Italian Renaissance Alive | Oil Painting Masterclass Series

25th May - 29th Jun

Italian Renaissance Alive | Oil Painting Masterclass Series

HOTA Gallery presents an exclusive series of Oil Painting Masterclasses to extend your Italian Renaissance Alive experience.  Each session will be facilitated by a prominent artist in our region, showcasing foundational techniques and Renaissance influences relevant to the lead artist’s practice. 

Join us for a day of skilled yet informal instruction, hands-on learning and fun artmaking in a relaxed setting, all abilities are welcome.  All painting materials will be supplied for use on the day and a light lunch will be provided. 

Don’t wait to secure your ticket, Masterclass spots are strictly limited to 15 seats per session!

Sat 25 May – Joel Rea

Sat 1 Jun - René Bolten

Sat 15 Jun - Anne Smerdon

Sat 29 Jun - Michael Zavros

Please note, ticket price is per session.

Dates

25th May - 29th Jun

Where

The Studio - HOTA Gallery

Ages

Age Restricted 18+

Duration

6 hrs (includes interval break)

Tickets

Adult $220
Artist Pass Holders $187
Teachers Pass Holders $187
_{Price is per session}

Times

Sat 25 May - 10:00am

Sat 01 June - 10:00am

Sat 15 June - 10:00am

Sat 29 June - 10:00am

#Sessions

Introduction to Virtuosic Realism

With Joel Rea

Sat 25 May

Still Life and the Loaded Object

With René Bolten

Sat 1 Jun

Understanding Light and Colour

With Anne Smerdon

Sat 15 Jun

Mastering the Masters: An Introduction

With Michael Zavros

Sat 29 Jun

#Artist Bios

Joel Rea

Joel Rea is a highly acclaimed and multi award-winning artist known for his surreal, allegorical paintings. Rea’s oil on canvas works stand somewhere between genres of hyperrealism, photorealism and virtuosic Renaissance realism. From this amalgamation of influences, Rea has created a unique and recognisable style portraying social awareness and personal introspection through his impeccable execution of brush work detail. Inspired by the mysteries of the animal kingdom and the Universe beyond, Rea’s meanings and narratives touch on the vast complexity of the human condition, presenting messages embracing the ageless turmoil of human inner consciousness and our species’ unwavering desire to survive. Rea combines contemporary visuals with qualities of the sublime in painting, provoking the deepest possible emotional response through technically achieved aesthetics. His imagery frequently depicts: self-portraits; tigers; dogs; sun rays coming through clouds; and destructive waves inspired by the turbulent Australian coastline where he played as a child. 

Image courtesy of artist.

René Bolten

Dutch born, Australian based artist and educator René Bolten hails from The Hague, Netherlands and studied at the Amsterdam Academy for Visual Art Education. Bolten has exhibited nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions and was awarded the Northern Rivers Portrait Prize in 2013. His preferred genres are still life and portraiture that he creates from his studio in Georgica, Northern Rivers NSW.  

Image: René Bolten by Raimond de Weerdt.

Anne Smerdon

Anne Smerdon is an award-winning Australian artist working in oil, watercolour and charcoal. Her work focuses on the complex but often-overlooked minds and personalities of animals, particularly birds. Her work is closely tied with conservation and education. With an extensive knowledge of bird psychology and body language, Anne works with live birds to raise awareness and educate others about the physical, emotional and intellectual needs of birds in captivity and the wild. In recent years, Anne has been a 2x winner of the Doyles art prize for still life, a finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize, the Wollumbin Art Prize and the Border Art Prize. 

Image courtesy of artist.

Michael Zavros

Michael Zavros is a leading Australian artist. Best known as a realist painter, he also exhibits drawing, photography, film and sculpture. His work has been shown and collected by most major museums in Australia. Forthcoming projects include Namedropping at MONA, Hobart and a solo exhibition at Dunedin Public Art Gallery.  Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Zavros has had a long association with Gold Coast City Art Gallery and HOTA.

Image courtesy of artist