ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

Welcome to this 2 day flower painting workshop. A joyful subject.

In this workshop we will look at ways of describing the floral still life set-up in acrylic and collage. You will be encouraged to find your way in with loose expressive marks. Remember “You can make a wild goose tame but you can't make a tame goose wild.”

I will demonstrate how you can break down the information into simple shapes and describe the liveliness of the set-up in swift moves of a rag and large brushes. Scumbling on dry paint, splashing wet paint. In this way we will gradually ease our way into the painting process.

You will have the opportunity to use collage. It’s a lovely addition and brings new colour and pattern options. The ink and pastels bring liveliness and variety to the surface.

Throughout the workshop Aine will give regular inspirational and energetic demonstrations showing how she uses all these materials. The focus is on being truly attentive to this beautiful subject and engaging a spirit of playfulness.

Materials needed

Easels, boards, tables and water containers will be provided.

Please bring masking tape and kitchen roll.

Acrylic Paint in these colours
Hookers green
Sap green
Lemon yellow
Cadmium red
Crimson Ultramarine blue
Cerulean blue White
Vandyke brown (or burnt umber)
Any Violet or Purple
Yellow ochre (optional)

A tear off palette for acrylic
Rags, masking tape and an old 1" or 2" flat bristle brush (I'll bring a few).

Brush set – you may have plenty of brushes for acrylic, feel free to use your own.
Aine uses - Royal & Langnickel 12 longhandled Brush Value Pack.

Prepared card will be available to purchase at the workshop, at €3 per sheet. You will use one or two sheets per day.

You may find you have some inks and pastels at home that you could bring; acrylic/alcohol inks, oil and chalk pastels.

Meet AINE

We are delighted to be welcoming Aine Divine back, she has become our more-than-welcome regular! Her workshops are a real treat for our students. Aine is a portrait artist and art teacher. Originally from Co. Cork, she graduated in 1991 from the Crawford College of Art and Design and in 1995 gained a Higher Diploma in art teaching. Now living in Roslin, Midlothian she teaches, paints, and is a mum to "three wonderful girls".

Aine was shortlisted for the Irish National Portrait Award three years in a row and was an award winner in 1993. In 2005, she painted Mo Mowlam for BBC 1's 'Star Portraits' and was delighted that her portrait was chosen to keep. This portrait has since been purchased by the National Gallery of Ireland (2019). In 2007, she painted Olympic triple jumper, Jonathan Edwards, her commissioned portraits went on to include footballers for the Hibernian Historical Society and winners of the British Open Golf Championship.

Aine was a finalist in the Sky Arts portrait artist of the year award 2014, painting singer Neil Hannon in the first round, a double portrait of Richard Dawkins and Sally Hitchner in the semi-final, RSC voice coach Cicely Berry, and then, Sir Ian McKellen for the final.

One of Aine's self-portraits was selected for exhibition in the Royal Watercolour Society's annual contemporary art show at the Bankside Gallery in London in 2014 and won the Heatherleys Studio Award. Aine has also won Winsor and Newton awards for her portrait of Matthew in the same show in 2013, and for 'Carolina in Gold' in 2015. Aine exhibits widely in Scotland and won the watermark award at the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour summer show last year for one of her many portraits of singer Lake Montgomery.

Aine's work is currently featured in The Artist and Artist and Illustrators magazine.