Watercolour Botanical Painting Workshop Event – Brisbane
I was fortunate to spend time in fabulous Brisbane City this week, passing on my knowledge and love of all things watercolour and botanical painting once again with a really fantastic group of new students in my most recent painting workshop… my last national event for 2018 already can you believe it? I definitely can’t!
Although I am actually, technically a Queenslander myself, it is quite some years since I found myself in the heart of Brisbane city, and I have to say that I just really loved it a lot. Warmer weather thawing my bones, pawpaw trees, trunks laden with fruit, beautiful trees, clear skies, vibrant city feels, good coffee, friendly people, a lightness and sense of fun in the air in general, a really fabulous studio space to work in, and a little time spent with my baby girl between it all made me not want to leave at all in all honesty.
Hosted by the beautiful people of Brisbane Painting Classes, we spent 3 days learning about and applying my painting methods and approaches to a lilac delphinium study and a tiny bumblebee illustration, so often and beautifully a complementary element to botanical illustration. Its not easy work, but with the right loves and a little perseverance, anything is possible!
My little apartment room, perched high above the world below was my temporary home for my stay, watching the Brisbane sun setting orange and indigo over the horizon from my room, a sprinkling of stars switching daylight to clear night skies, the birds circling in the floodlights of the sports stadium beside my room as if they were on stage at the close of each day. Early morning coffee at the local roasters factory cafes, fast paced indecisive yet enthusiastic walks along the riverbanks sweeping beneath poincianas out of flower… my mind seeing them only in full bloom of course. Ice-cream and a dose of bubbles to replace lost calories as we skip across town ducking in and out of art exhibitions and buzzing bars, as cultural as Melbourne only warmer! Catching up with friends, settled into cozy floor rugs and scatter cushions overlooking the river, a glass of good red and amazing food, conversations with beautiful hearts and minds until sleep and the final new painting day found me. It was all a delight.
My students were so great to work with, their attitudes and spirits so open, enthusiastic and positive, allowing me to really dig into this craft in depth with them and create a wonderful painting workshop experience together. Progress often comes packaged in varying descriptions of uncertainty, the greatest difference between success and failure being no more than a willingness to learn and a little perseverance. Its a wonderful thing as a tutor to see people grow, even in such a short space of time. Their determination paid off too, not only producing beautiful botanical studies as a result, but learning so much along the way as well. For me real teaching is never as simple as the painting at hand, it is about passing on real knowledge and strategy, thought processes and new perspectives that put people on a path to working independently.
Alas, all things come to an end and I caught the late flight home to Sydney, and an even later train back to my home, the chill of a Sydney winter keeping me awake all the way. Home again to my cozy studio and the calling of my flamingos waiting patiently to emerge from my canvas… its not such a terrible decline at all really 🙂 The good news is that Ill be back in 2019 Brisbane, so stay tuned for any updates or announcements on this on my blog post ‘Workshop opportunities for 2019’ and Ill see you there!
Thank you to my fabulous hosts Yasmin and Marcel, and to you all for a really wonderful week!