April 2026 - Marilyn (Maz) Creery
Maz loves nature and connection.  She is a Kiwi living on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia,
where everyone calls her Maz.
By profession, she is a graphic designer, but at heart, she's an artist.
You’ll often find her outside painting local landmarks, capturing their essence through bold, gestural marks.
Maz gravitates toward immediate, expressive mediums like inks, acrylic, markers, pastels, and pencils on paper.   Her work emerges with a raw energy and spontaneity, sometimes
even flecked with sand and bugs!
Creativity fuels her soul, and she's happier for it.

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May 2026 Demonstrator Sam Blanks - Cyano Types & Quilling
Sam is a Central Coast artist who has completed a Bachelor of Natural History Illustration with Honours at University of Newcastle. Sam favours carbon dust, pen and ink, pencil, digital illustration, acrylic inks, and alternative photography techniques.
Sam’s work has been shown locally and regionally, including Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Gosford Regional Art Gallery, Ruby Samadhi Gallery, Royal Easter Show and in exhibitions with both Central Coast and Tuggerah Lakes Art Society, and Wildlife and Botanical Artists, Inc.
Sam’s passion is nature but her obsession is paleontology and she also enjoys entomology and botany. The intricate detail of each piece is reflective of the hours of research put in by the artist.
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June 2026 - Denise Lombard - Medium of Your Choice - Understanding the Colour Wheel
In 2001, for their safety, Denise and her husband moved from South Africa to Australia.  To appreciate their adopted country they decided to explore this vast continent, especially the outback, traversing major areas of their new home.   The diversity, colours, textures, light and mood of the landscape inspired Denise to renew her passion with painting.   Over the years, working as a physiotherapist, wife and mother, she attended many art courses and lately online classes.
Denise has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions and been a finalist in public galleries.  Her creative urges find her in her studio where time does not exist as she creates a work.​  Often challenging and frustrating, it is ultimately satisfying when it all comes together. ​
Denise is now creating a new series, using natural materials to create mixed media and collage work on wood and canvas.  She will be exploring the colour wheel with us at this workshop.

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July 2026 - (TBC)

August 2026 - Hettie Rowley - Pastel Portrait Artist
I work mainly in soft pastel, watercolour, and gouache — each medium brings something different to a painting. Pastel gives rich depth and softness, watercolour has an easy, spontaneous flow, and gouache sits somewhere in between with its beautiful matte surface.Every portrait starts with a strong photo reference, but it never stays a copy for long.
 
Once I begin painting, I focus on light, tone, and presence — the things that make a face, or a gesture, feel real. I want the work to hold attention quietly, not shout for it.My portraits aren’t about perfection; they’re about character. I look for the honest, natural expression that tells you who someone is. The result should feel balanced, authentic, and alive — something that feels right every time you look at it.

Each piece is built carefully in layers, using professional artist materials made to last. I take time with every stage, from sketch to finish, so what you receive isn’t just a likeness, but a painting with its own quiet life.

If you’re thinking about commissioning a portrait — of a person, a pet, or a moment you’d like to keep — I’ll work with you to create something personal, considered, and made to stand the test of time.
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October 2026 - Tony White - Watercolour
Tony White is a contemporary Hobart painter originally from Newcastle.  He describes himself as a lazy watercolourist, belying the combination of superb drawing and audacious brushwork that he brings to his work.  He is inspired by light.  Even in the most innocuous of scenes, if the light is dramatic and the mood is misty or sharp or rainy, then he is 'in'.  His advice to artists is to immerse yourself totally into your painting. 

Tony's Philosophy:
It is only paper! It is only paint! They are only brushes!
Splash it on with confidence.
Life is too short!

Get Stuck in and have fun and paint, paint paint!