A

U
THE MAGAZINE FOR ALL ARTISTS FA ST
V RA
O

Artist’s
U LI
R A
IT ’S
E

Palette
BACK TO UNI No
No187
95
AND SCHOOL
MASSIVE ARTISTS’
PRODUCTS FEATURE

THE QUIRKY SIDE OF LIFE

MEET JANETTE MACGREGOR
THE OPPOSITE OF NEGATIVITY
THE CLEVER ART OF KLARA WARD

INSPIRING ARTISTS’ DEMONSTRATIONS

 Contents
Issue No.187 2023
FEATURES
4 Best of Both Worlds
Carol Stewart has discovered
that Genesis Heat Set Oils offer
wonderful benefits.
24 Atelier Interactive Product
Evaluation – Part 2
Botanical artist Leonie Norton
closely examines a fine acrylic
product from Chroma.
2 Artist’s Palette
34 Back to School and University
Promoting some essential art supplies for
students – for the 2011 academic year.
50 Watercolour Inspiration
Joy McPadden’s creation ‘Secret
Support’: A tutorial in ink and
watercolours.
20
58
60 Setting Up a Studio
Rita Tarrant found a clever
innovative way to create her own
special artistic space.
INSIGHTS
8 Artistic Bloodline
Margarette Looney boasts many
creative relatives on her father’s side
of the family.
16 The Opposite of Negativity
Klara Ward’s paintings are based
on Nature but enhanced by her
imagination.
26 Long-term Commitment
Although in his seventies, Robert
Adams has wonderful plans for his
artistic future.
44 The Quirky Side of Life
Catching people’s attention (and
making them think) appeals to Janette
MacGregor.
54 Full of Possibilities
Robin Rixon just loves ‘getting out
there’ and absorbing the vastness of
Australia.
Cover image by: Margarette Looney
 68

DEMONSTRATIONS
13 The Venetian Mask
The talented Margarette Looney
appreciates the versatile qualities of
gouache.

20 I Love Tulips
Klara Ward’s lovely Demonstration
piece shows that negative painting is
great fun.

30 High and Dry

Robert Adams’ judicious acrylic
Demonstration painting is rich with
atmosphere.

47 Entrapment
40
Janette MacGregor loves to paint
quirky ideas to provide a spark of
enjoyment. 28
57 Dramatic Coastline
In search of atmospheric lighting and
effects, Robin Rixon walks in the
evenings.
 A D V E R T I S E R F E A T U R E
Best฀of฀Both฀Worlds By Carol Stewart
Genesis Heat Set Oils offer wonderful benefits to many artists who have
developed affection for various other mediums … as this enthusiastic lady
discovered for herself.
I
was born in Wagga Wagga, New
South Wales, and I still live here
with my husband. I teach in
my home studio, with my husband
doing the framing for myself and my
students. Art is basically a family
occupation. With other commitments
including teaching and running around
art shows, it’s hard to find time for my
own painting; but I manage somehow.
I am mainly self-taught as I have
always drawn (all my life) and I won
many competitions in the Sunday
papers and the local show as a child.
I had always planned one day to paint
in oils and enter and sell in big art
exhibitions. After drawing in black and
white all my life, in my fifties I went
to folk art lessons to learn about colour
(which I did for two years); then I was
retrenched from my bookkeeping job.
After attending a few workshops, I
decided that I would go into teaching
art; and I have never looked back.
I originally painted in acrylics, and
did a couple of workshops with Jim
Kinch; and I also learnt watercolour
painting, but decided that wasn’t
for me and moved into traditional
oils doing workshops with Colley
Whisson. Being a chronic asthma
sufferer, the smell of the oils had
an effect on me. So I moved into
pastels – where I had to wear a
mask – but I just loved working in
pastels and did a few workshops with
Colina Grant and Amanda McLean.
I was looking for something
like oils to get into, and saw the
8
4 Artist’s Palette
advertisement for Genesis Heat Set
Oils. I sent for the ‘Starter Pack’.
Genesis was just what I was looking
for: The best of both worlds, where
I can play with the paints as long as
I like (as in ordinary oils), but like
acrylics, I can dry them whenever
I like – especially if I have an
intricate part to do. I just hit it
with the heat gun, and there is no
waiting around for the work to dry
and there is no smell. What a find!
I just love Genesis Heat Set Oils
and have been using them now for
four years as my main medium.
I enjoy many aspects of art, but
I do have a passion for animals
and portraits and I still attend
workshops whenever I can. I believe
that you never stop learning – and I
pass this on to my students. I have
been teaching for some 15 years and
I have now encouraged some 25 of
my students to use Genesis paints
as well. As my studio is attached to
the house, there is no smell going
through the house; no upsetting
my asthma; and no cleaning up
of palette and brushes (as there
used to be with traditional oils).
There is no wastage, as my palette
never dries up and is workable
no matter how long I leave it.
Who could not love Genesis?
For more Genesis Heat Set Oils
product information, telephone
Peter Watts at Genesis Art
Supplies on 1300 66 11 65. n
 yourletters
Artist’s Palette magazine invites correspondence from readers everywhere.
We will seek to publish some of the best letters we receive. Email letters to
‘The Editor’ – ap@woodlandspublishing.com.au – or you may alternatively
mail them to PO Box 93, Hazelbrook NSW 2779.
WONDERFUL WORK
Dear Editor,
I just wanted to thank you for the
Feature about me and my work in Issue
87. Your magazine gives all artists and
beginning artists a chance to see their
work in print in a wonderful publication
… and it encourages people to move up
and to try harder.
Keep up this wonderful work. Since
my story appeared, I have been offered
a lot of new opportunities – including
book illustration work. Thank you.
I have sent you a photograph of one
of my latest paintings: ‘Cosmos’ daisies
from my garden.
Marea Kozaczynski-McCaig, NSW
Dear Marea: Thank you for your
thoughtful letter, and the beautiful
picture. – Editor
6 Artist’s Palette
FARAWAY APPRECIATION
Dear Editor,
Greetings from Canada! And many
thanks for your great magazine which I
found, by chance, at a large bookstore
called ‘Chapters’ which is a coast-to-
coast Canadian chain.
I really appreciate the variety of
artists and (more importantly) their
skill level(s) featured in your magazine
because when I see an ‘unprofessional’
(someone who
hasn’t been painting for ten years or
so) it is most encouraging to read
about their techniques and problem-
solving along the way. I have only been
painting for about a year but, thanks to
magazines such as yours, I am slowly
making headway and learning the tricks
of the trade.
One of the artists I really admire
is Joy McCrae – featured in your
Issue 79. I would love to see more
of her work. I am so grateful I came
across that Issue, because as soon as
I saw her work including the Bird
of Paradise flower (on page 24), the
waterlilies (on page 25), and the
Banksia shrub (on page 28) – I knew
I had to give them a shot.
Our bookstores don’t always have
your magazine in stock, and I’m
wondering if you have ever featured
Joy McCrae before (in a back issue).
I would like to order any back issue
showing her work that may still be in
stock. Or, if you haven’t featured her
before, are you planning to do so in
the future?
May I also suggest something?
When you are running an article
about a certain artist and there are
several pictures by that artist shown
in the article, would it be possible to
title the pictures? I find that when an
article is saying that the artist had a
problem with a tree, or a background,
in a painting, I have no idea which
picture to look at in the article (or
perhaps it isn’t even in the article,
but just being mentioned). It would
be so helpful to have the titles under
each painting.
Elaine Culbert, Ontario, Canada
Dear Elaine: I am confident we have
not featured Joy McCrae before, but
I am pleased that you appreciated
the article. In some cases we do title
paintings within the articles, for
clarity; so your suggestion is valid. I
am glad you enjoy the magazine.
– Editor
PRACTICAL PAINTING
Dear Editor,
Regarding Dalerie Patterson and the
‘Practical Painting’ section of your
magazine. To gain further information
about the article in Issue 89 (on
copyright), I emailed Dalerie. I was
extremely impressed by the speedy
reply and the extra help she gave me.
Thank you also for the calibre of
this unbiased magazine. I read the
article on Helen Kuster’s ‘decorative
art’ journey with great pleasure.
Reading about people’s insights and
projects gives me inspiration, help and
tips to further my own experience.
Nola Jones, Victoria
Dear Nola: Dalerie has been a real
asset to the magazine and countless
readers who appreciate all her
contributions and her willingness to
provide extra assistance. – Editor
 I N S I G H T

Margarette Looney

Artistic฀Bloodline By Margarette Looney

Abundant relatives in this lady’s family (on her father’s side) who have been
artists and photographers may well have passed their artistic genes down to
her … endowing her with rich creative talent.

