Hi, and welcome!

My name is Allie and I am here to help you get it.

I am a practicing visual artist, writer, radio presenter, film maker... if you want to find out more about me and my work please follow this link:   http://alisonhanly.blogspot.com

As an art teacher I see my job as being part coach, part mentor, part hand holder, part facilitator.  I am there to meet you at the place you at at in your relationship to your art and your creativity.  If you have very little experience in art then I will set you up to understand and experience the basics of materials and techniques.  If you have some experience then I will find out what you know and what you would like to know and work with you from there.  If you have got a lot of experience then I am there more as a second opinion and moral support.

Disclaimer:  I am not trained in traditional painting techniques, like tonal realism.  If you are wanting to learn tonal painting techniques or super technical drawing I may not be the right teacher for you.  However I am happy to find good books or dvds and to work through them with you.

That said, I do have a wealth of technical skills, real art creation experience and a bundle of knowledge about painting and drawing.  I know and can teach you all sorts of cool stuff about line, tone, mark making, stretching canvasses, types of materials and what you can do with them.  I can teach you colour theory, composition, perspective, and how to create depth and distance in your work.
 
My focus is on self expression (yours) and helping you figure out what and how you want to paint or draw.  I am not going to teach you my method, I don't want you to come away painting exactly like me.  I want you to come away painting and drawing just like you.

I can teach you the principles of good image making, i.e. composition, tone, colour etc.  But that knowledge is simply to help you understand what you are struggling with and give you more choices.  I don't believe in 'right' or 'wrong' ways to paint.  I don't believe it is possible to 'cheat'.  Art is about problem solving and trying any way you can to get the vision in your head out of it so others can see.  Art is also about experience, you can't learn it from reading books, you have to do it.  It is experimental and sometimes the experiments don't work, what we do then is talk about what happened and what might have worked better. 
The journey you take as a creative is not all sunshine and light, it is not always playtime nor is it always easy.  I love it when it is all of those things, but it often isn't especially when you are starting.  It can be bliss, peace, contentment, connection, but it can also be frustration, disappointment, an ego battleground and just plain boring.

But as with any new skill you have to practice and with practice comes ease.  So don't be afraid to start, it is only by starting that we can ever get to the good stuff.

Classes in Castlemaine and surrounds

I don't have any regular classes running at the moment but...

Private tutoring is available in painting and drawing.  We can either work from the studio, your home or, if suitable, in a park or cafe.

A delightful class of lovely people in Malvern, Melbourne.

Drawing Classes

These drawing classes are an ongoing class suitable for people with all levels of experience.  There will be still life, life drawing, creativity exercises and experimentation with materials and techniques.

Beginners will get some extra attention to cover the basics and familiarise you with materials.  More advanced participants can listen in an get a refresher on things like line, tone, perspective and texture, or they can concentrate on their own work.

It is a space where you can be among other adventurous souls and help each other along with feedback and encouragement.

Quotes

"A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires. "
Hedy Lamarr

"A writer should write with his eyes and a painter paint with his ears. "
Gertrude Stein

 
"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one."
Charles Horton Cooley

"The history of art is the history of revivals."
Samuel Butler 


"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. "
Pablo Picasso


"What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit."
John Updike

"Every artist was first an amateur. "
Ralph Waldo Emerson

..

Classes in Melbourne

At the moment there are no classes running in Melbourne. 

Please still feel free to contact me to inquire about future classes or to request a class or workshop. 

Private tutoring

I am happy to offer private tutoring sessions to both adults and kids.  These can take place either at your home or we can meet in a cafe somewhere.  I am happy to travel to neighbouring towns around Castlemaine, in Central Victoria.

In a private session I would want to talk to you about what you wish to achieve artistically, what you feel is holding you back and if you have any work you have already made I would love to see it.  We would then talk about what might be the best way to proceed and we will go from there. 

I might ask you to do some exercises, I might explain some artistic concepts or techniques and we can talk about what it feels like to make art and what can happen along the way as we become artists.   I may also recommend some artists or movements for you to look into.

The rates for private sessions:

1hour
1 person       $45           ($45 per person/per hour)
2 people       $60           ($30 pp/ph)
3 people       $75           ($25 pp/ph)


2hours
1 person       $80           ($40 per person/per hour)
2 people       $100         ($25 pp/ph)
3 people       $120         ($20 pp/ph)


3hours
1 person       $120         ($40 per person/per hour)
2 people       $150         ($25 pp/ph)
3 people       $180         ($20 pp/ph)
4 people       $210         ($17.50 pp/ph)