Painting with Confidence

This popular course combines the fundamentals of painting with an emphasis on creating original artworks from real life subjects. Enjoy taking chances and moving out of your comfort zone as you gain confidence in your art practice! Maryanne Wick sets group exercises designed to break down barriers in your practice and develop your technical, observational and problem-solving skills.

Choose between oil or acrylic painting and learn how to prepare surfaces. As you progress through the week, demonstrations, daily discussions about Australian and international artists and detailed feedback about your work is provided. All in a supportive and friendly studio environment.

The course is suitable for beginners as well as those with experience up to, and including, intermediate levels.

* Short courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over.

* Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact us at short.courses@nas.edu.au

* What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below.

Maryanne Wick is a graduate and lecturer at the National Art School. Primarily known for her painting, drawing, print making and collage, she has lived, worked, and held solo exhibitions in Sydney, London, South Korea, Hong Kong and in Spain. Her work is held in private and public collections in Australia and overseas. Maryanne has been a finalist in numerous awards, including the Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Doug Moran and Portia Geach Portrait Prizes, the Gallipoli Art Prize and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award. In 2015, she was awarded the Korea-Australia Art Foundation Prize for painting and, in 2022, was invited to participate in the prestigious Kedumba Drawing Award. In 2023, Maryanne received the Macarthur Award for painting at the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award.

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

Paints

• Choose to use either oil or acrylic paint
• Bring any paints you already have
  the essential colours required are the primary colours: red, yellow, blue (suggest the Cadmium colours), plus a large tube of white and a black paint

For oil painting only

• 1 x small bottle of odourless solvent (avoid turps)
• 1 x small glass jar with a lid

Paint Brushes

• Bring any brushes you already have, both flat and filbert
• Include at least two wide brushes, 15 or 20 mm wide. If you need to purchase brushes, a set of flat, soft, synthetic brushes, ranging from 2mm to 15mm is a good way to start your brush collection
• 1 x wide flat brush, for priming surfaces

Canvases

• Pre-prepared on the frame
• 2 x medium size and 1 x small (no smaller than A4)
• Your choice of size and shape and canvas boards are also fine instead of canvases

Additional materials

• 3 x pieces of large brown craft paper (can be purchased at Parkers on campus). Not butchers paper
• 1 x 250-gram tub of white acrylic Gesso, for priming surfaces
• 1 x palette or large plate (ceramic or plastic)
  1 roll of cling wrap or foil
• Rags (important) and a small towel (for your hands)
• 1 x pair scissors
• 1 x roll white paper masking tape (medium width 24 mm)
• 1 x A4 or A5 drawing diary
• 1 x graphite pencil or charcoal

Wear an apron or protective clothing. Covered footwear is essential in all studios on campus.