M
elbourne born, I lived my
early childhood with my
family in the residence of
my father’s photographic studio in
Prahran, close to the city. That was
my first look into the art world –
seeing the wonderful photographs my
father produced. The early interest in
photography has stayed with me.
I went on to study photography and
eventually began exhibiting and selling
my photographs.
There have been many artists and
photographers in my father’s family,
and my feeling is that their artistic
genes have been passed down to me.
My father, Jim Payens, later went
from studio work into aerial survey
photography, working in remote areas
in northern Queensland and Papua New
Guinea. The Victorian Museum has a
collection of his work.
As a young adult, I left Melbourne
and (after travelling extensively) I
settled in the Sutherland Shire which is
a beautiful part of Sydney – enhanced
by the ocean and bays which have been
a major source of inspiration for my
paintings.
At the age of 30, I began the four
year Art Certificate at TAFE. My first
husband had passed away suddenly,
leaving me with our small son. It
seemed to be the right time to focus

8 Artist’s Palette

on formal training in art, after being
self-taught since childhood. With the
wonderful tutors we had at TAFE, I
knew I was on the right pathway to
following my passion in art and making
a career in that field.
It was in many ways a difficult
time … but with the help of family
and friends, and my local art supplies
shop (Southside Art Centre), I
managed to maintain a happy work/
life balance.
I N S I G H T
After graduation, I worked at
Southside Art Centre for many years.
I eventually went on to teach in the art
centre’s studio; and to demonstrate for
art materials suppliers such as Canson
and S&S Importers.
The invaluable knowledge gained
at Southside Art Centre enabled me to
pass on many different techniques to
my own students – using a wide variety
of art materials.
During the 1980s and 1990s, I also
began painting seriously and I
held exhibitions throughout New
South Wales and also interstate.
Sales were excellent; I had started
to become recognised and I began
to win prizes for my art – so my
confidence was building and I knew
I had made the right decision to
follow this career path.
I married again and relocated to the
Northern Territory, but tragedy struck.
My second husband, a helicopter
Artist’s Palette 21

pilot, was killed in a work accident
whilst flying. Grief and depression
over the loss of my beloved husband
prevented me from painting for over a
year, but eventually my grief abated.
I returned to Sydney and opened
my own teaching studio and gallery
at Como, on the Georges River in
suburban Sydney. It was another
inspirational area to paint.
I had five happy years at Como,
teaching and painting in the local
community; and students even travelled
from other areas to attend lessons and
workshops at the studio. I shared this
creative space with seven teachers, so
(as you can imagine) it was a hub of
artistic activity! The Como studio was
10 Artist’s Palette
I N S I G H T
also used for fundraising art auctions,
exhibitions, and social gatherings with
family and friends.
My paintings from those years
featured many works completed
in pastels and watercolours. Some
favourite subjects were figurative
paintings, florals and water scenes. I
also became interested in architecture
and went on to paint many
commissions of magnificent Sydney
mansions built in the late nineteenth
century – including the historic Como
Hotel which was put into limited
edition print (and sold out). I was also
very interested in the reproduction
side of the art business. Many of my
images were reproduced for wine
bottle labels, handbags, cushions, cards
and calendars; and this aspect of my
business continues today.
After selling the art studio at Como,
I began teaching art at Sylvania
Community Centre as well as
dedicating many hours to painting and
exhibiting all over Australia. In Darwin,
I held an exhibition of paintings –
using the sketches and photographs I
had accumulated while living in the
Northern Territory with my helicopter
pilot husband.
Over the years I have been fortunate
to win many awards in diverse
mediums and subject matter. One award
I was particularly proud of was for a
large (four feet square) oil portrait of

my son which won first prize at the
Bankstown Art Show. Naturally I still
have this painting. Some pieces you
cannot part with!
My years working in many
aspects of the art world have been
invaluable to me in life as well as
in my career. Experience gained
teaching, working in retail art supplies,
gallery management and at a framing
shop (where I helped with that all-
important decision of how to frame
the masterpiece) gave me insights into
other areas of art quite apart from my
role as a painter. I would recommend
that any budding artist should take the
opportunities that come their way to
work in these associated fields … as
I N S I G H T
it can provide the financial support
to continue painting in lean times,
and it can open many doors and help
assemble the knowledge to develop a
professional approach.
It is important to have good gallery
support. I am fortunate to have had the
tremendous and long-standing support
of John and Frances Vander. John is
a wonderful artist in his own right.
John and Frances Vander’s galleries,
‘Articles’ art gallery at Stanwell Park
and Cronulla Art Gallery (both in New
South Wales), are where my paintings
can be seen; and I now manage the
Cronulla Art Gallery for them.
I have been fortunate to travel
widely within Australia to teach.
This has resulted in several ‘Artist in
Residence’ opportunities in country
areas in Western Australia. One of the
most memorable of such experiences
was at Beverley in Western Australia
– staying in a beautifully restored
former railway station and painting
the Art Deco architecture of the
local buildings. I really enjoyed
meeting and teaching the friendly
people in the community who were
so generous with their time and
hospitality. I later did an ‘Artist in
Residence’ in the south-west region of
Western Australia, and once again the
hospitality was fantastic.
In 2009, I took a group of my
Sydney students over to Western
Artist’s Palette 23

Australia to paint the abundant
wildflowers and stunning rugged
coastal scenery. The tour was
professionally organised by a student I
had met whilst in Beverley.
Leaving the confines of a studio and
trying some ‘plein air’ painting and
drawing has huge benefits for any artist.
In 2011, I will be travelling to
the Greek Islands with Artemis
Art Tours as a tutor – focusing
on teaching ‘plein air’ painting –
covering subjects such as the iconic
white-washed buildings covered
in bougainvillea, colourful fishing
villages with their quaint harbours,
and hidden turquoise coves. What an
amazing opportunity it will be!
Over the years, I have worked in
many mediums and at present my
favourites are acrylics, gouache,
watercolours and pastels. I still
occasionally paint in oils, and when
doing so I prefer to use a heavy weight
Arches watercolour paper (600 to 800
gsm), primed in acrylic. The texture
of the paper gives the oil paints an
interesting finish. I also enjoy using
Lumiere Metallic acrylic paint,
Decorfin Relief paint and Gold Leaf
for special effects in figurative and
still life paintings.
24
12 Artist’s Palette
I N S I G H T
I am currently a member of the
Sutherland Shire Photography Society
and I enjoy the many and varied
excursions to ‘shoot’ interesting
subjects for painting. I believe
it is important to consider using
photography as an initial source
for such essentials as composition,
atmospheric conditions and any other
components you photographically
record – rather than sticking strictly
to painting an exact replica of one
photograph (which is a trap that
students sometimes fall into, unaware
the subject they have photographed
needs some modification to make a
painting work). Often just changing
the shape of the painting to square,
or vertical, as opposed to the original
photograph, can really make a
difference.
In 2008, I completed a large square
painting of the city of Perth on the
Swan River. I used about 15 of my
photographs to design the composition,
and it became the major painting at
an exhibition in Perth. It now hangs
in a private collection in that city,
alongside many other paintings from
the same exhibition.
I do not have a permanent collection
of my own work; pieces come and go
as I paint. I may have a piece hanging
for a few months, but eventually it sells
and another takes its place. I do have
a small collection of pieces by artists
I admire. That collection includes
some beautiful ceramics by a favourite
potter, and she often gives me pieces to
include in still life paintings for myself
or for my students.
My classes also extend beyond the
studio, with visits to exhibitions at the
National Gallery in Canberra and the
Art Gallery of New South Wales; as
well as occasional outdoor painting
excursions.
I have always appreciated and been
influenced by paintings of figures in
the landscape (or seascape). The works
of USA artist William Merritt Chase
(an American Impressionist), Frederick
Frieseke and (today) Dan McCaw are
certainly among my favourites. From
Australia, I admire Rupert Bunny
(1864-1947) who painted magnificent
figurative work; as well as Robert
Hagan and Western Australia’s Larry
Mitchell.
I look forward to discovering many
more subjects that will give me great
inspiration to continue to paint … and
also to bringing that inspiration into my
classes long into the future. n
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

Mixed Media

The฀Venetian฀Mask
By Margarette Looney

This artist appreciates the qualities of gouache because it is a really

versatile paint, and it can also be used successfully as a wash; or
(with less water) for detail.

FINAL STEP

Artist’s Palette 25
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N
M AT E R I A L S
• Winsor & Newton gouache:
Jet Black; Permanent White;
Perylene Maroon.
• Winsor & Newton watercolours:
Permanent Alizarin
Crimson; Scarlet Lake.
• Lumiere Light Body Metallic
Acrylic: Sunset Gold Number
554; Pebeo Gold Number 773.
• Winsor & Newton brushes:
Sceptre Gold 11 Number 2
rigger; Artisan short/flat bright
Number 2; Series 7 Number 6.
• Canson Montval Torchon
paper 300gsm.
• HB pencil.
STEP ONE
STEP TWO
26
14 Artist’s Palette
W
hilst visiting Venice during
the world famous centuries
old ‘Carnivale’ festival
held in February every year, I had
the opportunity to photograph and
sketch the images of the opulent
masked figures. The costumes worn
by the models were absolutely
stunning, with amazing headdresses,
beautiful jewelled costumes and
exquisite porcelain masks. This
festival is truly an artists’ and
photographers’ opportunity not
to be missed. I have since had
many successful exhibitions
using the ‘Carnivale’ theme.
STEP ONE
Tape or stretch a half sheet of
watercolour paper on backing board
(MDF is a good stable board). Lightly
sketch the mask image and costume
with headdress, with the HB pencil.
Wash lightly around the image and
into the background using the black
gouache, and drip into the damp
black wash with the rigger brush
– using the maroon gouache and a
little of the Alizarin and Scarlet Lake
watercolour. Then do the same drip
technique with the Lumiere Gold.
STEP TWO
Wash in some watery Perylene
Maroon gouache and the watercolours
using the Series 7 Number 6 wash
brush for background colour of the
feathers. In this image there are
two types of ostrich feathers. On
the headdress they are longer; and
the feathers under the chin of the
mask on the costume are short and
fluffy. It’s best to use the rigger
brush for the longer feathers and
the short flat brush for the fluffy
ostrich feathers on the costume.
For the lighter shades, add
a little white gouache into the
maroon, crimson and red; and
not too much water is needed.
STEP THREE
It’s now time to paint the white
gouache onto the porcelain mask
area … and gently blot any hard
edges (that may form) with tissue.
When the porcelain masks are made,
the eye shape is left open and the
models use black make-up to cover any
skin area around the eyes – so this gives
a really mysterious look to the masks.
Use black gouache wash over the
whole eye area and add a little more
black to emphasise the pupils. Then
drop in a little white gouache to give
some life to the eyes while the black
wash is still damp – so the white is not
shown as harsh dots. While you have
the white gouache on your palette, use
this to paint the hat – and mix in a tiny
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

bit of black to make grey and paint

a small cast shadow under the hat.
Use some of the grey to paint
in the lace fabric on either side of
the mask. This lace is holding the
hat and mask in place. Using some
additional white gouache and the rigger
brush, paint in some lace detail.

