Tutor feature: Judith White

Judith White trained at the National Art School, gained a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Fine Arts through Sydney University, and is a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute. Judith has been a practicing professional for 30 years with 38 solo exhibitions in Australia, and Japan. Read more >

Workshop focus: McGregor on the Bay

The long-weekend of intensive workshops is designed especially for more experienced artists wanting to brush-up on their skills in acrylic and watercolour painting, pastels and drawing.

Over the four days, participants will learn and create alongside six of the nation’s leading artists.

Each tutor brings with them, a wealth of wisdom and practical experience. Read more >

Overseas Art Tours

Travel with like-minded people for an unforgettable overseas experience!

We are pleased to announce our new Overseas Art Tours section that will promote art tours or workshops overseas run by Australian tutors, art educators or Australian tour companies.

Have a look at our first entries -

Ev Hales’ tour of Portugal

Ev Hales is a full time artist with some specific teaching stints during the year. Artistically, Ev's work covers a variety of mediums mostly in the painting and printmaking areas.

Arts Tour of Japan

Bruce McWhinney is an artist and tertiary level ceramic arts teacher and leads you on a unique cultural experience, designed for adventurous people with a love of learning.

And Coming soon….

• Living Italy
• Paradise Courses in Fiji
• Alfonso Calero – Photography in Japan
• Zeste French tours
• Blue Dog Photography – Vanuatu
• Leonie Norton

Calendar of Events

Explore SIX months of workshops in our calendar of events, so that you can join in and be creative. The variety of tutors and organisers is a smorgasbord for artists - beginners to advanced alike.

View calendar for August 2009 :: September 2009 :: October 2009

November 2009 :: December 2009 :: January 2010

Workshop review: Into the Blue - Desert Artists trip ... a truly unique experience

From the moment I arrived in Alice Springs I felt a sense of tranquility far removed from the “Sydney rat race”.  I turned my mobile phone back on out of habit only to find a desperate message from my 28 year old daughter who had broken up with her boyfriend. This only reinforced my reason for this trip…to escape from it all…and I did do just that.

The first night was spent in a hotel in Alice where we met the rest of the group who turned out to be 10 fabulous women who bonded like bondcrete to concrete and I immediately knew that these friendships would move into more long term relationships  which will continue well into the future. Read more >

Art Sydney is back - Affordable & Collectable

The Weekend Australian Art Sydney will return to the Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park, Sydney from 22 – 25 October 2009.

Treat yourself to a collectable piece or fill your blank wall with affordably priced art: The Weekend Australian Art Sydney offers something for every budget. Art Sydney also offers educational art walks, art activities for children and entertainment. With over 80 galleries and many of the artists on site, The Weekend Australian Art Sydney is the perfect place to discover, learn about and buy the art you love. Visit the website for more detail

Book Now and Save!
Book your ticket in advance for Friday, Saturday and Sunday and bring a friend for FREE!
Call Ticketek 132 849 or click here

First Night – VIP Preview
Enjoy first choice from the art on sale at The Weekend Australian Art Sydney whilst enjoying
complimentary drinks and live entertainment on Thursday 22 October. Tickets are strictly limited
and can only be booked in advance. Advanced bookings discounts do not apply.

Winner of the book "How Art Made the World"

We are very pleased to announce that Lorrie Morgan from Pittwater in NSW has won the book "How Art Made the World" for subscribing to the blueBanksia newsletter.

Lorrie is a mixed media artist and member of the Folk and Decorative Artists' Association of Australia and has been on that committee for at least 18 years. Lorrie is also on the committee of Pittwater Community Arts.

Pittwater Community Arts has only been established for six years and for the last five they have run an art show in November.

Lorrie specialises in Decorative Art, Russian Fairy Tales and Icons using Mother of Pearl Shell, Russian Honey Paint, Egg Tempera & Powder Paint.

Lorrie has travelled overseas to study with famous artists and has also studied with four Russian Masters.

Latest Tips and Tricks

• 5 Foundations to Building an Art Practice

  KNOW YOURSELF. You are the most important element in your art, because art is an expression of how you see and feel about things. You are more important than technique, so…ask yourself what are you passionate about? What do you like, re ideas, interests, materials etc get to know this in great detail. Don’t worry about why you like something. Read more >

• Creative Blockbusters for Artists

  Every artist wants the answer to this question: How do you break blocks? The process is different for everyone, and probably different every time we get stuck. Here are some ideas to choose from that might help you jump over your hurdles: Read more >

Chit Chat

This month we thought we would hand over the Chit Chat to you.

• Have you attended an art workshop where you would love to share what you have learnt?
• Would you like to write a review and be published on blueBanksia?
• Is there an art tutor that has stimulated your imagination?
• Any tips and tricks that you have learnt that you would like to share with the blueBanksia arts community?

Share your thoughts and drop us a line at enquiries@bluebanksia.com and we will publish the best in upcoming newsletters.

Teresa and Stephanie