Do you live near Pakenham? Interested in learning how to use pastel? I can help! Limited spaces are available for my studio classes, which give you the opportunity to push your work to a new level with my guidance. I’ll challenge you, help you unlock new ideas and guide you on your path to artistic fulfilment.
Classes cater for teenagers and adults of all skill levels. I currently have a handful of high school students doing classes and I’m looking at running after school classes on Monday afternoons.
For the adults if you’ve tried pastel in the past and want to take it further or have never given it a go before my classes will hold value for you.
Classes run per session at $50 for adults and $35 for students (If you sign on for an 8 week term then the rate will be reduced. Contact me directly for more details)
Some of the added benefits of joining my classes include
- 50% off the price of my DVD Art projects
- Discounted custom framing
- Exclusive access to my Rustygrit pastel paper and Rustytone handmade pastels
If you’d like to get involved send me an email with your contact details and I’ll get in touch to find out when we can get you in.
In the near future there will be classes running near Mount Martha. If you’d like to be involved please let me know. Once we get the numbers we’ll be kicking off.
Completed animal project by Jess McKernan
Think this is good? With my guidance you can do something like this too!
Don’t forget to place your orders for my Working in
Pastels DVDs – The special pricing ends tomorrow night. This is a great opportunity to challenge your abilities and take your work to the next level!
Discs 4 and 5 will be released mid August. If you want to pre order let me know
Last year with fellow Untamed artist Patrick Hedges I set out to create a special project called Tears of Leaves to raise funds and awareness for the chimpanzees in Sierra Leone. We were working with the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and to commemorate the project I did portraits of Jane Goodall and the Sanctuary’s director, Bala Amarasekaran. Jane collected her portrait last October when she opened our exhibition. At the same time I sent Bala’s portrait to Sierra Leone.
Weeks passed and the portrait hadn’t arrived. I was getting worried. Months passed. I resigned myself to the fact that the portrait would never reach its’ home. I was devastated as the work meant so much to me. I really wanted to thank the man whose passion for chimpanzees sparked the passion in me. It looked like it had gone missing, never to be seen again.
Then last night I received an email from Bala. Nine months after it was sent I received this wonderful photo of the man holding his portrait. He said he was so happy to receive the portrait and it is now hanging a Tacugama as a constant reminder of the work we did together.
I cannot even begin to explain how happy I am to know that my gift had finally made it to the destination. This is a man who has forever changed my life. The work that Patrick and I did to help them would never have been possible if I’d never seen the documentary by Lyndal Davies about a little chimp sanctuary in Sierra Leone and come into contact with this truly inspirational human being. The world would be a much better place if there were more Balas and Janes around.
To see the works from the project click here.
To find out more about Bala and Tacugama make sure you visit their website.
In what has been a busy time in the studio I’ve just completed work on my latest Mount Martha scene. I’ve called this Washed up.
Washed up - Pastel on colourfix (470mm x 670mm) $1299.00 AUD (Plus shipping)
I’ll be delivering this work to Original Oz on the weekend while I’m there for my demonstration. If you’re in the area please drop in and say hi.
Hi everyone. After many months of work I’ve finally completed my latest major wildlife oil : Jungle Spirit.
This project came about thanks to my 2 year old son suggesting that I paint a jaguar (He’s a VERY smart kid so I pay attention to what he has to say. ) while looking through my reference library late last year. I’d been wanting to do one for quite some time but had struggled to get decent material to work from. I was taken my their sense of dignity and those beautiful markings. Looking over the references that I had recently taken I was also captivated by the early morning light streaming down on it and relished the chance to attempt to capture it on canvas.
What I love about the resulting piece is the contrasts between the different techniques I got to use. Going from fine detailed brushwork through to bold expressive knifework was exciting and very rewarding. Another highlight for me was having the opportunity to use my own custom made oils. Since making my own pastels late last year I’d found that I’d developed some signature colours, particularly in the darker part of the spectrum and on this piece I got to use those same mixes as oils to deliver a much richer work than my previous ones.
This work come ready to hang, with a beautiful ornate gold frame to accentuate the colours in the jaguar’s fur. As with all my works I’ve used only the finest quality pigments and materials, which ensures that this work will last for generations. If you wish to purchase this just contact me via email. I’ll then send you through a paypal link so you can rest assured that your purchase is completely secure.
I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on this piece as I’m gearing up for my next oil.
