Our August workshop with Hettie Rowley was a great success and a truly enjoyable experience for all who attended. Working in pastels, participants were guided through the process of drawing the same reference image, a cute bulldog, and the final results were remarkable. Each artwork reflected the individuality of its creator and their unique interpretations, while still maintaining the shared subject. It was fascinating to see how one image could inspire such a diverse range of styles and personal expression.
Hettie’s approachable teaching style and knowledge made the workshop fun for everyone, including those completely new to working with pastels. She explained the techniques of blending the colours, giving us the confidence to experiment and develop our skills.
The atmosphere throughout the day was one of enthusiasm and we not only left with a delightful piece, but also with new skills and a deeper appreciation for pastel art.
Hettie’s approachable teaching style and knowledge made the workshop fun for everyone, including those completely new to working with pastels. She explained the techniques of blending the colours, giving us the confidence to experiment and develop our skills.
The atmosphere throughout the day was one of enthusiasm and we not only left with a delightful piece, but also with new skills and a deeper appreciation for pastel art.
Supporting People with Disabilities through Creativity
Art Lovers is proud to announce our support of a wonderful community initiative that brings the joy and therapeutic benefits of art to people living with severe disabilities.
One of our dedicated members is working closely with disabled individuals in our local community, providing creative art experiences that encourage self-expression, stimulation and enjoyment. To help support this valuable project, ALM will be collecting used and unwanted art supplies that can be put to good use.
We will be providing a collection box at the back of the room during our demonstrations and workshops. If you have paints, brushes, canvases, paper, pencils, pastels, or any other art materials that you no longer need, you can simply pop them in the box and we will ensure that your donation goes to this worthy cause.
Thank you for helping ALM support our community through the power of art.
Art Lovers is proud to announce our support of a wonderful community initiative that brings the joy and therapeutic benefits of art to people living with severe disabilities.
One of our dedicated members is working closely with disabled individuals in our local community, providing creative art experiences that encourage self-expression, stimulation and enjoyment. To help support this valuable project, ALM will be collecting used and unwanted art supplies that can be put to good use.
We will be providing a collection box at the back of the room during our demonstrations and workshops. If you have paints, brushes, canvases, paper, pencils, pastels, or any other art materials that you no longer need, you can simply pop them in the box and we will ensure that your donation goes to this worthy cause.
Thank you for helping ALM support our community through the power of art.
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Our June Demonstrator was the ALM President, Lynne Lucas. What a treat! Being a technical artist, Lynne began with the basics of sketching out a project in pencil, before putting the brush to paper.
She walked us through the techniques of layering watercolour starting from light to dark. The results were an impressive artwork of a country home in the field with a background of mountains. During the workshop, Lynne took us on a journey through the narrow streets of Italy and explained the importance of choosing scenes that draw the eyes through the artwork to the vista beyond. Thank you Lynne for sharing your experience and wisdom with us! |
November Demonstration and Workshop Update
As 2025 draws to a close, our art demo and workshop finished the year on a high note — full of creativity and laughter! We explored the technique of using simple napkins to decorate a wide range of items and we even broke into song having listened to the Indian version of 'A Sleigh Ride with You'. You must google this if you want to have a laugh while creating your Christmas gifts.
Kathryn DeBoer taught us how to prepare and decorate teapots, bottles, trays, candle holders and all manner of items, turning everyday objects into beautiful and personalised treasures. Preparation is easy, and many materials can be sourced from Op Shops, which provides new life to pre-loved items at a very reasonable cost. With Christmas fast approaching, this was the perfect time to learn how to create handmade gifts for family and friends.
Here’s to another year of creativity, connection and crafting in 2026 for Art Lovers Lake Macquarie!
Kathryn DeBoer taught us how to prepare and decorate teapots, bottles, trays, candle holders and all manner of items, turning everyday objects into beautiful and personalised treasures. Preparation is easy, and many materials can be sourced from Op Shops, which provides new life to pre-loved items at a very reasonable cost. With Christmas fast approaching, this was the perfect time to learn how to create handmade gifts for family and friends.
Here’s to another year of creativity, connection and crafting in 2026 for Art Lovers Lake Macquarie!
October Demonstration and Workshop Update
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In October, we got back to nature and the Australian Bush!
Liz Fox shared her passion for Botanicals and taught us how to paint the Banksia using mixed media that included watercolour, acrylics and charcoal pencil. It was fun combining these elements and learning how they interact with each other. Liz has experience in the fashion industry and she has developed the ability to be able to print her artwork onto material to create gorgeous materials and useful gifts. |
September Demonstration and Workshop Update
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The September workshop was fun and somewhat 'messy'! We experimented with paints, stencils, paper cutting, lace, buttons and any manner of resource that we could lay our hands on.
Denise Painter instructed us in the art of collage by demonstrating how various items can be pasted together to form an intriguing artwork. Denise has perfected this method and now is able to print her creations onto handbags, scarves and even socks. We all came away enthused by the idea of being able to create gifts for our family and friends using these techniques and hence, Denise has offered to run a private workshop on Wednesday 08 October for artists who are interested in progressing further. You can contact Denise by email at [email protected] |
August Demonstration and Workshop Update
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This month Donna Gilbertson taught us how to paint native birds in acrylic. At first, it seemed to be quite detailed and possibly difficult, but once we put our brushes to the canvas, we found that the process was a joy and the results were spectacular. Donna lead us, step by step, through the process of making a bird 'come alive'. She encouraged us to use some bright colours and taught us how to blend and 'feather' them to create a natural look, we even used glad wrap to create interesting backgrounds to our artworks.
If you'd like to learn more about Donna and her artwork please visit her facebook page here. |
July Demonstration and Workshop Update
The ALM July workshop was inspirational! Thank you Cheryl Willcox for sharing your expertise and years of experience with us. If you would like to learn more about Cheryl's artwork, exhibitions and training sessions, please visit her website here.
June Demonstration and Workshop Update
Did you know that sticks can be a great painting tool? Yes, it's true!
Demonstrator, Stephanie Mcfarlane, showed us this trick and how it can help us to 'paint loosely' and it was such fun. We used a variety of mediums including acrylics, watercolour, inks and pastels. The outcomes were very impressive. |
Today, Stephanie was also accepted as an 'ALM Life Member' for her 15 years of continuous service, both on the Committee and as President.
She will continue on the ALM team as a member of the Exhibition Committee. |
May Demonstration and Workshop Update
There was much to learn from our demonstrator, Jill Campbell, at the May workshop.
Creating a concertina artwork was fun and surprising! We discovered that we could create wonderful concertina style booklets by folding and cutting our artworks in a certain way to create an elongated, topsy-turvy book. Once the work is folded and cut, you can then pick out sections to highlight with paints or pastels to tell a story.
This technique is also a wonderful way to document holiday travels or to give as a personalised gift to someone special.
Creating a concertina artwork was fun and surprising! We discovered that we could create wonderful concertina style booklets by folding and cutting our artworks in a certain way to create an elongated, topsy-turvy book. Once the work is folded and cut, you can then pick out sections to highlight with paints or pastels to tell a story.
This technique is also a wonderful way to document holiday travels or to give as a personalised gift to someone special.