STEP FOUR
It’s now time to add more detail onto
the feathers. Mix some Scarlet Lake
and Alizarin Crimson watercolour with
white gouache and, using the Winsor
STEP THREE
& Newton short flat brush and only
a little water, use dabbing strokes to
give the costume feathers a fluffy look.
Then use the rigger brush and the same
paint mix to layer longer thin strokes
to form the larger feathers on the hat.
Use the black and white gouache to
make a soft grey, and paint in the delicate
ribbons on the left-hand side of the hat.

STEP FIVE
The Pebeo Gold Number 773 can now
be used to decorate the porcelain mask.
Gently squeeze the tube and
decorate with dots and swirls, and
use a little Scarlet Red wash on the
cheek area and above the eye. The
Pebeo Relief paint takes a couple
of hours to dry – so wash in some STEP FOUR
more black in the background and
intensify the reds and crimsons on
the hat and costume if needed.
Take a well earned break and
go back to the painting in a few
hours or the next day … and run
a critical eye over your painting
to add any final brush strokes.
These techniques can be
used in a variety of subjects
such as figurative, still life,
contemporary and floral designs.
Gouache is a really versatile paint,
and great colours are available in the
Winsor & Newton range. Gouache can
also be used successfully as a wash, or
with less water for detail; and even in
airbrushing. Also, gouache is excellent
as an underwash for pastel – to block in FINAL STEP
the composition and tonal values. 

Artist’s Palette 27
 I N S I G H T

Klara Ward

The฀Opposite฀of฀
Negativity By Klara Ward

Here is a lady
who loves painting
flowers, fish and
butterflies – not
necessarily true to
Nature, but from
her imagination.
She prefers to paint
with transparent
watercolours, and
she does a lot of
negative painting.

M
y name is Klara Ward and
I was born in Hungary. The
family folklore goes that
when some learned people from the
university came to the village and saw
my great-grandmother’s work, they
tried to talk her parents into sending
their daughter to art school … but
because she was needed on the farm
(and especially because she was a girl)
it was out of the question. Apparently
my great-great-grandfather chased
them away with a pitchfork!
Ever since I can remember, I was
always drawing something and I loved

16 Artist’s Palette

art classes best at school. I used to enter
every drawing competition. After primary,
I hoped to be accepted into a high school
of the arts; but it wasn’t to be.
Most of my family still live in
Budapest and I visit as often as I can.
I arrived in Australia in 1971,
got married soon after, and had two
children. I designed and made lots
of crocheted toys for them and I was
always trying out some new craft
with varying success. We lived in the
Northern Beaches area, which is a
beautiful part of Sydney.
Fourteen years ago I moved to the
small town of Forbes where I met
my second husband Tony. We have
seven kids between us and (so far)
nine grandchildren. Forbes is in the
I N S I G H T
central west of New South Wales. It
is a picturesque little town. There is a
lake with pelicans and fountains and we
have beautiful gardens. Ben Hall the
bushranger is buried in the cemetery, as
well as Ned Kelly’s sister Kate Foster.
The town scenes in the movie ‘The
Dish’ were shot in Forbes.
I’ve found lots of good friends here. I
am an active member of the handicraft
centre and the art gallery. Recently
we’ve formed the Forbes Arts Society
which I believe will be very successful.
We would like to bring all the visual
arts together, conduct workshops,
organise competitions and put on
exhibitions (not only of paintings but
also of sculpture, photography, pottery,
woodworking, textile art and such).
Our first venture was an exhibition of
Orange artist Ted Lewis’ works, and it
was very well received.
I always wanted to learn to paint –
so about four years ago I took some
watercolour classes with local artist
Pamela Thomson. I didn’t realise how
hard it was to work with watercolours
… but the end results are well worth
the effort. I like painting flowers, fish
and butterflies; not necessarily true to
Nature, but products of my imagination.
I prefer to paint with transparent
colours and I do a lot of negative
painting (which I demonstrate on the
following pages).
I love the unpredictability and
whimsical quality of watercolours.
My newest venture is mixed media.
Artist’s Palette 29

I use all sorts of materials: Modelling
paste, pastel shavings, watercolours,
acrylics, black gesso, torn up bits of
baking paper, sand, gravel, salt …
anything. Sometimes I have an idea of
what it will be, and sometimes I have
to work out what it looks like and give
it a title accordingly. It’s great fun.
I paint acrylic canvases for my
grandchildren with lots of colour and
storybook characters – fairies, animals
18 Artist’s Palette
I N S I G H T
and insects. I also do poker work with
an electric woodburning tool; draw
coloured pencil pictures; and work
with soft pastels. There are not enough
hours in the day …
Recently I’ve set myself a challenge
in trying to master oils. Since this
medium is entirely different from
watercolours, so far I have had trouble
getting my head around it and I might
have to change my way of thinking.
I’ve attended different workshops
including life drawing, pastels,
acrylics, oils and charcoal; and I have
a large collection of ‘how-to’ art books
and lots of art materials. I find painting
very relaxing and regularly disappear
into my studio and get totally lost in
what I’m doing until it’s dark and it’s
time to cook dinner.
I think that, if at all possible, it’s
important to have a permanent work
 I N S I G H T

station. I like to keep mine reasonably

tidy, or just shut the door.
Naturally I’ve had ‘disasters’ that I try
to learn from (and then use the other side
of the painting to sketch or mix colours
on). I have a few favourite pieces that
I have painted or drawn – but I haven’t
hung any of them on my walls as yet.
I admire Australian painters John
Olsen and Ted Lewis among others; the
Old Masters El Greco and Rembrandt;
and I love Gauguin. I am also fond of
Hungarian Csontvary Kosztka Tivadar
– he lived at the turn of the last century
and he painted very differently from his
contemporaries.
I exhibit my work in the Forbes Art
Gallery and always enter our country
show every September; and sometimes
other shows and group exhibitions in
the district. I’ve won a few prizes and
sold quite a few of my works. Prints of
some of my paintings are available at an
Internet gallery.
My other interests are classical music,
books, keeping the garden tidy, trying to
keep fit, and challenging my brain with
cryptic crosswords and trivia nights. I
am lucky to have seen a bit of the world
outside Australia.
My ultimate goal for the next 30 years
or so is that I want to learn and improve
all the time. I want to try out as many
mediums and techniques as I can, and
finish as many projects as I can think of.
And I always want to have fun! n

Artist’s Palette 31
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

Watercolours

I฀Love฀Tulips By Klara Ward

According to this
artist, negative
painting is great
fun and it can be
incorporated into your
other paintings. Her
advice for beginners
is to use less colours
and always find out
how they will behave
together.

M AT E R I A L S

• Arches watercolour paper –

310gsm, 100 per cent rag;
cold press (20 x 28 cm).
• Paints: Winsor & Newton Lemon;
Winsor & Newton Violet; Art
Spectrum Alizarin Crimson; Art
Spectrum Indian Yellow; Daler-
Rowney Hooker Green Light;
Daler-Rowney Phthalo Blue.
• Brushes: Number 12 and Number 2.
FINAL STEP • Coloured pencils.

20 Artist’s Palette
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

STEP ONE STEP TWO

STEP ONE
Wet the paper but leave a few dry areas that
will stay white. Using a Number 12 brush,
drop in your colours randomly. They will blend
and form patterns; and by using transparent
paints they will make new colours as well.
Lots of washes on top of each other could turn
into ‘mud’. For instance, because yellow and violet
are complimentary colours on the colour wheel,
they tend to neutralise each other and become a
dirty brown. If you use violet for a shadow on
a yellow flower it will look more natural then
using black or grey – but in this instance it’s
important that the two colours don’t mix.
The work must dry thoroughly between washes.

STEP TWO
Draw some tulip shapes and start painting them
from the outside, matching the colours that are
already there. For this, I used a Number 2 brush.
Care should be taken that there are no hard
edges left, so blend paint into the surrounding
areas with plenty of water and use tissues to
mop up. Remember: Watercolour is paler when
dry – so don’t be afraid to use strong colours. STEP THREE
Let the work dry.

Artist’s Palette 33
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N
STEP FOUR
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Change your water very frequently
to keep the purity of your colours.
Have a pump bottle of water handy
to add to the paint to thin it; and
keep a separate brush to mix it with.
• Use the best quality paper and paint
that you can afford … it makes a
huge difference. I like rough cold
press Arches. Hot press has a smooth
surface. It’s worth trying different
papers, rough or smooth, because
you can achieve different effects. It’s
also interesting to paint on smooth
drawing paper like Stonehenge.
• Look after your brushes. Buy a few
good quality ones, because they
22 Artist’s Palette
keep their shape for a long time. For
watercolour I started with a Number
12 and Number 6 round; then I
added some smaller ones and flat
ones and a Number 1 rigger. They
are Taklon or Sable. I wash them
out after every use (with Sunlight
soap) and shape them into a point.
Of course, for bigger paintings,
you would need larger brushes.
For the sort of acrylic work I do, I
only need cheaper brushes – but I
still make sure that they are always
rinsed out and cleaned often.
• Most of my paintings are given
away to friends and family, or sold.
STEP THREE
Draw more shapes behind the
front ones, overlapping them.
Paint them from the outside like
before, blending the paint. This
gives depth to the painting.
Let the work dry.
STEP FOUR
Add some more tulips, again behind
the others; and let them dry. Using
a soft eraser, get rid of all graphite
pencil marks (as long as the paper is
thoroughly dry, it won’t hurt the paint).
STEP FIVE
By lifting the paint with water and
brush and dabbing with tissue,
or by carefully using a razor
blade, you can add more features
and depth to the picture.
I ‘cheat’ by neatening the edges with
well-sharpened coloured pencils.
Negative painting is great fun, and
it can be incorporated into your other
paintings. When you first try it, use a
lesser number of colours and always
find out how they will behave together
… so they don’t turn into mud. 
I always take a photograph so I can
refer back to what I have done. I also
have a blog on the Internet where
I store images of my paintings.
• Use artists’ masking tape to secure
your work. It doesn’t damage the
paper when peeled off; and it gives
a nice clean edge to the painting.
• Search the Internet. There are
sites for every imaginable art
form, as well as ‘how-to’ pages,
reference photographs, artists’
websites, and demonstrations. I
tried out a lot of techniques by
watching them on You Tube.
• Always have your camera with you.
 T R I A L A P R O D U C T

Atelier฀Interactive฀
–฀Part฀2 By Leonie Norton

Over several Issues,

Artist’s Palette magazine
is looking at the specific
benefits of Chroma’s
Atelier Interactive acrylic
paints … through the
eyes of selected artists
who have agreed to
test the manufacturer’s
claims about the
product. The second
creative person to
participate is botanical
artist Leonie Norton.

