Let your inner artist bloom with Benalla Art Gallery workshops

Benalla Art Gallery Director Eric Nash said the workshops were an opportunity for participants to experiment with various creative mediums, while learning from, and working alongside, professional artists, gaining an insight into their individual creative practices.

“It is no secret that we have an incredible community of artists here in the north-east who are regularly making and presenting work in many of our great spaces,” Mr Nash said.

“Our comprehensive program of workshops is all about supporting a direct experience and a deeper understanding of making and thinking about art, while also piquing the interest of members of the community seeking a new hobby, through an engagement with leading artists.”

Botanical Gardens, drawing and painting with Janet Leith

On Saturday, March 1, join Janet Leith for a day of drawing and painting, exploring the depths of the colour green.

Beginning in the Botanical Gardens, participants will observe and take note of shapes and colours before heading into the gallery studio to start creating.

Janet will guide the drawing session, then teach nuances of colour mixing with acrylic paint, creating instructional swatches of green hues, before developing a botanically inspired painting study.

The workshop runs from 10am to 4pm, with a lunch break from 12.15pm to 1pm and a 15 minute break at 2.30pm.

All materials will be provided.

The cost is $100 for members or $110 for non-members.

Creating with Nature with Felicity Pasztaleniec

Felicity Pasztaleniec (AKA ‘Flick’) from Everlasting Floral Studio will lead a special morning session of Art on Saturdays, exploring arrangements of native flowers and plants.

This is bound to be a memorable experience. Participants will receive their own collection of native flowers to work with, grown and dried by Flick at her Upper Lurg property.

This will coincide with her exhibition in the Gallery Shop, Nature’s Everlastings – a journey through dried flowers.

The workshop will be held from 10am to 11.30am on Saturday, March 15, in the Patricia [Pat] Gardner Studio. All materials will be provided.

The cost is $60 for members or $70 for non-members.

Mapping the Otherworld with Simeon Ayres

On Saturday, March 22, Simeon Ayres will invite participants to immerse themselves in his approach to creative map making, beginning in his exhibition in the Simpson Gallery.

This will be followed by a walk through the gallery surroundings, ending up in the studio to translate the experience to watercolour paper, paints and fine waterproof pens.

Simeon said this would be a workshop about finding our place in the world, and what matters to us.

“I’m not so interested in roads and houses and man-made structures,” he said.

“I’m interested in the other world, of watersheds and blue mountain ranges, weather patterns, animal paths, bird migrations and where the first green shots of spring appear.”

For the workshop, no experience is necessary, just a willingness to feel your animal body and its place in the world, and to dive into the imaginal realm.

Simeon’s Mapping the Otherworld workshop will be held from 10am-3pm with all materials provided.

The cost is $80 for members or $90 for non-members.

Booking is essential for all three workshops. Reserve your place via benallaartgallery.com.au/learn