Tors of Namadgi - Rock Painting Techniques in Pastel (NEW!), with Caroline Reid

Learn all about painting the rocks of Namadgi National Park using the unique soft pastel techniques of landscape artist Caroline Reid.

Details:

• Date:  Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 November
  
• Days/Times: Saturday 9.00am at Namadji Visitors Centre; Sunday 9.45am at NatureArt Lab Studio, M16 Artspace
  
• Locations: Namadji Visitors Centre, Naas Road, Tharwa for field sketches Saturday morning, followed by studio work in the afternoon; Sunday at Workspace A Studio, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, Canberra. 

About the workshop:
Always been stumped by rocks? This course will cover the techniques for tackling rocks as a subject in landscape painting with pastels. The course includes a half day workshop at Rendezvous Creek in Namadgi National Park where you will take photos, make sketches and learn about painting rocks, including a picnic together by the creek.

In the afternoon we will return to the classroom to learn about how to tackle the form and texture of rocks with soft pastels and how a knowledge of their geological source helps you paint with confidence. On the second day, you will create an intimate landscape painting of rocks under the guidance of the tutor, pulling together the knowledge and techniques learned the previous day.  At the end of the class you can expect to produce a painting project and have a collection of photos and sketches of tors/ rocks to continue your own studies.

Experience/pre-requisites: Suitable for intermediate students with their own pastel set who wish to develop their landscape painting skills.

Learning Outcomes

•  Knowledge of the tors (rocks) of Namadgi National Park, including weathering and surface structures
  
• Sketching and photographing rocks.
  
•  Choosing a rock subject
  
• The materials and techniques to paint rocks in soft pastel
  
•  How to under-paint rocks
  
•  Make rocks look alive and exciting
  
•  Finish an intimate rock landscape

Materials List: 

• Mobile phones and/or iPad to take reference photos.
  
• Your own landscapes pastel set with a good range of values and landscape colours
  
• Pastel paper will be supplied at $10 per sheet
  
• Small watercolour sketch pad and pencil
  
• Smalls set of watercolours and a brush, water container
  
•  Walking shoes, hat and something to sit on
• Blue masking tape 
• Wide flat bristle brush

Field Trip: 

Day One is a half day field trip at Rendezvous Creek in Namadgi National Park. A vehicle is required to meet at Namadgi NP Visitors centre. We can carpool from there. There is no off-road driving required. Please note you must be able to walk on a bush track for 500m return. If it is wet or very overcast, the outdoor workshop will be done at the Nature Art Lab M16 studio. If in doubt on the day call the tutor on 0419586624. The tutor will provide chicken and vegetarian wraps and a flask of tea for lunch on the field trip. 

Rendezvous Creek carpark, Namadgi NP (Map ref: Link)

About the tutor:

Caroline Reid is a contemporary landscape artist based in Canberra, on Ngunnawal Country in Australia. She draws deep inspiration from the rugged, semi-alpine terrain that surrounds her—flanked by mountain ranges to the east and west, and the Snowy Mountains to the south.

Though art has always been part of her life, Caroline spent many years working in science and industry policy, leaving little time to pursue a professional art career. It was through plein air painting that she reconnected with her creative practice, using it as a path to physical and emotional recovery, grounded in her profound care for the natural world.
For Caroline, the life force in nature is endlessly restorative. She is especially drawn to the wild beauty of Kosciuszko National Park and the remote areas of Namadgi National Park. There, the movement of water and the warmth of sunlight are more than just elements—they’re the vital energies that breathe life into the landscapes she paints.
Her work spans a variety of styles, from realism to impressionism, with a particular love for soft pastel and watercolour as her mediums of choice.

Images: Rendezvous Creek Boulders, 2024, 75 x 65cm, pastel by Caroline Reid; photography by Caroline Reid

NatureArt Lab Awards:

• 2022, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Promoting Sustainability, ACT
• 2024, Telstra Best of Business Award Winner for Building Communities, ACT