24 Artist’s Palette
 T R I A L A P R O D U C T

A
s a watercolour botanical
artist, my work involves
precise detail … so the
techniques I have used with the Atelier
Interactive artists’ acrylics may be
very different to other artists’ work.
However, what my approach does
prove, is that very fine details can
be achieved with little problem.
The paint was very easy to use
with my technique of building up
transparent layers of paint to achieve
glowing translucent colours on
300gsm watercolour paper (both hot
and cold pressed) without the need to
use varnish to brighten the colours.
I will also be experimenting with
these paints on either linen or canvas
at a later date. I am sure I will be able
to reproduce some very fine work;
and I look forward to experimenting
with more of the mediums.
One evaluation I undertook was
diluting and reactivating the paint.
For this evaluation, where not a lot of
paint was required, I used round Sable
brushes (size 0 and 3 predominantly);
and a Number 4 comb brush for very
fine lines. I preferred the Unlocking
Formula to keep the paint wet, rather
than water; and I also achieved some
excellent glazing results this way.
I did find it difficult to reactivate
the paint once it had dried completely,
but the reason for this would have
been that I did not initially use large
quantities. I also experimented with
the Clear Painting Medium (Mid
Viscosity), but found it diluted the paint
too much for distinct detail; although it
worked very well in overglazing areas.
I used water on occasions to dilute
the pigment; but on the whole, I
preferred the Unlocking Formula.
There was no difficulty at all
with keeping the paint fluid while
I was painting. The drying time
was no problem, with the continual
use of the Unlocking Formula.
The information provided by
Chroma on the use of these new
paints was very useful, but I
developed my own technique to
create the specific work which I do.
This consists of layering washes
 I N S I G H T

Robert Adams

Long-term฀
Commitment By Robert Adams

Although he is in his seventies, this man hopes to be around and still painting
for a few more years yet … and he is still planning extensive painting trips to
exercise his considerable skills.

M
y name is Robert Adams,
but I answer to ‘Bob’. I was
born in Melbourne but I have
moved around a fair bit.
After living in Greensborough moved to Hervey Bay for a further
(Melbourne) for 15 years, I moved to eight years before moving again, back
the Gold Coast in Queensland where to the Gold Coast; then on to Tewantin,
I remained for nine years, and then then Noosa, and then Cooroy.

26 Artist’s Palette

My wife and I travelled
extensively around Australia during
this ‘gypsy’ period … and it was
while on a trip to Tasmania that
we fell in love with the relaxed
lifestyle here.
Being a builder, I was starting to
feel the heat in Queensland, so we
decided to move again. A move we
have not regretted. I only wish I
had been painting during this time
because some of the places we
have been were beyond description.
Although I have countless
photographs, it is not the same as
being there.
I N S I G H T
I am largely a self-taught artist.
My earliest art training was at school
where my teacher used to put one
of my drawings on the blackboard
every week (remember those days)
and encourage me to draw.
When I went to secondary school,
it was much the same – with my art
teacher telling me I had talent, and
on one occasion actually sending a
picture I had done to some sort of
school art exhibition in Japan.
My next art lesson was to be in
approximately 50 years’ time.
While living at Cooroy, I saw an
advertisement in the local paper for

the Tinbeerwa Art Group and I decided
to go and have a look. Needless to
say, I was hooked. The people there
were fantastic – being friendly and
only too helpful to a complete novice
like myself. I hope I will be forgiven
for not remembering the teacher’s
name, but I can say she was the most
educational and helpful teacher I have
ever met.
It was 12 months later that we
decided to move to Tassie.
Since being down here, I have
had lessons with Leonie Duff for six
months, until she moved; and a few
lessons with John Gibb and then with
Mitch Stone (who got me painting in a
looser style, with brighter colours – a
style which I like). Unfortunately this
28 Artist’s Palette
I N S I G H T
only lasted for three or four months
because Mitch moved to Cairns. I have
not found anyone else yet.
I am only a hobby artist, but I exhibit
at an annual fundraising expo and at
our local art gallery. I have been lucky
enough to sell a few paintings, both
here and on the mainland. I have also
done three or four commissions.
Since beginning to paint again I had
been using acrylics – but now I am
getting into oils as I Iike the slower
drying time and the way in which you
can blend the colours.
Scottsdale where we live is a little
isolated from any major centres. I have
not found any art groups yet, except
for a life drawing class in Launceston
approximatey 65 kilometres away.
I have only been to a couple of the
life drawing classes … I guess it’s all
experience, though.
I have got a large collection of my
works, simply because I don’t throw
anything out. From time to time I’ll
go through the paintings to see if I can
notice any improvement; or I might
make alterations to some; or in the
case of monumental muck ups, I will
sand them off and prime them again –
ready for the next effort.
The most inspirational artists
to me are Van Gough, Gaugin, and my
favourites Steven Quiller and Pro Hart.
If anyone is thinking of taking up art
and is doubtful of their own ability, I
would say have a go anyway … you
won’t know until you try. The main
 I N S I G H T

thing though is to enjoy it; and don’t be

put off by failures.
As an example, not so long ago
I took three paintings to my local
gallery. Two I thought were pretty
good, and one not so good (I didn’t
really want to hang it). You guessed
it: The horrid one sold in two days
and went to the mainland; and I’ve
still got the other two!
Being 71 years of age, I have no
great ambition to be more commercial
or to teach. But I would hope to be
around and still painting for a few
more years yet.
I would also like to do another trip
to the Kimberley as I found this area
of Australia the most inspirational
place of all. n
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

Acrylics

High฀and฀Dry
By Robert Adams

Rich with atmosphere, this Demonstration

painting shows what can be achieved with
the judicious application of acrylic colours.

FINAL STEP

30 Artist’s Palette
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

M AT E R I A L S

• Stretched canvas with two coats

of artists’ quality Atelier gesso,
sanded lightly between coats.
• Atelier and Matisse acrylic
paints: White; Cerulean Blue;
Cobalt Blue; Phthalo Blue;
Viridian Green; Paynes Grey;
Yellow Ochre; Burnt Sienna;
Indian Red; Cadmium Light
Red; Cadmium Light Yellow;
Australian Olive Green.
• Atelier Glazing Medium.
• Assorted flat Taklon brushes;
STEP ONE
quarter inch to one inch longliners;
and small pointed Sables.
• Paper towel.
• Hair dryer.

STEP ONE
I usually draw my subject freehand,
but in this case (because a certain
degree of realism is called for) I
scale up and use a ruler constantly.
On this Demonstration I used
pencil; but if it was an oil painting STEP TWO
I would have used charcoal and
wiped it off as I painted.
Next, I like to paint in the sky because
I feel it ‘sets the scene’ so to speak –
and helps to form the overall picture.

STEP TWO
The hull comes next – being the
dominant dark in the composition.
I use this area to gauge the
intensity of the other colours.

STEP THREE
The superstructure is added, and
also the lifeboat – which I think
is important because this brighter
colour draws attention to the STEP THREE
central theme of the painting.
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

STEP FOUR
Next comes the water and sand
painted simply, without much
detail. You may notice that I omit
the shadows at this stage. I try
to get most of this area finished
before going on to the next stage.

STEP FIVE
I put in the land now (with
no great detail) and then
STEP FOUR prepare for the shadows.
In this case I used Paynes Grey
thinned to a milky consistency
with water, and acrylic painting
medium, to glaze the stern of the
boat and the sand. Four layers
were added here, and two coats
of Cerulean Blue (using the same
technique) were added to the rear
of the superstructure.

FINAL STEP
Detail is added in the form of
railings, mast and boom … but the
detail is intentionally kept simple to
avoid that fussy cluttered look. 

STEP FIVE

FINAL STEP ARTIST’S

HINTS AND
TIPS
• When putting a wet layer of
paint next to a dry one, I use
a moist one inch Taklon brush
on its side to run down the
join. The moist brush acts like
a blotter and soaks up any wet
paint that may have encroached
onto the dry portion.

32 Artist’s Palette
Helen Miles
Australian Artist
Original
Paintings

Art Cards
&
Prints

Art Classes &

Workshops

03 5781 1756
cottagelane@yahoo.com.au
www.helenmiles.com
 P R O D U C T F E A T U R E

Back฀to฀School฀and฀
University Contributed

Early in the New Year, many student artists and keen amateurs will be planning
to replenish their art supplies and learning tools for the busy months ahead.
A selection of your favourite art materials suppliers are ready with useful
products to assist with the enhancement of your creative education in 2011.

