Time To Get Artsy

Whitsundays Arts Festival has released its jam-packed full art workshop program for the weeklong annual celebration.

Running from September 17 to 25, the regular festival calendar is once again brimming with workshops, some exploring the festival’s theme of “Memories” and others “just for fun.”

The festival’s artists-in-residence are set to take participants through a series of free and ticketed workshops.

Each is designed to be enjoyed, packed with opportunities to learn, develop skills, network with your community of fellow artists, and collaborate on large art installations while you create an art piece to take home.

The professional series of workshops will be held from 17-24 September in the workshop space at Kipara Tropical Rainforest Retreat, and on 24-25 September at the festival site in Fairy Tree Park on the Airlie Beach foreshore.

Workshop coordinator and Townsville artist and art teacher Sandy Guy said the program had “a great variety of workshops this year.”

“Due to the popularity of previous year’s workshops and increasing demand we will be expanding to a full week of fun and creative opportunities for the whole community of the Whitsundays,” Sandy said.

Artists-in-residence Michael Pope and Aaron Ashley will be hosting Urban Sketching workshops at the festival site on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September.

These morning workshops will take participants through “en plein air” sketching, exploring how to select a scene and then quickly capture the essence using shapes as reference and adding details and tone.

At the Kipara Tropical Rainforest Retreat in the week leading up to the festival festivities, last year’s art exhibition winner, Lisa Ashcroft, will take you on an exploration of new ways of working with watercolours and acrylics.

Or tap into your inner street artist and explore street art techniques with Townsville artist and art teacher Sandra Guy.

One of the most popular workshops last year was Creating Children’s Books with publisher, illustrator, and children’s books author Sofia Fortunato, which will be back this year.

And for a first-ever Sip & Paint workshop with Amanda Sadler who will lead participants through Frida Khalo-esque painting techniques, all while sipping on your favourite drinks.

As well as those professional series program, there are free workshops assisting visiting artists to produce exciting art installations that will be transforming the festival site into an outdoor art spectacular on Saturday 24 September.

These include stingrays made from rope and recycled materials with Marion Gaemers and Lynnette Griffiths, and painted memory boards with Amanda Sadler.

The 2022 art workshop program is promising to be an exciting and interactive addition to the Whitsundays Arts Festival, built on the vision of bringing art to everyone, and the opportunity to immerse yourself in creativity.

Whether it be weaving, painting, stitching, storytelling and illustration, or sketching, the festival wants to help you explore your artistic potential this year with some of Queensland’s finest artists.

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