Connecting with Landscape Through Paint in Oils or Acrylics | Alicja Gear

Capture the beauty of the landscape and transform it into a vibrant, expressive painting in this immersive two-day workshop with acclaimed artist Alicja Gear.

Combining outdoor observation with studio-based painting, you'll learn how to gather inspiration from nature and develop it into a finished artwork using oil or acrylic paints - your choice! With demonstrations, personalised guidance and plenty of painting time, this workshop is designed to strengthen your skills while helping you develop your own unique artistic voice.

About the Workshop

Day 1: The workshop begins with a field trip to the Breakfast Creek, which is walking distance from the studio, where participants will gather their own reference material through photography and quick observational sketches. During this initial session, students will explore the fundamentals of composition, learning how to identify compelling subjects and create strong visual foundations for successful paintings.

Returning to the studio mid-morning, participants will begin developing their paintings using loose, expressive underpainting techniques before gradually building layers of colour, texture, and detail.

Day 2: Students will continue to further development of their paintings. Throughout the workshop, Alicja will demonstrate a range of painting approaches, guiding participants through colour mixing, tonal values, layering techniques and expressive mark-making.

What will I learn?

These classes build on each student's existing painting experience, helping them refine their skills and develop their own unique artistic style. With personalised one-on-one support, participants will gain confidence in creating dynamic landscape paintings. The workshop offers a supportive and immersive environment that encourages both technical growth and individual creative expression.

• Fundamentals of composition
• How to identify compelling subjects and create strong visual foundations for successful paintings
• Colour mixing
• Understanding tonal values
• Layering techniques with paint
• Expressive mark-making

Who is this course suitable for?

Suitable for beginners through to experienced painters.

What do I need to bring?

References:

In this workshop we will be working from photos and plein air drawings that we take and sketch on the first day. Extra photos will be provided should the weather make things difficult. If you have other photos of landscapes you would like to bring to paint, if we have time, we can use those too.

What is provided?

• Table easels and chairs

• A friendly and supportive environment

• Connection to the Bienarte art community.

About Alicja Gear

Alicja Gear is a contemporary New Zealand artist whose expressive oil paintings capture the shifting light, emotion, and atmosphere of coastal and rural landscapes. Through bold colour and gestural brushwork, she creates immersive impressions that invite deeper connection with place. Loose, expressive brushwork and layers of paint in vibrant hues transition into softer tones, subtly revealing what lies beneath. The varied brush marks, each with different weight and significance, create movement, infusing life into her landscapes. Alicja’s approach invites a deeper connection to both the beauty of nature and the process of painting itself, offering a unique, immersive visual experience.

Alicja enjoys teaching in a warm, inclusive environment. Watching as students take on ideas and techniques and their own style of painting developing.

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