LEARN ABOUT A BRILLIANT AND INNOVATIVE ARTISTS’ PRODUCT

Time to discover Genesis Heat over traditional ones. Little clean-

Set Artist Oils – an artist’s dream
come true! Get the feel, opacity
and translucence of traditional oils
minus the drying time, ‘hard to
clean’ mess, and that smell …
Genesis Heat Set Oils are an easy
to use painting system. They
are similar to traditional oils
in feel and application, yet the
paints and their mediums are
non-toxic, cadmium free and
odourless – making Genesis
great for the many artists who
are allergic to oils and solvents.
They can also be dried on demand.
Genesis Artist Colours have gained
the respect of many international
painters. They have been used daily
for many years internationally.
The pigments used have all been
selected for their lightfastness, vibrancy
and covering qualities; and they come
with the highest archival quality rating.
All colours have the same viscosity,
so blending and application is made
very easy … and there is no colour
shift between wet to dry paint.
Genesis oil paints are neither water
nor solvent based. Traditional paints
are based on evaporative drying,
but Genesis uses a non-drying base
medium. Genesis paints contain a
special heat curing agent, so once
heat is applied at 130 degrees with
a standard heat gun, the oil paint
dries within minutes. This allows
the artist to move on with their
work and not lose the creative flow
while waiting for the paint to dry.
Paints are packaged in screw cap
jars, thereby eliminating wastage and
messy tubes. Because the paint will
not dry until the artist wants it to, no
paint is wasted when left on the palette
or brushes. It can stay uncovered and
available for use at any time – today,
tomorrow, next week, or next year.
Available in a full spectrum of
87 colours with a range of glazing,
thinning and thick mediums, the
paints have many added benefits
up is required as Genesis Heat Set
Oils never dry on the brushes or
palette. The paints are always
ready to use without any set-
up time or palette preparation;
and all colours can be blended
for any required shade.
Genesis Heat Set Oils are
no more expensive than
similar artist grade paints,
and can only be purchased
from Genesis Art Supplies.
Genesis Art Supplies sells
Genesis Heat Set Artists’ Oils
directly to artists (you won’t find them
in the art shops) – with thousands of
satisfied customers all over Australia,
New Zealand and the world. As well
as the individual paints, Genesis Art
Supplies also sells packs to help you
get started; as well as a range of DVDs.
Orders can be taken via the
Internet, telephone or mail. Shipping
within Australia is by Express Post
with most orders arriving within
two days of placing the order.
See the Genesis website at
www.genesisoilpaints.com.au
for more information; as well as
galleries, testimonials and online
shopping … or call Genesis Art
Supplies on 1300 661 165.

34 Artist’s Palette
 Historic ‘Norville’
On Rock Dhu, Murrurundi NSW
We create, preserve, encourage and conserve ... history, art and photography. Nature, writing, humour and geology.
A place for creative minds to meet.

FULLY SELF-CONTAINED ACCOMMODATION: BY DONATION.

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NORVILLE HAPPENINGS
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Artist, Rodney Swansborough,

PHN portrait

• DVD’S FOR SALE.

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 P R O D U C T
BACK TO SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY WITH S&S WHOLESALE IN 2011
S&S has a wide variety of items on
offer for Back to School 2011. From
colouring, pastel, sketching and
graphite pencils to charcoal, brushes,
oils, acrylics, watercolours, gouache,
Paintstiks, sketchbooks and paper …
students will find everything they need
to make this year an artistic success.
A large selection of the Derwent
pencil range is on offer for this year’s
Back to School season. S&S is
offering Derwent Inktense, Coloursoft,
Drawing, Artist, Studio, Watercolour,
Pastel, Metallic, Graphitint, Tinted
Charcoal and Sketching pencils –
along with some specially selected
Collection Sets for students to
begin the artistic year in style.
These collections of pencils are
available in selected wooden boxes
and tins. Derwent pencils are high
quality drawing instruments suitable
for amateur, student and professional
artists. The range of pencils provides a
wide choice of mediums for all pencil
artists. The rich, luscious colour of
Coloursoft and the bold, earthy tones of
Derwent Drawing pencils are especially
good for capturing landscapes and life
drawings; while the unique properties
of Graphitint and Tinted Charcoal offer
artists exciting new mediums to create
beautiful pencil drawings. Inktense
pencils are pure, vibrant coloured pencils
that combine the intensity of pen and ink
with the versatility of line and wash. Use
them dry to create strong, vivid tones
– then apply a light wash to achieve a
translucent ink-like effect. Once dry,
the colour is permanent and can be
worked over with both soluble and
non-soluble media. Derwent Inktense
pencils are incredibly versatile and can
50 Artist’s Palette
36 Artist’s Palette
F E A T U R E
be used to create a diverse range of art
from Japanese Manga and vibrant silk
painting to more traditional watercolours
and stunning botanical illustrations.
All Derwent pencils are now
manufactured with an environmentally
friendly, solvent free coating.
For the sketching artists, there is a
selection of graphite and sketching
pencils, mixed media sets and charcoal.
The Cretacolor Black Box set contains
a useful selection of black drawing
materials including charcoal, graphite
and drawing pencils; while the
Bruynzeel Design sketching specialties
set and the Cretacolor Artino and
Primo sketching sets all provide a great
selection of sepia, sanguine, charcoal
and chalk pencils along with accessories
like paper stumps and kneadable erasers.
For something a little different try
the Cretacolor ‘oil pencil’ sketching
set. If you are looking for charcoal,
the soft black willow charcoal from
Coates is particularly well suited to
satisfying a whole range of artistic
needs. Coates willow rods are clean
and straight – top quality artist pieces!
To transport your pencils around,
look no further than the Derwent
Pencil Wraps. Made from heavy cotton
canvas they are available in pocket
size (holds 12 pencils) or standard
size (holds 30 pencils) and they have
small pouches for accessory items
such as erasers and sharpeners. They
are small enough to be carried in your
pocket, bag, portfolio or backpack.
Ideal for the artist on the move!
If painting is your forté, then check
out the offers from Daler-Rowney
and Maimeri. S&S is offering sets
of Classico Oil Colours, Georgian
Oil Colours and Designers Gouache.
Georgian Oil Colours have been the
UK’s favourite oil paints for many
years. Georgian Oil Colours offer
artists high quality and performance
at an economical and uniform price
across colours in the range. They are
produced to the same exacting standards
as Daler-Rowney Artists’ Oils and are
carefully blended and tested to produce
the most brilliant colours, and match the
tint and texture from batch to batch.
Daler-Rowney Designers Gouache
is characterised by its free-flowing
texture, tinting strength and excellent
covering power. It is a brilliant, opaque,
artists’ quality body colour made using
only the highest quality pigments
and calcium carbonate – ensuring
that it retains its pure bright intensity
across all 87 colours in the range.
Maimeri Classico oil paints are also
on offer for Back to School. These
highly regarded Italian oil paints contain
the highest quality and exceptionally
finely ground pigments blended with
the best quality linseed oil. Classico oil
paints are the perfect bridge between
student and professional oil paints. Due
to the unique manufacturing process of
Classico oil paints, all 74 colours are
the one price – so students will not be
paying expensive prices for cadmium
and cobalt based paint colours.
For a different take on oil painting, try
Shiva Paintstiks. These are professional
grade artists’ oil colours in convenient
stick form. Manufactured from quality
pigments blended with refined linseed
oil, they can be used in conjunction
with conventional oil paint surfaces,
 P R O D U C T F E A T U R E

mediums and varnishes – using the
same methods and techniques.
For watercolourists, the Venezia
watercolour ‘Travel Box’ is a unique,
compact, folding ‘pocket’ case
containing 10 x 1.5ml half-pans of
concentrated Venezia watercolours, a
10 well mixing palette in the lid, and
a convenient thumb hole for stability
at the base; plus a short-handled,
quality hair brush. The Venezia
‘Pocket Pan’ set contains 12 x 1.5ml
half-pans in a soft rubber-like case
with twin folding lids, three mixing
wells and a removable plastic palette.
Alternatively, you may like to try a 12
x 8ml tube introductory set of Daler-
Rowney Aquafine watercolours.
For those wishing to try something
different, Cretacolor Aquastics are
definitely worth a look. They are water
soluble artists’ oil pastels that are made
with the highest quality pigments and
produce pure, clean, gloss colour. They
are excellent used alone or combined
with other water soluble or dry media.
To complete your painting experience,
S&S is offering sets of Daler-Rowney
‘Simply’ Golden Taklon or Bristle
brushes. Each set contains 10 brushes in
various sizes and all have nickel-plated
brass ferrules and short timber handles.
The Golden Taklons suit oils, acrylics
and watercolours; the Bristle brushes
are best used for oils and acrylics.
To begin your masterpiece, S&S is
offering a great selection of sketchbooks
from Fabriano, Derwent and Daler-
Rowney. These sketchbooks are the
ideal platforms for taking initial sketches
prior to painting, or for plein air work.
The Fabriano artists’ journals are
available in several sizes and contain
a selection of 90gsm Ingres paper in
various colours; they are ideal for work
in pencil, pastels, charcoal and ink.
Please contact S&S Wholesale
Customer Service by telephone on
1300 731 529 for further information
and stockists.

