An exciting program of arts and crafts workshops is now on sale for the third annual Arts Muster in Huskisson this 23/24 August, including gel-plate printing, pastel drawing, felted sculptures and more.
Arts Muster has released the new program of art and craft workshops for their annual winter weekend, with creative classes starting from $145 for a one-day workshop such as “Stitch Around the World with Margo-Lynne Lee” or $290 for a two-day workshop such as “Pastel Drawing from Nature” with Dr Vanessa Barbay.
Class sizes are kept small so that every student receives plenty of instruction from the tutor, and in most cases, a full materials kit is available so all you need to bring is your apron and your lunch.
Here’s a sample of some of the exciting two-day workshops from the program. These classes are suitable for all skill levels, there’s no prior experience necessary.
Pastel Drawing with Dr Vanessa Barbay
Vanessa is a well-known and much-admired local artist and teacher who has a deep connection to nature and especially the local Jervis Bay area, where she grew up. Vanessa will take a small class on an outdoor excursion through the mangroves behind the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum, where she will encourage you to look for an artistic composition from nature as your inspiration.
Out in the mangroves, students will sketch and photograph the scene that will become their artwork back in the studio classroom, over the two-day workshop.
Vanessa will help you to work with your materials – charcoal and pencil and paper – en plein air. She will show you how to “see” potential naturalist artworks in the environment.
Back in the classroom, Vanessa will continue to guide you with colour theory and techniques to get different effects from your pastels.
Book your spot in Vanessa’s workshop.
Ephemeral Felt Sculptures with Catherine O’Leary
Catherine is a globally celebrated textile and fibre artist who creates awe-inspiring sculptures, wearable art and textiles. She is coming up to Huskisson from country Victoria to run a special 2-day workshop at Arts Muster revealing the secrets of making these other-worldly sculptures from wool.
I have taken several classes with Catherine over the years, and I have always been amazed at the way she can “talk” to the fibres – and they listen and respond by becoming works of art.
Students need no prior experience for this class, because Catherine will expertly guide you through the processes and techniques you need to make your own ephemeral sculptures.
Book your spot in Catherine’s workshop.
Gel-plate Print and Stitch with Barbara Dawson
Back for the third year, Arts Muster is thrilled to offer a small class with local artist Barbara Dawson, renowned for her layered mixed media works and diverse processes.
Barbara is only taking 6 students again this year, to make sure each person has plenty of space to work and lots of personal attention from the tutor.
This year, Barbara’s students will be using cloth as well as paper, to make a variety of prints using a gel-plate monoprinting process.
On Day 2 of this workshop, Barbara will show you many creative ways to turn your prints into more complex – and ‘finished’ – works of art, using stitch, collage, framing and other techniques.
Book your spot in Barbara’s workshop.
Find Your Visual Language with Marg & Anandii
Two of the South Coast’s most generous practising artists have teamed up to create this workshop, Line, Mark, Colour – Your Visual Language. Over two days, Marg and Anandii will introduce some of the key elements in making art, in a relaxed and exciting way that is ideal for a total beginner to experience art-making in a supportive and encouraging environment.
If you are a practising artist or perhaps you wish to refresh your understanding of some important principles, this is also a perfect choice. All materials will be supplied for students, such as paints and brushes, papers, drawing media, scissors and glue.
The tutors will take the class through a flowing sequence of exercises that you can then apply to making mixed media artworks.
Book your spot in Marg & Anandii’s workshop.
Deep Blue Indigo Dyeing with Samantha Tannous
I will be teaching a two-day class in the classic art of indigo dyeing. On the first day, I will teach the class the recipe to make a vat. While we wait for that to ferment, I will demonstrate some simple techniques for manipulating cloth and fibre to create unique patterns and designs.
Students will be able to make designs using two tints of blue plus a “surprise” vat of a different colour will be available as a contrast.
For the more adventurous students, I will help you with more complex manipulations such as folded and clamped and even stitched resist techniques. I will provide all the equipment you need, including resist shapes, clamps and string, thread and needles – just remember to wear old clothes or an apron with good coverage!
I will have a vast array of cloth and paper available so that students can choose what appeals to them most – including scarves, yarns, and papers in a range of natural fibres such as silk, wool, linen, hemp and cotton.
Book your spot in Samantha’s workshop.
For the full program and other events, explore the Arts Muster website or follow on Facebook.
