A full class enjoyed the Joe Bezzina acrylics workshop. Saturday was at the Coach House where Joe gave us some great tips and instruction on how to use mediums, water spray and various types of scrapers to get some interesting effects in our work especially when layers of paint were scraped back to reveal some beautiful colours and textures in the underpaintings. It was quite interesting to see how Joe places colour to highlight and the glazes that he uses to create shade.
Instruction was also given in perspective in the landscape in an abstracted style influenced by Fred Williams. It was good to trial these techniques on the first day which gave us a head start for plein air the following day.
On Sunday we painted en plein air on a property high up on Fountaindale Road, Jamberoo. The weather was good and the scenery pretty stunning with undulating hills and deep valleys to keep us all busily painting in the morning under Joe’s instruction as we painted.
After lunch we painted at another beautiful spot with views to the north. Thanks to Mary- Jane Burke for providing such a great place to set up our easels for the afternoon. I would have to say it was great to learn some different painting techniques and I was happy to learn about glazing in a different way to what I had done in the past. I am sure to apply some of these when developing my own art.
Thanks to Joe Bezzina for coming down from Sydney to conduct the workshop. I hope we will see him return in the future.
– Kathy Karas; photographs from Kathy Karas, Molly Burke and Lea Tucker