Artist’s Artist’s Artist’s Artist’s Artist’s Artist’s

 P R O D U C T
SURFACE PREPARATION FOR ACRYLIC PAINTING MADE EASY WITH MATISSE DERIVAN
As an artist, you’ve spent the last six
months working on a painting for
someone to purchase and hang on their
wall. The purchaser (and the artist)
will have the expectation that it will
not deteriorate in any way, and that it
will last for many years because the
artist has selected the finest quality
lightfast acrylic paint like Matisse
Structure or Flow and has used a UV
resistant varnish like Matisse turps
based final varnishes to protect it
from the damaging effects of sunlight.
However even though using the finest
quality paints and varnishes will help
to resist bad preparation, artwork built
on an ill prepared foundation can
shorten a painting’s life dramatically.
Like most things in life, preparation
is the key to success and even though
some would argue this goes against
the grain of the creative process,
it is true for paintings as well.
Matisse acrylics will adhere to most
surfaces; but it is wise to remember
that paint will only be as good as the
foundation on which it is be worked
on. Most substrates used by artists
need little or no pre-treatment. But the
surface needs to be clean and free of
grease and grime. This is important
even on surfaces meant for artists such
as ready-made stretched canvases.
Quite often small amounts of release
38 Artist’s Palette
F E A T U R E
agents and other residual compounds
can be found on surfaces that have
been ‘shrink wrapped’ or been in
direct contact with plastic packaging,
and they leave a small amount of a
compound that will not allow adhesion
of any type of paint (water based or
oil based). The way to check for this
is to apply a brush stroke of water
over the canvas – if water ‘beads’
on the surface it is best to clean the
whole surface with a soapy water
dampened cloth and then wipe off with
a clean damp cloth. If the surface still
makes water bead, clean with white
spirits, mineral turpentine or diluted
vinegar; or lightly sand the surface.
Importantly, ‘sizing’ a substrate
differs from ‘priming’. A size will
typically sink into the substrate without
forming a separate layer, whereas a
primer will give the paint layers a
toothy coating to grip onto and make
the surface more evenly absorbent.
Today most artist acrylic gessoes,
such as the MM10 Matisse Gesso,
MM27 Low Viscosity Gesso, MM25
Black Gesso and Matisse Background
Colours (which are low tooth,
coloured gessoes) are formulated to act
as sizers and primers at the same time.
As a general rule, Matisse
colours may be applied directly
over paper, board and cardboard
without priming the surface. It is
advisable to use good quality paper
(acid free, neutral Ph) or board.
To avoid paint penetrating thin
paper, apply two very thin coats of
MM7 Polymer Gloss Varnish mixed
equally with water. This will bind
well with the surface of the paper and
act as a sealer without penetrating
the paper. Acrylic colours may last
indefinitely but most papers have a
rather more finite life. Conditioning
the surface of paper with MM7
Polymer Gloss Varnish will provide
the way for restorers to remove the
paper once it has deteriorated, and
replace it with a fresh substrate.
If a primed surface on paper is
desired, this can be achieved by
applying one coat of MM10 Gesso
mixed equally with water. The
absorption rate of the paper and the
desired aesthetics of the painted
surface will dictate how much dilution
with water the MM10 Gesso requires,
and how many coats thereafter. It is
best not to build the surface too thick
with MM10 Gesso (to avoid cracking).
Matisse colours can be readily
applied to the vast majority of
fabric supports. These include
cotton, linen, jute, canvas polyester,
polypropylene, and fibreglass fabrics.
Cotton and other natural fibre
supports have the inherent problem
of their reaction to climate and
atmospheric pollutants. Natural fibres
tend to absorb moisture from the air;
this can cause swelling in the fibres.
Constant swelling and contraction,
potentially causing premature
cracking, will not be as detrimental to
acrylics (because of their elasticity) as
may be the case with oils. However,
the constant expansion and contraction
may eventually destroy the canvas
itself. The absorption of moisture may
also promote bacterial growth. From
a long-term point of view, synthetic
canvases do not exhibit the same
moisture absorption characteristics and
are much more resistant to bacterial or
fungal growth. When a non-synthetic
canvas is primed, it will shrink. The
amount of shrinkage will depend on
the type and weight of the canvas.
Use MM10 Gesso diluted with equal
parts water; the first and second coat
will penetrate the raw canvas and
bind well. Ensuing coats may contain
50 per cent or less water. The MM10
Gesso may be sanded and recoated
to obtain a smooth finish, almost
hiding the weave of the canvas.
If a preference for working directly
onto the raw canvas is desired,
Matisse Professional Artist Acrylics
can be used straight onto the surface.
However, it is advisable to size and
prepare the canvas first with MM12
Clear Sealer, MM7 Polymer Gloss
Varnish or MM6 Polymer Matt
Varnish. Sealing the raw canvas will
increase its longevity. As canvas is
 P R O D U C T F E A T U R E

quite porous, it tends to mark and oil, grease or dust. A bonding coat Matisse Colours applied directly over
stain easily; sealing will decrease of MM7 Polymer Gloss Varnish the MM12 Clear Sealer. After the
this tendency. Sealing will help to should be applied, then a coat of work is complete, a coat of MM7
protect cotton and linen canvas from MM10 Gesso. After the work is Polymer Gloss Varnish will protect it.
mould, dust and bacteria. It will also complete, a further one or two coats It is possible to use Matisse Colours
prevent the paint staining through of the MM7 Polymer Gloss Varnish on glass or tiles for a permanent
the canvas to the other side when is recommended. If the work is (although not dishwasher proof) finish.
using the paint in a thin liquid form. to be exposed to sun and rain, a First, apply a coat of undiluted MM7
Working on canvas that has been further coat of MM14 Final Varnish Polymer Gloss Varnish. Next, apply
only sized with the purpose of Gloss Finish would be advisable. the paint as desired. Finally, finish off
retaining its natural surface look It is possible to apply Matisse Colours with another coat of MM7 Polymer
will alter the overall brilliance directly to plasterboard that has been Gloss Varnish. If a transparent
of colours. The characteristic cleaned of all dust, oil and grease. finish is required, dilute the Matisse
whiteness of traditional primers MM10 Gesso may be used as primer; Colours with the MM7 Polymer
will give paint layers a much it will seal a porous surface as well as Gloss Varnish instead of water.
more intense final finish. give a good tooth and a clean bright This brief article provides some
It is recommended to lightly sand surface to work on. After the work is insights into the exciting possibilities
back pre-primed surfaces and apply complete, a coat of MM7 Polymer of applying quality acrylic paints to
one coat of MM10 Gesso mixed Gloss Varnish will help protect the a whole world of different surfaces
equally with water. A subsequent coat work against dust and pollutants. If … but it is by no means exhaustive.
can be straight gesso or may be diluted the work is to be exposed to sun and
– depending on the required surface. rain, a further coat of MM14 Final For even more information about
Surfaces which are non-porous Varnish Gloss Finish is recommended. painting on almost anything,
can present problem. The surface of New plaster should be left to dry contact Matisse Derivan by
fibreglass should be lightly scratched for at least two weeks before a coat telephone on 02 9736 2022.
with sandpaper or a wire brush, then of MM12 Clear Sealer is applied. Matisse Derivan – Pure Brilliance,
cleaned down so it is free of any MM10 Gesso may then be used; or Pure Quality.

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 P R O D U C T
JASCO IS READY TO HELP YOU START A NEW YEAR OF CREATIVITY
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40 Artist’s Palette
F E A T U R E
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11 Artisan solvents, oils, mediums
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 P R O D U C T F E A T U R E

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 P R O D U C T
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42 Artist’s Palette
F E A T U R E
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 P R O D U C T F E A T U R E

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 I N S I G H T

Janette MacGregor

The฀Quirky฀Side฀
of฀Life By Janette MacGregor

This artist is interested in the quirky side of life and catching people’s
attention and making them think … and maybe giving them something to
laugh about.

R
osebud on Victoria’s Mornington
Peninsula is where my home is now.
I was born in Hobart (Tasmania) but
I have lived most of my life in the Victorian
bayside suburbs.
I am retired from work, after a career in
contract accounting and bookkeeping.
I have completed six years of schooling
at Chisholm in Frankston: Three years of
Visual Arts and three years of Visual Arts
– Illustration. I have attended many talks,
demonstrations and workshops over the last
few years. I now paint with the Peninsula Plein
Aire Painting Group once a week, working
with fellow artists as well as holding a small
class once a week; and working on my own art
as often as I can in my studio.
My passions are that I like to depict
animals, birds and plants considering the
plight of Nature in the face of human
encroachment. I try to bring some kind of
order and calm to reflect on what is really
important and meaningful in life. For me,
realism and simplicity have a direct link to
truth and honesty.
My work often addresses very serious
contemporary issues but I also want to convey
hope, humour and optimism. The sometimes
stark backgrounds are a reflection on the
increasingly isolated and selfish life that
modern society has created and they portray

44 Artist’s Palette

loneliness as a human condition … as
well as our disconnection with Nature.
I delight in realism in surreal settings;
and I always hope to bring a moment of
humour into the viewer’s life.
My painting career has only been
active in the last ten years, but I
have previously indulged another
passion for pottery which was very
successful. Although my time is taken
up with drawing and painting now, I
would still like to get back to the art
of moulding clay.
I am classed as a hobby artist, but
I am hoping to change that when I
I N S I G H T
start to exhibit in some of the more
prominent galleries in the near future.
I mainly work in oils but sometimes
also in gouache; and I love the detailed
work of botanical painting and drawing.
I do a lot of research before starting
a painting or series, and try to put
my own quirky little twists into all
my works – except (of course) the
botanicals and still lifes.
I have just completed a series called
‘The Box Series’ which I am really
pleased with, and I would say it is my
best work to date; but because I get so
much enjoyment out of every piece, I
love the paintings I am doing at present
– which are works on plywood.
I have had disappointments – such
as where I have started a painting and
had to put it away (or facing the wall)
because I just didn’t know where I was
going with it, and the whole painting
just didn’t gel and I lost interest in it.
But with such disappointments, I take
them out again every now and then and
put them up in my lounge where I can
look at them … and most of the time I
get some sort of inspiration to rectify
the mistakes or adjust something to
make them work.
 I N S I G H T

I have lots of examples of my own and other

artists’ work up around the home.
Artists I admire include Brett Whiteley,
Rick Amor, Jeffrey Smart, and others too
numerous to mention.
I have been exhibiting since 2005 and have
been lucky enough to win the following awards:
2005, second prize sculpture award at Heritage
Hill in Dandenong; 2006, winner (oil painting) at
Heritage Hill ‘Inspired’ Exhibition; 2006, winner
(sculpture) at Dandenong Jayco Vital Award;
2008, highly commended at Mornington Rotary
Art Show; 2009, honourable mention at Hampton
Kiwanis Art Show; and 2009, highly commended
at Flinders Art Show.
My work has been exhibited at Continental
Hotel Art Show, Flinders Art Show, Mornington
Rotary Art Show, Sorrento Rotary Art Show,
Art at Coolart, Alexandria Rotary Art Show,
Camberwell Art Show, Frankston Cube 37,
Brightspace Art Gallery (St Kilda), Heritage
Hill Dandenong, Oakhill Community Art Co-op,
Mt Eliza Primary School Art Show, Frankston
High School, Strathcona Art Show (Hawthorn),
Jeffrey Malesa Gallery (Sorrento), and Noel’s
Gallery (Red Hill).
I am not your usual Peninsula painter depicting
bathing boxes and scenery along the coast – even
though I belong to the Peninsula Plein Aire
Painting Group. I am much more interested in
the quirky side of life and catching people’s
attention and making them think ‘what was she
trying to convey there’? And then maybe giving
them something to laugh about.
I am very concerned about environmental
issues but I don’t want to come on too strong
– so I like to add a bit a humour to my
paintings whilst conveying the environmental
message. n

46 Artist’s Palette
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

Oils

Entrapment By Janette MacGregor

This painting is part of a series by the artist, for an

exhibition called ‘Entrapment’. She loves to paint quirky
ideas to promote discussion between the viewers and
bring a spark of enjoyment and humour into everyday life.

