We have been asked for a long time now, when will we be holding art classes during the day?!
Well, we are excited to announce we will be running two new Drawing and Painting (Studio Art) classes during Tuesday and Friday mornings from 2017! Finally, we hear you say!
Artist Marco Corsini will be presenting these daytime art classes and they will run the same way as our popular evening Studio Art Class (don’t worry, he will still be taking our Tuesday night class)!
Vicki Mullina, oil on canvas, 2016, Studio Art Class
Marco’s Studio Art Classes are our longest-running and are the foundation of Melbourne Art Class. We welcome people from all creative backgrounds, skill levels – anyone who needs a space to be creative, become inspired, acquire specific skills, continue an artistic project – the list goes on. The unique element about this class is that we limit enrolments to only ten students, so Marco is able to provide critical feedback, drawing and painting tuition or just help you get your idea out of your head and onto the canvas.
To get to know Marco’s classes a little better, you can read about his Tuesday evening class here.
Our classes are held at Enderby Studio, 314 Church Street, Richmond.
Daytime Art Course Dates
Term 1 Tuesday mornings: Feb 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, Mar 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th (8 sessions)
If you have any questions about our new daytime art classes, please don’t hesitate to email Lauren at hub@melbourneartclass.com! We look forward to helping you add some creativity to your week!
This first half of Hilmi’s Painting Class for Term Two focused on one composition with different Still Life objects, and we are so proud of the works they produced.
The class is focusing on oil painting techniques, with students encouraged to develop an understanding and technical proficiency in painting using a classical approach modified for contemporary use; using some of the elements of Flemish Painting technique a faster contemporary, approach. You can see their incredible progress here. The first image is the underpainting, and the second is their final work.
Jane, oil on cavnasJane, oil on canvasJill, oil on canvasJill, oil on canvasMegan, oil on canvasMegan, oil on cavasRobyn, oil on canvasRobyn, oil on canvasVivian, oil on canvasVivian, oil on canvasDavid, oil on canvasDavid, oil on canvasIvana, oil on canvasIvana, oil on canvasIlma, oil on canvasIlma, oil on cavnasAnh, oil on canvasAnh, oil on cavnas
During the second half of the term they are working on painting a Life Model – we are looking forward to seeing what our talented students produce!
We recently held an Abstract Painting Workshop with Irene over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Students followed a process which took them from creating a collage from coloured paper and some found magazine images to the undertaking of an abstract or semi-abstract painting in oils or acrylics.
Painting from collage allowed the students to experience the entire process of making an artwork, even when there has been difficulty in starting an artwork before. During the course, the students learnt about the elements and principles of design; conceptual elements; tone, colour, composition and narrative; and how to unearth deeper and more meaningful aspects of an abstract piece.
You can see Karin’s process below:
Karin, paper collageKarin, oil on canvas
And here are some other final pieces from the workshop:
Ariel, oil on canvasMatthew, acrylic on canvasChristina, oil on canvas
We would like to thank these students for sharing their incredible work! If you are interested in a painting course at MAC, we are currently offering general courses in oils and acrylics. You can also explore abstraction (or anything you like!) in our Studio Art Course on Tuesday nights.
Hilmi’s Painting Class for Term One focused on one composition with different Still Life objects. Students could choose what would feature in their work, including shiny porcelain vases, old books, pottery and painted wine bottles. They were also challenged with a backdrop of creased sheets.
The class focused on oil painting techniques and students were encouraged to develop drawing skills, conceptual understanding and technical proficiency in painting using a classical approach modified for contemporary use. Hilmi used some of the elements of Flemish Painting technique, which he has previously taught in a three-day workshop, with a faster contemporary, approach.
We are very proud of what our students have achieved! Below are their works in progress – we hope you enjoy them!
Enrolments are now open for Term Two Painting and we welcome people of all skills levels. You do not have to have attended Term One to join us – Hilmi will help you wherever you are on your artistic journey! You can enrol and find out more via our course page: https://artclassmelbourne.com/painting-with-hilmi-baskurt/
Gnarly eucalyptus trees often seen on a well-travelled stretch of road near the town Buangor, in country Victoria, was the starting point for Tim McMonagle’s latest exhibition. Buangor is a collection of five oil-on-linen paintings, painted on McMonagle’s preferred square format.
