Expressive Painting
is a 6 week course for anyone who wants to develop a deeper and more personal relationship with painting.
We will begin by painting from a still life, working from a three dimensional subject to strengthen observation, structure and confidence. From there, we'll gradually move into experimentation, exploring how colour, gesture, brushwork and the physicality of paint can express mood and emotion rather than simply describe what we see.
The course is designed to help you build strong observational skills while discovering your own visual language.
Suitable for both beginners and experienced painters, with individual guidance in a supportive studio environment.
Painting Masterclass: ‘Happy Accidents’
By: Gonzalo Varela
Berninneit Art Gllery
Cowes Vic. Australia
11/04/2026
10am - 1pm
DescriptionSpend 3 hours with exhibiting artist Gonzalo Varela, exploring the creative potential of working with accidents and chance as a point of departure in your painting practice. Through suggestive stains and spontaneous marks, learn to discover hidden images and how to develop these with character, intention and form.
This workshop is suitable for adults and children over 16 years. You will be working with ink and acrylics on paper. Materials are provided, but you are also welcome to bring your own water-based inks or acrylics.
This workshop accompanies Gonzalo Varela’s exhibition ‘The Second Horizon’ at Berninneit Art Gallery 28 March – 17 May. Gonzalo uses this technique of ‘happy accidents’ in his own creative practice: ‘I understand chance not as a mistake, but as a trigger that is then shaped and refined through conscious decisions. From there, we engage with fundamental principles of visual language such as balance, contrast, direction, light, colour and their many variations.’
Happy Accidents Workshop. Thank you!
