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Workshops & MASTERCLASSES

VAS AUTUMN Workshops

Our workshops are the perfect opportunity to expand your practice by trying a new technique or digging into an intensive. In these one-off sessions, artists can learn from some of the best Australian artists, including our regular VAS teaching artists and guests. These are intensive courses running in the VAS Studio. The lineup of workshops is always different: previous workshops have included still life in oil, watercolour basics, collage and plein air painting among many others. See our upcoming workshops and book in below.

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Portrait Workshop with Sarah Anthony

Sarah Anthony
6 Apr 2026 – 8 Apr 2026
From $ 400.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
The aim of this workshop is to successfully complete an oil portrait from a live model, from pencil drawing through to finished piece.
Find out more
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How the Sketchbook can inform your Art Practice with Stacey McCall

9 Apr 2026 – 10 Apr 2026
From $ 290.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Sketchbooks illustrate progression within a practice, and while my work has become less literal, my painting now directly references the drawings in my sketchbook, loose and gestural, informing my oil paintings.
Find out more
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Studying the Masters: Watercolour Workshop

Maxine Wade
14 Apr 2026 – 15 Apr 2026
From $ 290.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Through some examples of the great masters John Singer Sargent and J.M.W. Turner, we will examine their marvellous watercolour techniques to improve your own painting and elevate your understanding of the medium of watercolour.
Join the Waitlist
Find out more
The Milk Bar

Paper Remains: Papermaking and Drawing Workshop

16 Apr 2026 – 17 Apr 2026
From $ 290.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Have you got a pile of rejected art on paper lurking in the corner of your studio? It seems a shame to toss that good paper into the green bin. Don’t toss it! Recycle, Reuse and Redraw on it.
Find out more
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Painting the Past: Archaeological Still Life in Oils

Madaline Harris-Schober
Sunday 3 May 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
From $ 80.00
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
In this one-day workshop, participants will paint a medium sized still life oil painting based on a selection of genuine archaeological artefacts dating from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. These objects come from teaching collections used in excavations and will be available for close observation throughout the day.
Find out more
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Alla Prima Oil Painting: Relics with Liz Gridley

Liz Gridley
Saturday 9 May 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
From $ 150.00
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Alla Prima Oil Painting: Relics, spending time with your loved one. Learn the basics of oil painting with local artist Liz Gridley as she invites you to bring a relic (an item you have kept from someone who has died) to feature in your still life.
Find out more
Nathalie Anne

Mother's Day Silk Painting Workshop

Nathalie Anne
Sunday 10 May 2026, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
From $ 110.00
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Presented as part of Imprint: What Remains, this special workshop accompanies Nathalie Anne’s solo exhibition Held in Line, inviting students to engage with the creative process within the gallery environment.
Find out more

MASTERCLASSES

Join some of Australia's most exceptional artists in these hybridised workshop/demonstration classes.

Our masterclasses are held in our upper galleries. Participants can enrol in the class to paint along - but non-participant observers are welcome for free!

Masterclasses are recommended for artists with some experience in the medium.

Upcoming Masterclasses

Summer Evening - Low Head 17cm x 17cm $500

Masterclass in Watercolour with Clive Sinclair

Clive Sinclair
Thursday 2 Apr 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
From $ 150.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
This masterclass in watercolour will explore painting towards abstraction by simplifying the landscape to a minimal image.
Find out more
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Luminous Portraits Masterclass with Andrea Huelin

9 Apr 2026 – 10 Apr 2026
From $ 450.00
10:30 am – 3:30 pm
Build a better portrait from the first brushstroke. Join Archibald Packing Room Prize Winning artist Andrea Huelin for two days of intensive study focused on the "Direct Painting" method.
Join the Waitlist
Find out more
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A Practical Method for Tonal Realism with T. J. Murphy

T. J. Murphy
30 Apr 2026 – 1 May 2026
From $ 375.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
This masterclass introduces a practical method for tonal realism inspired by Australian Tonalism.
Find out more
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Figure / Fragment / Form Masterclass with Nic Plowman

Friday 8 May 2026, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
From $ 300.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Join artist Nic Plowman for an engaging life drawing workshop that encourages play, experimentation, and a fresh way of approaching the figure.
Find out more
BEN RYAN - Portrait of Wendy Harmer 'The Rooster May Crow...'

The Portrait in Oils Masterclass with Ben Ryan

2 Sep 2026 – 4 Sep 2026
From $ 500.00
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
In this workshop, participants will develop a single oil painting of the portrait sitter over three days.
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Acknowledgment of traditional owners.

We would like to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which our building stands, their leaders, past, present and emerging.