Creative Artist

I start by choosing what size image surface will best work from the photograph. In this case, I decided to go with oils, and I begin priming an 83cm x 83cm linen canvas. I give it several coats of deep ultra-pastel primer, as I want some added textur

Where do you start when you’ve been asked to write an article in an art magazine about your passion and desire for art? Like most dedicated artists, I know it seems to start right from the beginning. At a very young age in fact! For me it was from th

The aspect of close-up and personal can be achieved with both macro and zoom lenses, shooting an overall close-up or taking a section of a plant, animal, faces of pets and people or a pattern of movement from the natural or man-made environment, givi

Nationally recognised for one of the finest collections in regional Australia, the Gallery holds more than 6,200 works of art, and the quality and breadth of its collection makes it a significant cultural asset for the city. The collection presents a

Exhibition: 3 September to 13 November 2016 Entry: Free Newcastle Art Gallery offers a prestigious annual art prize for figurative and portrait painting, the Kilgour Prize, which awards $50,000 for the most outstanding example of contemporary Austral

Australian artist, painter and tutor, Don Milner chooses themes and subjects from Australia's rich and unique way of life, its characters and scenery, all of which inspire, colour and enrich his world as an artist. His honest, intuitive approach to p

This workshop aims to give a better understanding of the process I utilise to create a good likeness in a portrait using acrylic paints and mediums. It shows how I employ techniques developed over many years and helps give a better understanding of t

I sketch out my drawing (reference photo from Google) I begin by blocking in my colours. I use a brush with a little texture to do this. I add on each colour in a separate layer. Using the smudge brush, I blend the colours together. Make sure ‘all l

Yes, you read that right. I dabbled in folk-art and painting, but while I enjoyed it, art didn’t come naturally to me. Years passed. I received a diploma in childcare, and at 21, I opened a childcare centre. One day as I was reading a story to the ki

The National Gallery, London, owns one of the world’s greatest collections of paintings. Among them is a significant group of pictures once owned by fellow painters: Van Dyck’s Titian; Reynolds’s Rembrandt; Matisse’s Degas; Lucian Freud’s Corot. This

I have often wondered what it is about my art that has allowed me to win various awards in international exhibitions. In what has become quite a surprise to me, I have won numerous gold and silver medals, people’s choice awards, and been juried into

Inspired by the Anzac Centenary, this artist’s ‘Spirit of Anzac’ mixed-media picture uses acrylic paint, collage (photos, sheet music and printed material), dried gum leaves (painted for colour permanence and glued in place), a fob watch, oval pictur

Drawing, painting, sewing, crafting, cooking, even house renovating – I find the process rewarding and exciting, yet also elusive and frustrating in equal parts. But it’s magic when it works! Growing up in country-town Western Australia during the 19