Under a Winter Sky
16th – 19th August 2024
Under a Winter Sky; three nights at Waterloo Station in the beauty of winter. A plein air drawing session by Wellingrove Creek, provided inspiration for a painting created in the studio across the weekend. This program was designed for all levels of experience, whether new to art and keen to learn or seasoned artists looking for fresh ideas and a great weekend in the company of others.
Log fires, delicious meals, professional tuition and super comfy accommodation combined to made this Earth Stories retreat, a wonderful experience.
Friday
16th
What a fun weekend!
2pm on: Arrived at Waterloo, settled into rooms complete with bathroom, central heating, and all the amenities for a cosy stay. Time to chill or take a walk through the paddocks with views to the Matheson Ranges. In the evening, we met for a glass of mulled wine by the fire, before dinner at the Shearers Quarter’s Dining Room.
Saturday
17th
We started in the Shearer’s Quarters lounge for an inspiring outline of the weekend’s art activities with a focus on artists throughout history who have focused on the life of rivers.
Fully inspired, we then walked to Wellingrove Creek for a drawing session, with a break for fresh baked cake and morning tea on the creek shack verandah.
Back at the studio for lunch, we surveyed our source material considered the approaches of a range of artists, translated drawings into paintings, and explored expressive colour, mark-making, and compositional techniques to convey a personal view of the Waterloo landscape.
Saturday night dinner was served in the historic dining room ar Waterloo homestead, for a glimpse into the history of the station. After dinner, far from the city, the vast starry sky was a moment of connection with the infinite!
Sunday
18th
On Sunday we met in the studio at 9am for a day of painting. Sunday was a day to settle and to develop the initial painting or a series, working at your own pace, with plenty of cups of tea, inspiration and support as needed.
Lunch, morning, afternoon tea, and dinner were served through the day, leaving everyone free to immerse in the painting experience. As the day closed, there was the sharing of idea and the pleasure of seeing paintings emerge. The studio was available to work in the changing light of evening. Sunday dinner was a time of laughter, and celebration of a shared time in a beautiful place.
Monday
19th
On Monday morning there was time to enjoy the tranquility and a leisurely breakfast in our various accommodation areas, before packing and saying our farewells, while a few of the group had chosen to extend their time at Waterloo, tuned in to the landscape with some more art making.
Meet your host
Bronwyn McKean
Bronwyn McKean is a QCT registered art teacher, artist and host of Earth Stories Art Workshops: quality skills building art workshops designed to deepen our connection with the land. Bronwyn studied Visual Arts and Art Theory at University of NSW, Charles Sturt University and New England TAFE. She has a particular interest in place-based art education and her work as a teacher and artist spans 30 years.
Accommodation & Inclusions
Accommodation and Meals: Three nights accommodation in private rooms with heating and own bathrooms. Lunch, morning and afternoon teas Saturday and Sunday, two course dinners Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tuition: Regular demonstrations at each stage and full tuition, with a two day Earth Stories drawing and painting workshop designed for Wellingrove Creek and Waterloo Station. A wide array or art books and inspiring reference material were also available in the studio across the weekend.
Materials: A primed canvas, sketchbook and drawing materials, workshop notes will be included.
warm comfy clothes, walking shoes, folding chair, sunhat, water bottle, acrylic paints, brushes, (a suggested colour list will be provided), apron, rags, and water container.
Suits: Due to the immersive, specialised nature of the program, this retreat was designed for adult workshop participants, and really suits those with an special interest in art, from beginners to advanced.
Fully Booked.
Contact Bronwyn at
Earth Stories on 0432 260 710
Earth Stories Art Workshops 