Tim McMonagle, ‘The Admiral’ 2016, oil on linen, 124.5 x 124.5 cm
Each painting consists of one tree in a uniquely contorted form with hints of vitality depicted in the occasional sprouting green leaf. The colours are mostly muted browns, pale blues and greys, mustardy yellows and olive greens. McMonagle added intricate details to his mesmerising trees; hints of vibrant oranges and yellows and texture with brushstrokes and thick paint. An energy is also present, particularly in Pull the Cup2016.
To paint the twisted, mythical old trees, McMonagle relied heavily on his imagination, but also on a soundtrack to get him into the painting process. “It’s the music that got me into the right head space,” he says. “I put this on everyday I painted.” He is talking about the album, At Action Park by Shellac, an album that’s been described as rock, post-hardcore and punk. The influence of the music is evident in the dynamic and somber elements of the paintings. To expand on this, McMonagle borrowed song titles to name his paintings.
Leaving MAC to come to Japan had left a hole in me, so I began searching for an art school as soon as I arrived here, mid-2015. It was surprisingly difficult to find one in Nagoya (a city known for industry more than arts), however I found a tiny Sumi-e class (Japanese ink painting) at an English school my partner attends. By tiny I mean, most sessions it is just myself and my teacher, Tatsuo-sensei. And my limited Japanese “art” vocab makes each lesson pretty interesting (my Japanese is OK; I can now order food and know what I will be getting, though they don’t teach you specialist vocabulary in the first two semesters of basic Japanese…).
Each class we fumble through explanations of the intricacies of Sumi-e in Japanese (me with a blank face and my sensei nervously laughing), though I don’t really mind it, because he is teaching me technique through body language. I watch the fluid way he controls his brush (it really does appear to be an extension of his body) and try and emulate each stroke… again and again and again. And I have learnt that when Sumi-e was introduced to Japan from China in the thirteenth century, it began to connect strongly with Zen Buddhism. The practice of me watching my sensei’s brushstrokes – being completely in the moment, every brush stroke is a moment in time and any mistake cannot be undone, it just is – I believe is touching on these ideas. Monks used to learn Sumi-e by copying their Masters’ works, and this is how I am learning now.
Sumi-e in Japan developed a new course after it was introduced. Masters said that the will is at the tip of your brush; your mind and brush become one. It is believed that many Sumi-e masters were painting the landscapes of their mind. By this I mean that the essence of Sumi-e painting is to not just paint a tree – it is to paint more than a tree. It is to capture the essence of the tree and a spiritual force within the painting. I love how you can “feel” Tensho Shubun’s painting below. A lot of people have made parallels between Sumi-e and Impressionism in this way.
Landscape of the Four Seasons, Tensho Shubun, early 15th century
I also love the parallel drawn between a Sumi-e artist and a Samurai: “Throughout its long and venerable history, Sumi-e has been held in high esteem and became a powerful way to inculcate the values of Bushido, the Samurai Code of Conduct. For the swordsman, composure on the brink of battle had its artistic parallel in the calm and tranquillity essential before the fearless release of a brush stroke. Embodying the honourable ancient warrior codes, Sumi-e was a metaphor for the ephemeral world of the courageous Samurai swordsman. Today, becoming a Master Sumi-e artist requires the same investment of effort and time in rigorous training and discipline.” http://www.drue.net/sumi-e-history.htm
In my class, Tatsuo-sensei introduced me to the first and third of the Four Gentlemen – bamboo (summer) and Plum Blossom (winter). The other two Gentlemen are Chrysanthemum (autumn) and Orchid (spring). These four exercises contain the different brushstrokes a student needs to learn before they can paint the “landscape in their mind”. The bamboo was my very first Sumi-e painting and within the first few trials I could see how focused you had to be (with an empty mind – still trying to do that) and how once the brush touches the paper, there was no going back. It is not like oil painting where you can easily fix mistakes.
Lauren Ottaway, ink on board, August 2015
Below are the plum blossoms I am working on at the moment. The way the Japanese celebrate nature and the four seasons is really something to behold; last week I went to an ume matsuri (plum blossom festival) in Tokyo. We hired a straw mat for 100 yen and ate fried noodles beneath the plum blossom trees with all the other Japanese families. And this is what they do throughout winter when the ume trees bloom, all through cherry blossom season. Most parks have flowering trees at the moment, from white blossoms to deep pink hues. This really is a beautiful part of the world.