M AT E R I A L S

• Plywood substrate.
• Winsor & Newton oil paints:
Titanium White; Paynes Grey; Lamp
Black; Raw Umber; Yellow Ochre
Light; Italian Pink; Red Crimson.
• Liquol – for watering down the paint.
• Chinograph pencil for
the initial sketch.
• Various brushes.

STEP ONE
For this painting, I chose to use
plywood which I coated using Raw
Umber watered down with Liquol
– which settled into the grain nicely
and enhanced the plywood look.

STEP TWO
When the first coat was dry, I then
sketched a very rough interpretation of
the picture onto the ply using white Conte
pencil (which can be removed with turps FINAL STEP
if the lines are in the wrong place). This
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N
STEP TWO
was just a very rough guide to get
something down so I could start.
STEP THREE
I mixed Titanium White, a very
small part of Yellow Ochre and Raw
Umber – and proceeded to paint the
mousetrap base, adding more Raw
Umber to create the depth of the trap
in shadow. I then let this partly dry
until the next day, as I wasn’t happy
with the position of the mouse and
I had to do some more research.
STEP FOUR
As you can see, I rearranged the
position of the mouse and blocked
STEP FIVE
48 Artist’s Palette
STEP THREE
it in using Titanium White, Raw
Umber and Red Crimson; and I also
blocked in the shape of the cheese
using Titanium White with a very
tiny dab of Italian Pink. Now I was
happy with the composition and I
had the effect I was looking for.
STEP FIVE
I started to colour in the texture of
the fur using Paynes Grey and Raw
Umber (on its own, and mixed with
a little bit of black) so that I had
two shades of brown and Paynes
Grey, mixed with a little bit of
white to give differing shades of
grey. At this stage I was using a
very fine brush and taking note
STEP SIX
STEP FOUR
of the way the fur lay and the
contours of the mouse’s body.
I started to outline the nostrils using
Art Spectrum Red mixed with Titanium
White so that I had several shades
of pink for the skin on the nose and
ears, and for blocking in the paws
and the feet. I had been playing with
the highlights in the eyes, to get the
eyes looking in the right direction.
STEP SIX
I had nearly completed the fur. I
adjusted some of the colour in the
mouth, feet, and ears just so that,
as I put the teeth in, the mouse
looked cheeky and had a sort of
‘confident’ look on its face.
STEP SEVEN
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

It is good to continue painting the fur with

different colours in the same colour range over
the top of each stroke, as this gives depth.

STEP SEVEN
I wasn’t happy with the shape of the cheese.
I adjusted it and started to put the holes in
with the shadows; and also changed the
colour of the mousetrap, using a tiny bit of
black, Paynes Grey and Titanium White.
I finished the feet and lightened the upper
portions of the toes to show highlights.

STEP EIGHT
I painted the helmet using Paynes Grey
and Titanium White, with Raw Umber
for the strap and white for the buckle,
making sure that the helmet sat on the
skull correctly and that the strap actually
looked like it was going under the chin.

FINAL STEP
Finally, I painted in the paws using Crimson
and Titanium White; adjusted the shadows in
the cheese holes; and (using Paynes Grey and
Titanium White) painted in the trap mechanism
using highlights of white to emphasise the
shine on the spring and the metalwork.  STEP EIGHT

ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS

• Try not to mix too much paint, as
it can dry out overnight and then
produce blobs on the canvas the
next day. If you have a very large
area to paint, make sure you paint
it in one sitting if possible; and do
not try to mix that colour again a
few days later (as it never works).
• Always do lots of research and
drawing before attempting to
put anything down on canvas.
• If using canvas, I like to paint it
a rich colour (such as Carmen
Miranda) to seal the surface and
act as an underpainting, which adds
depth to the final painting. This
also means I am not intimidated by
looking at a big white canvas to start
with – which can be very daunting.
I actually use leftover paint from
my day’s work to paint onto a new
canvas as an underpainting … it
doesn’t matter if it is all different
colours over weeks of painting, as
I am going to paint over it anyway
(and it makes a good base).
• When painting shadows, use a darker
colour of the object reflecting the
shadow rather than a completely
new colour. Lots of shadows have
purple in them – so add a bit of
purple to the shadow colour.
• Always test out a colour on an old
canvas before applying it to your
work. If working on plywood,
be very careful not to splash or
mark the surface as marks are
extremely difficult to remove
and they can ruin the work.
• Try to master the skill of painting
exactly what you see – not what
you think you are looking at. It
may seem ridiculous, but you
will know what I mean when you
have mastered this; it becomes
so simple. A good exercise is
to turn your painting (and the
object you are painting) upside-
down … this takes away the
normal view and you can see the
shapes better. Just give it a try.
 W A T E R C O L O U R I N S P I R A T I O N

Ink and Watercolours

Secret฀Support By Joy McPadden

“Don’t be restricted
by only colouring
the subject, or
sticking to the
colours that you
see,” advises
this watercolour
specialist. “Create
what you want.”

M AT E R I A L S

• Arches Watercolour Paper 185gsm.

• Pen: Uni-pin 0.8, waterproof
pigment ink.
• Rowney watercolour
paints: Olive Green; Naples
Yellow; Cobalt Blue; small
touches of other colours.
• Paper towel.
• Size 12 brushes (two).
• Masking tape.
FINAL STEP • Easel (optional).

50 Artist’s Palette
 W A T E R C O L O U R I N S P I R A T I O N

STEP ONE STEP TWO

STEP ONE
I placed the lilies in a position where their stamens
were not going to stain cushions, paintings, or anything
else if they dropped (I learnt this the hard way).
I taped the watercolour paper to a support
board to prepare for a later stage of dribbling
paint, when I would need it to stand up.
I sketched some of the feature lilies. I intended to
add a couple more lilies after the washes of paint.

STEP TWO
I applied the first colours, some of which were thrown on
as the substrate leaned against a wall. The paint was loaded
up on wet brushes and flicked on and dashed on. I also
poured and dribbled some paint, letting it make vertical
lines. Some of the watercolour paint was gently washed in.
I wanted to have a random quality about the work;
but I still planned the flicking and I watched it closely. I
also thought about it, in between painting the artwork.
Wildly throwing paint with your eyes
shut, however, can work too!

STEP THREE
Back to scribbling with the pen.
I used my fingernails as stoppers when shading petals.
I was also adding details and making the image stronger.
I wanted the flowers to be standing vertically, and firmly,
like they were supportive; with a few of them ‘delicate’
as well. I was aiming for a ‘floating’ quality in the
background – instead of having these lilies floating. STEP THREE
 W A T E R C O L O U R
STEP FOUR
STEP FOUR
I added bigger areas of wash,
while watching the negative shapes
forming and making sure they were
where I wanted them to be. This
was a good time to be playing with
the elements of the artwork.
FINAL STEP
At this stage, I was tinkering and
bringing it altogether. The blue paint
increased the energy. I carefully
painted some detail with the Olive
Green again, trying not to cover too
many of the earlier vertical lines.
Lastly, I splattered on paint as
though it was from the lilies (that
lovely powdery staining they have).
I took the tape off and sat back
to enjoy my painting. 
52 Artist’s Palette
I N S P I R A T I O N
FINAL STEP
ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS
• Follow your own instinct.
• Be confident.
• The best way for grey graphite
lines not to show, is to not put
them there in the first place.
• Don’t press too hard on one
section of the tape while
you are drawing. Relax.
• Let the washes and splatterings
dry before using the pen again;
and this tip is recorded for
myself to read as it is something
I don’t always remember in the
excitement of the process. Who
wants to wait for paint to dry?
• If you think that you are really
stuck or confused, let the
paint dry; take the tape off
and look at the work freshly
(you can re-tape the paper
to the board if you decide
that it needs more work).
• Practice selecting subjects to
paint, regardless of whether
you end up painting them.
• Be alert to when you have
finished the painting – so
you don’t overwork it.
• Please yourself. Only you
can paint your art.
• When using Arches
Watercolour Paper, choose
before painting where you
want the watermark to go.
 ITALIAN NATURAL EARTH COLOURS
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 I N S I G H T

Robin Rixon

Full฀of฀Possibilities By Robin Rixon

Travelling around Australia taking photographs to add to her reference

material is a primary goal for this artist who loves ‘getting out there’ and
absorbing the vastness of Australia … as well as the colour.

