle to think of what you want to paint. 

Tuesday morning was such a time. I fiddled around with little success. I couldn't think of a coherent direction or theme. I started to feel down. Then I realized that just as a computer sometimes needs to be shut down and re-started, I would have to reboot my creativity.

I started to trawl through the many photographs taken during the past year.  Here and there I found a promising image, then another and another. Gradually I began to find a theme.

Whew!

I began to make a collage of three photos - screenshots of a recent video - then I knew what I wanted to do. In fact, I now had ideas for three paintings just waiting to be created. 

The paintings are in my head for now. Hopefully in the weeks to come I can make my thoughts into reality. 

This is a snippet of one of the images that got me going...

How do you get your creativity going after a break? I'd love to hear your solutions.