Workshop Overview

In this workshop, you will explore an intuitive and expressive approach to painting flowers in acrylic, collage, ink, and pastels. The emphasis will be on keen observation and a light, playful response.

Áine will give a demonstration each morning, and afternoon, and will see each person individually over the course of the day. In her demonstrations Áine will share ways of engaging the flow. She believes feeling grounded and settled is important. We are encouraged best we can to create from a place of ease; looking after the physical body, relaxing and opening as we go to paint and with any luck - responding from the heart.

As the day goes on Áine will demonstrate ways to capture the individual character of each flower, carving their shape with these flat brushes. She will share how she combines materials and works her way intuitively through the painting. So while there is free expressive mark making, there is also fine tuning and focus.  

Working with rags and a selection of flat brushes you will explore techniques such as scumbling, layering dry paint, and splashing on wet paint. Through half closed eyes, we will be encouraged to see the general darks and lights and so capture form. Our mixed media play will include collage, ink, pastels, acrylic paint and stencils. Really this way of working is a lot of fun and feels liberating. In the words of Julia Cameron in “The Artists Way” - “Serious art is born from serious play”. Áine believes that in letting ourselves be we can soften into a way of working that is ours alone. This is why she loves to paint and teach in this way. Welcoming surprise, seeing freshly and inviting others to do the same. In Mary Oliver’s ‘rules for living a life’ we are invited to; “pay attention, be astonished, tell about it”

Áine’s wish for you in joining this workshop is that you will feel the beauty and aliveness of the flowers and that your paintings will ‘tell’ about it.

Equipment and Supplies

In her demonstrations she will use ink, oil pastels, stencils and a selection of collage papers along with acrylic paint. (See Áine’s colours and materials list below)

Along with the equipment list below, you are invited to bring any art materials you already have that could be used in mixed media painting. (Maybe there are materials gathering dust that you’ve never used!)

Áine will bring paper enough for everyone to buy at €3 per sheet. Expect to use one or two sheets each day.

Mixed Media Equipment List

• Acrylic Paint in these colours

Hookers or Jenkins green
Sap green
Lemon yellow
Cadmium red
Crimson
Ultramarine blue
Cerulean blue
White
Vandyke brown (or burnt umber)
Any Violet or Purple
Yellow ochre (optional)

• Indian ink, 

• Any pastels to make a drawn line over the acrylic - for example;

  oil pastels, caran dache watercoluble pastels, or simple children’s crayons.

• Collage paper - for example;

  Wrapping paper, old paintings, wall paper samples, old maps or books/catalogues. (You may love or hate collage….so no need to bring loads of collage paper, Áine will have some to share)

• Stencils (completely optional- Áine will have some to borrow, hers are mostly leaves and flowers)

  Other Supplies

• A tear off palette for acrylic (freezer paper taped to cardboard backing is a cheap and effective alternative, it comes in rolls)

• Rags, masking tape and a set of these flat craft brushes from Royal and Langnickel

• You may have plenty of brushes for acrylic, feel free to use your own. Here are the two sets that Áine uses - 

  Royal & Langnickel 12 longhandled Brush Value Pack. This is available from this on-line shop:
  www.localartshop.co.uk/royal-langnickel-12-long-handle-brush-set-firm- burgundy-taklon-watercolour-acrylic-temera-set-14.html

• Royal and Langnickel large area flat brushes set-
  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Langnickel-Golden-Taklon-Synthetic/dp/B0018MD60