Lauren Ottaway, ink on rice paper, 2016
Lauren Ottaway, Hanegi Park, Tokyo, Feb 2016
Lauren Ottaway, Hanegi Park, Tokyo, Feb 2016
I have also painted coi:
Lauren Ottaway, ink on rice paper, 2015
And capsicums (which contain, believe it or not, contains only 5 brustrokes):
Lauren Ottaway, ink on rice paper, 2015
I have so much more to learn about this art form and Japan, and I am so grateful to be here; though I feel like if I live here for the rest of my life I will never know the intricacies of either. But I kind of love that idea too (I believe the unknown is good for you).
Marco Corsini’s Studio Art is a term-based course and has tended to be an eclectic fusion of talks and presentations by Marco (about four or five per term), guest speakers (one per term) and studio time.
We have a range of students attending this course; from dedicated, practising artists who have been with us for over three years, high school students supplementing their in-hours art classes, to creative people who just need an outlet.
The skill level is extremely varied as well – students tend to either be beginners who are guided through the fundamentals, or more experienced and ongoing artists who work on their own projects with Marco’s guidance. That’s the beauty of our Studio Art program – you can be the creative individual that you are, in an encouraging, non-judgemental environment, and also receive critical and professional artistic guidance if that is what you seek.
Lauren Ottaway, Red Kitchen, acrylic on canvas, 2015. Completed in Studio Art Class
We have had individuals on a Tuesday, arrive inspired with a new set of stamps and a stamp pad and stamp on huge pieces of paper all night, whilst others work painstakingly at an oil painting they have been focusing on for weeks. And we always have one or two beginners working on exercises set by Marco with his still life arrangement. The mix of people and their combined creativity is truly inspiring.
This class nurtures creativity and expression, and many students also find it an oasis from the “daily grind”. I was part of the class for three years and it was like a breath of fresh air where I was able to access that creative flow where time does not exist. Having this in my busy, corporate week was invaluable.
Marco’s Studio Art class is where I began to take my art practice seriously. Many of the materials are provided for beginners so the program allows a cost effective entry into art practice.
Still Life – a collection of inanimate objects – does not inspire everyone, and after drawing the same curved vase ten times, beginners often want to move on to “more exciting things” like the human figure, portraiture, landscapes, abstract work etc. However, Still Life is an important genre for every artist; through it you explore line, composition, value or tone, space and nearly every type of texture, just to begin with. It can be the foundation of your art practice, or a complete and fascinating subject in itself, plus many of technical problems in painting can be resolved with Still Life practice.
If you study the Masters – both modern and classic, many works are Still Life paintings. In other works, Still Life plays what you think may be a minor roll, but as you begin to study them, you begin to realise how important it is to the painting as a whole. Artists such as Giorgio Morandi dedicated himself to working with Still Life throughout his own life with the enigmatic results still delighting viewers today. Picasso famously commented on the anxiety in Cezanne’s apples being what held his interest in the work.
“It’s not what the artist does that counts, but what he is. Cezanne would never have interested me a bit if he had lived and thought like Jacques-Emile Blanche, even if the apple he painted had been ten times as beautiful. What forces our attention is Cezanne’s anxiety – that’s Cezanne’s lesson.”
Clearly, Still Life can be a extremely powerful genre in the right hands.
Why should you draw and paint Still Life?
Paul Cézanne, “Fruit Bowl, Glass, and Apples” (1879-1882)
Line
Did you begin drawing cylinders and cylinders and more cylinders until they began to resemble cups and vases and wine bottles? Think about all the lines in a Still Life – the fragile petals of a flower; the curve of a lamp in front of a hard-edged wooden box. The smooth skin of a dotted pumpkin, with deep grooves all meeting at one point; the tiny crosshatches on a folded piece of hessian on which a delicate teacup sits. This is where you learn how to draw a wealth of lines and render different surfaces and textures. It takes discipline but these skills can then be transferred to Life Drawing and portraiture, or whatever you would like to explore.
Lights and darks
A Still Life composition is where you can truly learn how to render lights and darks; value, also called tone. It is challenging but a place where every beginner should start and every seasoned artist should return. You can explore tonal range in Still Life – from the crisp white folds in a cloth to the deep, dark shadows cast upon it by a vase – and all the values in between. This is where you really learn how to “see”. A tip from our teachers is to squint at the subject in front of you – this can help you see the difference between the lights and darks more clearly. When painting Still Life, you quickly learn about colour mixing and how to mix a black (which you find out in our painting classes), and how to handle paint.