54 Artist’s Palette
 I N S I G H T

M
y interest in art has been with me
since my school days – however
I never actually participated in
any formal education along those lines. My
business career working full-time and being
a mum was taking all my time for many
years. I believe fate stepped in and took a
hand with a serious illness, which more or
less made me slow down and take time to
‘smell the roses’. That was when my art life
received a long-awaited boost.
At around that time, I was paying a visit
to the library when I happened upon a
chance viewing of a demonstration by a very
talented pastellist (Bernard Devaux) who
was enrolling students for his upcoming
classes. The rest is history, as they say!
I became totally captivated by the
pastel medium, and set about to conquer
the art world.
Of course there were a few shocks in store
for me. Being a complete novice, I had a lot
to learn; and (as we know) nothing is quite
as easy as we think it is going to be.
I stayed with Bernard for almost 10
years and I will never be able to thank the
man enough for his enduring patience and
encouragement.
I feel these days that participating in art
has put a lot of ‘value of life’ into my life.
I am retired and living at Lake Macquarie
in New South Wales, never regretting
for one minute the hours I laboured over
my pastels. I have reaped the rewards in
more ways than one. I now paint with two

different art groups. One is Art Lovers
Movement at Cooranbong and the other
is The Wangi Artists. We have guest
demonstrators monthly to encourage
and give guidance.
Hardly a day goes by where I don’t
do something relating to art. There is
always more to learn.
The art groups which I belong to
have regular art shows, where I have
been lucky enough to sell some of my
work. I have also just recently won first
prize at Cooranbong Art Show. Before
moving from Sydney, I also won a
People’s Choice Award at the Forestville
Community Centre Art Show.
56 Artist’s Palette
I N S I G H T
I take commissions now, mainly in
landscapes or seascapes. I am finding
that my so called ‘cowboys’ seem to be
in demand as well.
Being Australian born, I have always
had the great colours of this country
to influence my work. Landscapes and
seascapes of Australia seem to be my
passion although I am willing to try
portraiture and I hope to become more
accomplished along that line.
I am greatly influenced by the
Canadian artist Hayley Brown when it
comes to portraits. I really do admire
his style of pastels.
Just lately I have started teaching
children in the 10 to 11 years age group;
and I hope to continue doing so in 2011.
My teaching endeavours may
be interrupted, however. Another
burning passion has been to travel
around Australia with a caravan,
taking photographs to add to my
reference material. I love getting out
there and absorbing the vastness as
well as the colour.
Having recently returned from
Broken Hill, my mind is full of
possibilities … and I thoroughly
recommend to any artist to go and
explore our vast country, no matter
what their level of ability. n
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N

Pastels

Dramatic฀
Coastline
By Robin Rixon

In search of atmospheric lighting and effects, this artist goes walking late
in the afternoons to photograph wonderful shadow play on her chosen
landscape subjects.

final step
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N
step One
M at e R i a l s
• Full sheet of Mi-Teintes ‘Tex’ in a
light brown (or cinnamon) shade.
• White pastel pencil for
the initial drawing.
• Pastels for the cliffs: Winsor &
Newton Raw Umber Tint 4, Burnt
Umber Tint 3, Yellow Ochre
Tint 1, Yellow Ochre Tint 4; no
specific brand deep purple, light
mauve, light grey and dark grey.
• Pastels for the ocean: Art Spectrum
Phthalo Blue, Dark Phthalo Blue;
Winsor & Newton Green Earth;
Green Blue Shade Tint 1; Rembrandt
Phthalo Blue; no specific brand
light mauve (as for the cliffs).
• Pastels for the scrub: Gallery Dark
Red Brown; no specific brand burnt
orange, and various shades of green.
• Schminke white pastel for
highlights on the cliffs and ocean.
step tHRee
58 Artist’s Palette
step One
I chose a fairly simple landscape
for beginner pastelists, using a
sheet of Mi-Teintes ‘Tex’ textured
paper (sandpaper finish). As the
actual shade of the paper plays a
significant part in pastel work, I
chose a cinnamon colour because
that tone is fairly prominent in
the foreground of the photograph.
First up, I drew the outline of the
cliffs using a white Conte pencil.
I only ever use charcoal if there
are a lot of darks in the painting
and I know it will blend in.
step tWO
I took the time to determine the
shades I intended to use, to give this
work the impact I always like to
achieve. Sometimes I place a little
of each colour on the work just to
make sure I have no catastrophes.
step tWO
I applied the dark bases to the
cliffs using Raw Umber and even
a little purple. If I was using a dark
coloured paper, I would have applied
the lights first. I also started with the
Raw Umber on the cliff surfaces.
step tHRee
I didn’t actually do a sky line – but
chose to blend the colours upwards
from the ocean to create a misty
haze rather than a specific horizon.
I chose to start with Deep Aqua
blending into Green Earth, then
Phthalo Blue with Dark Phthalo
Blue at the base of the cliffs; then
onward to a mauve and finally a
pale lilac. I then used my fingers to
blend the colours together. This is
a contentious point as I know many
pastellists who do not agree with the
method … it is up to you to choose
the ‘look’ you wish to achieve.
step fOuR
 D E M O N S T R A T I O N
step fiVe
I added some ocean breaking
around the base of the cliffs; then I
added Dark Red Brown to make a
start on the scrub on the plains.
step fOuR
The advantage of using textured paper
is that by placing the pastel on its side
and lightly dragging it across the surface
of the paper, I can easily achieve an
uneven distribution of colour and the
colour of the paper will show through
– thus creating a typical rock surface.
I did this using Yellow Ochre for the
main colour; then randomly used lights
and darks of the same shade here and
there. Along the tops of the cliffs I
used Dark Red Brown and gently ran
it down in parts to define the top edge;
aRtist’s Hints anD tips
• By placing newspaper behind
your art paper and making definite
creases in it, when you apply your
pastel to the art paper, the creases
from behind will give your work
definite ridges – which can be
very effective if you are trying to
create an interesting background.
• If you happen to make a mistake,
use a kneadable rubber and never
actually try to rub your colour
off; use more of a ‘lifting’ motion
by placing the rubber on the
colour, applying pressure (a slight
downward motion) and then lifting.
Clean the rubber and repeat.
and create shadows on the rocks …
remembering that as the cliffs recede
towards the background, there is never
as much detail or strength of colour.
As I used lilac in the water, I
added this to the cliff surfaces too. I
think it is important to introduce the
chosen colours all across a painting
(getting them to form one complete
work, not just bits and pieces).
step fiVe
In the foreground, I defined the
rock edges along the tops of the
cliffs (rugged unkempt land without
manicured edges). I started placing
broken horizontal lines across the
cliffs in various shades – dark red,
and light and dark greys. As the
• It is most important to continually
stand back from your work to view
your progress. Acquire a dark piece
of glass, preferably black; stand with
your back to your work, and hold
the glass so that it is above your
shoulder and it reflects your work.
If everything looks the same level
of depth, then you have not made
your contrasts heavy enough – and
you should go back and work on
your shadows. This is a marvellous
way to give your work impact.
• I choose around 4.00 pm in the
afternoons to go walking and
take my photographs, because
final step
photograph I was working from was
an aerial view, the bushes were more
like dots rather than leafy shrubs
and therefore I started adding the
various shades of green together with
the Dark Red Brown, with a lighter
burnt orange shade for highlights.
final step
I added highlights of white on
the breaking ocean and also on
the cliffs (where they would
be getting the most sun).
Finishing can take quite a while
– paying attention to details and
highlights – but it is important never to
rush the final step as it is what you will
be presenting to the viewers in the hope
that they will enjoy your work. n
the shadows can be wonderful
at that time of the day.
• The Australian Outback is a
never-ending source of reference
material with its magnificent
colours. One way to capture the
vastness is to have huge skies in
your work and minimum fuss in the
foreground … the essence being
‘space’. And often, less is more.
• Once I have completed a painting I
always hang it in a prominent place
so I can view it from time to time
before having it framed. It is amazing
how many times I have picked up
errors which I did not see originally.
 S T U D I O
Setting฀Up฀a฀Studio
This short article came to our Technical Editor from a reader who was
sharing her personal hints on setting up a wonderful studio on her property.
Rita Tarrant won a beautiful and useful gift pack from Peter Watts and his
team at Genesis Paints.
T
o receive her wonderful prize
of specialised paints, Rita
Tarrant simply sent me an
informative email about her new
art studio. Particularly with regard
to her allergy to traditional oils, I
am sure Rita will enjoy using the
Genesis Heat Set Oils products.
60 Artist’s Palette
I N S P I R A T I O N
Contributed by Dalerie Patterson (and Rita Tarrant)
Thank you Rita for your contribution,
which is reproduced below…
Hello Dalerie,
I have recently moved and lost my old
studio; so I thought I would tell you
about my new one. It is a second-hand
campsite cabin, about seven and a half
metres long by three metres wide.
The cabin was advertised in local
paper. I was quick off the mark, second
in line, with a queue behind me!
These cabins come in various
designs. Mine was just an oblong
with two bunks each side at the
far end, with a little robe between
them (which is handy for storage).
Once the beds were removed, I had
plenty of space with the kitchen (with
sliding doors) along one wall.
My cabin studio has various windows
and lots of cupboards; and the
electrics and insulation are all there.
All that we needed to do was
to set up the footings before the
cabin arrived. We read the Council
rules and got that sorted. We then
had the cabin transported to site
– which cost about $2,000. The
cabin itself cost about $6,000.
So I have set up a desk and easels,
office whiz chair, studio desk light;
and, of course, music. One wall is
painted magnolia but I still have
another one to do to reflect more light.
After reading your ‘Setting Up
a Studio’ tutorial, I realised my
windows were in a different aspect.
However, I can adjust my artificial
light and roll my easel into the place
where I have maximum light.
 S T U D I O I N S P I R A T I O N

I have a fire to keep me warm

and a fan to keep me cool – so I
am happily tucked away in my little
eyrie with Neil Diamond creating the
mood with his background music.
Now, where has my talent gone?
I thought I would share my studio
solution with you and the readers
of the magazine. Maybe someone
else can do something similar.
My view looks out onto
mountains and dairy farms. I am
visited by the cat and dog, and
sometimes the three donkeys.
We live at Brogo near Bega,
in New South Wales. There
are heaps of artists here.
I just love the magazine … which I
read over and over. I had not painted
for 40 years. I am trying acrylics
now, because I am allergic to oils.
Rita Tarrant

Well readers, that was Rita’s helpful

advice – which may well spark off
some similar projects in various parts
of Australia. We always welcome
constructive input from artists, about a
variety of topics; and I was delighted to
organise the gift which was sent to this
contributor from our generous sponsor.
But that is not all. I received
some more correspondence from
Rita Tarrant a little while later …

THE POSTSCRIPT
Hi Dalerie,
I have just received a huge parcel
jammed in my rural letterbox from
Genesis Paints. Wow! That was fast
off the mark. I can only thank you
most effusively for awarding me the
prize. It was totally unexpected. The
prize has lifted my spirits, as I had a
minor accident two weeks ago. I am
bloody and bruised but still here!
So now I am off to my new studio
with my prize pack … to learn
some more about painting.
All the best,
Rita Tarrant
62 Artist’s Palette