Regular Classes are held with Jenni Mitchell
Thursday 10.00 - 12.30
Thursday evening 4.30 - 6.30
Friday Morning 10.00 - 12.30
Saturday Morning 10.00 - 12.00
Private and one on one tuition available on request
All classes now held at:
ELTHAM SOUTH FINE ART: STUDIOS & GALLERY
SIX MOUNT PLEASANT ROAD, ELTHAM.
(03) 9439 3458 OR 0417 585 102
email queries: jenni@jennimitchell.com.au
Workshops will be posted as they are organised.
Also view classes and workshops at gallery site:
www.Eltham SouthFineArt.com.au
Classes with Jenni Mitchell as kept small and conducted at the students own working pace. Classes are suitable for students who have never painted before and for students seeking more advanced technique.
contact Jenni for more details.
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The benefit of the Workshop
Why join a workshop? You have been painting for years or have managed on
your own to produce something that looks like what you set out to paint;
or you are always going to go out and get started. soon. Perhaps, you have
wanted to paint or write but have not started yet, one day.when I leave
work. after the kids have left home.These words are familiar to many of
us.
Enrolling in a workshop helps overcome the excuses for putting off what
you really want to do. I know from my own experience; a planned day in
the studio can be the first to go - something else comes up and is more
urgent and that is the end of my painting time. Other issues seem to come
first. Most of us need to feel relaxed before beginning a new project;
whether it is a new painting, a piece of writing or a sculpture.
By joining a class, or enrolling in a workshop, you make a commitment
to yourself and your needs as an artist, or creative person. You are stating:
My work and needs as a person are important and I am putting aside quality
time to pursue them. You may not want to follow up your creativity into a professional career;
it may be time out from another profession; it may be a hobby - that
does not matter, it is the commitment to yourself and the work that is
important.
A workshop enables you to meet like-minded people and to talk and focus
on a shared interests and activities; working together and individually
to help each other learn new skills, and methods of creating. There is
a shared energy created in a workshop environment that is difficult to
find working in isolation; - a stillness of concentration where minds grapple
tasks together. There is a sharing of emotions, the highs from a satisfied
result, and the high from feeling good about working hard - and it is hard
work. The relaxation is in the reality that everything else that
is on the student's mind; work, relationships or home life has too be temporarily
put aside in the class or workshop environment. Concentration is on the
task before you. In a sense, it is a form of meditation.
A workshop usually has a demonstration or talk from the tutor, this
is the fun bit for the participant, the sitting back watching someone else
put paint on canvas, or read a passage, or demonstrate their skills. You
have an opportunity to ask questions, and interact closely with an expert
in the field. The interaction of the group can teach more than reading
textbooks; questions that perhaps other students ask that you had not thought
of may give a new insight.
Getting started is often the hardest part of any creativity. Here again,
a workshop environment with a keen tutor can make all the difference. A
little encouragement and direction can help you feel confidant inspired
to begin; and there are other students to discuss ideas with, and gain
valuable feedback.
One advantage the workshop has over the weekly class is the greater
stimulation that is created from the intensive period of time you spent
together where the focus is more concentrated and energetic. The
workshop may be a full day, or spread across several days. the time you
spend with a group sharing ideas and painting is exciting and seems to
have a longer staying impact. From my experience I have found students
can become bored and stale with the regular weekly two-hour class painting
the same subjects in a studio environment. The workshop offers a fresh
advancement to your work.
If you have been attending regular classes with one tutor for
a long time, it is beneficial to occasionally enroll in a workshop with
a different tutor that can introduce new ideas and stimuli; and to avoid
becoming a clone of your regular tutor. It is important to allow yourself
to be open to other voices and styles; and in time develop an individual
style, or voice, gained from the sound knowledge of your craft.
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