Francisco de Zurbarán, Bodegón or Still Life with Pottery Jars (1636)
Composition
In art classes the Still Life is often arranged for you, although you may have the opportunity to choose which part of the composition you want to draw. Drawing and painting Still Life will help you identify how a composition can be modified for a particular effect. You can experiment with different compositions, create focal points and guide the viewer’s eye through compositions.
In Marco’s Tuesday night term-based Studio Art Class, you have the opportunity to work from a different Still Life composition every week. You are free to use any medium you wish, or work on your own projects in the class. You can enrol or find out more here: http://artclassmelbourne.com/enderby-studio-art-program/.
We had a full class for Term 3 Painting and our students produced some incredible work which we are very proud of and would love to share.
Four sessions over the ten weeks were dedicated to painting from one life model, in an ongoing pose. Painting the figure is difficult but a wonderful way to develop as a painter. Marco is able to guide students through the drawing foundations of the painting through to the final techniques. The focus in these session was on establishing fundamental processes for painting in a short time. Marco helped students create fleshy tones, finding the lights and darks, and using colours you wouldn’t normally associate with flesh. He was also aware of the different painting techniques of his students, and made sure his tuition only enhanced their personal style. You can see the different works produced below:
Long-time student Felice has a background in folk art which meant that she has a good mastery of certain brush techniques which have gradually expanded with her recent participation in the course.
Felice, Term 3 Painting, 2015
Megan has been with Melbourne Art Class for a couple of years now and is a prolific oil painter. Megan returned to painting after many years away and has become an extremely effective painter.
Megan, Work in progress, Term 3, 2015
Monika is a Graphic Designer by day but maintains a love for painting and continues to develop her painting technical skills. She has a natural disposition to describing the figure through painting.
This term we have introduced a short painting course – Painting from a Life Model with Marco Corsini. During this seven-week course, students will be encouraged to develop drawing skills, conceptual understanding and technical proficiency in painting.
When: Saturdays, 7th November to December 19th, 9am – 11.30am
Where: Enderby Studio, 314 Church Street, Richmond.
“Marco teaches traditional/proper painting techniques and methods from the basics, taking time to explain all facets of painting. I find the content inspiring and extremely beneficial to my art practice. I trust in Marco’s experience and knowledge and appreciate his very personable style of teaching.”
We had the opportunity of having Jennifer Whiten, an American hyperrealist painter living and working in Melbourne, present for us at our Enderby Studio Art Program class.
Jennifer completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts: Washington University in St. Louis and is currently undertaking a Master of Contemporary Art: Victorian College of the Arts.
Much of her recent work has used images of young girls in otherwise ubiquitous everyday situations such as cooking in the kitchen or dressed up in fancy dresses, common day stuff apart from that their faces are dominated by these massive mouths that obliterate all facial features. Jennifer described how each of these mouths form the shape of the first letter of a word and therefore carry hidden meaning which perhaps someone will unlock. The girls are all communication, and chatter, perhaps as they discover their everyday world and the language that represents and negotiates it.
Large areas of the works are left in flat ‘pop’ colour, negating the overall illusion of space and representation. These areas sometimes go as far as to suggest absence or a hole. These areas not only break up the cohesion of representation but suggest a sense of something beyond, another dimension perhaps. This other plane contrasts with the everyday banter of materiality which otherwise pervades the images. As she expressed an interest in the theory of the 4th dimension during her talk, perhaps Jennifer is looking beyond the limitations of a commonplace material existence and the limitations of how that existence is described.
Jennifer discussed her work, her technique and her position as a hyperrealist painter undertaking her Masters degree at Victoria College of the Arts. She spoke about finding her way through the current dominant visual arts culture which in Australian institutions heavily emphasises new media, installation and conceptual art. Jennifer spoke of the legacy of Modernism which reacted against the history of representation in art and that this reaction persists against the style of work she practices. Despite these difficulties, following a successful recent exhibition Jennifer has noticed a more open attitude to her work.
Jennifer has spent much of this year painting on glass and perspex rather than the previous wood panels and when I visited her a few weeks ago, she had a large panel of thick perspex suspended from her studio roof, upon which she was painting a life-size self portrait as Ophelia. It is an impressive piece of work requiring a wet on wet technique whereby the highlights are pushed through the existing wet paint. Jennifer prefers to work on areas of the painting wet and will sometimes work for days without stopping, to achieve this. I will post about this work as soon as it is finished.
