Landscape Painting Workshop: Forest Bathing

Come up to the Dandenongs to immerse yourself in the rainforest and then paint your own experience in this Forest Bathing painting session.

Guided by local fauvist artist Jacqui Christians you will create works influenced by her recent exhibition, 'Forest Bathing', and you will journey into her approach to freeing you up your approach to painting.

You will begin with an artist intro, a preview of her body of work, an outline of the day and time schedule for each process and then start the session with a ten-minute walk into the local ferny forest. Finding a place in nature to inform your work is a great mindfulness step to begin your day.

There will be lots of time to experiment and explore new techniques as demonstrated.
We work primarily with Acrylic paint on canvas, and some posca pens and pencil.
The days flows firstly with demonstrations of process to make wet on wet backgrounds on your canvas, finding and feeling your own harmonious colour palette. Then we practicing making marks in unique ways to represent foliage and trees. A final quick compositions drawing exercise for contouring a figure in a posture for placing into your landscape.
Over the last 2-3 hours you will combine all these approaches into your own personal painting.

A smaller group allows us to connect with our practice and meet others. You will have lots of time to focus on your work and finalise your piece in 5 hours. This informal approach guides you to find your own style and confidence in painting with less head and more feeling in your work.

There is no formal lunch break, so bring your own food to graze as we work. Amenities are here including kettle and microwave and good coffee shops in the village, just steps away if you need to get lunch.

Bring layered clothing suited to cooler or hot weather, as the workshop space is on our light-filled enclosed verandah. You can breathe fresh air, hear local birdlife, and enjoy daylight to work in. It is heated and sheltered but we do close space for June and July in the frostier months. Wear good enclosed footwear for our little forest walk.

• Take a brief walk into this natural world to use as a reference point for your work.
• Jacqui will then step you through fun ways to apply backgrounds, choose a colour palette, experiment with stencils and mark making to create a landscape, and contour a figure. You will then combine these elements into your painting.
• You will receive a 60x60 canvas or wood board to work on and keep. You will also be provided with acrylic paint, inks, and pens.