Exploring Oil Pastels workshop
With Narelle Higson
When: Monday June 8th 10am - 1pm (3 hours)
Cost: $90 (materials included for use within the workshop).
About the Workshop
Come along to this introductory session to learn all you ever wanted to know about oil pastels (and more)! Oil pastels are wonderfully forgiving and fun to use on their own or in mixed media work, once you know a few basic principles for use. They require very little space and are easy to set up and pack away. What’s not to love?!
This relaxed and informative workshop will cover:
the unique qualities of different types and brands of oil pastels and the potential uses for each
their use on different surfaces such as paper, canvas and wood
their use with other art materials such as acrylics, gouache and inks
how to preserve oil pastel artworks using fixative / varnish / cold-wax
This workshop is equally suited to beginners and those more experienced artists looking to add a different tool to their creative toolbox.
What to bring?
Materials will be provided, however you are welcome to bring:
Any oil pastels you may already have
Watercolour or gouache (if you have any) for “underpainting” and a brush
Pencils/coloured pencils
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Due to the nature of these workshops we cannot refund your ticket if you cancel within 7 days of the event. The Corner Store Gallery reserves the right to cancel this workshop due to unforeseen circumstances or if minimum tickets sales are not met. In the event of teacher cancellation your payment will be fully refunded.
About Narelle
Narelle Higson is a contemporary Australian artist known for her expressive oil pastel drawings, a notoriously challenging medium that she has mastered with a distinctive and dynamic approach. Describing herself as more of a scribbler than a painter, Narelle embraces the raw, tactile quality of oil pastels, layering them with cold wax to build depth, texture, and rich luminosity. Through a process of layering and scraping back, she reveals intricate surfaces that capture the essence of the landscapes she observes.
Deeply inspired by the Australian landscape, Narelle’s work explores the interplay of colour, light, and movementfound in grasses, bushland, flora, and water. Her mark-making reflects the energy and rhythm of the natural world, transforming familiar scenery into expressive, abstracted impressions.
After years spent working in health and children’s television, Narelle returned to full-time art practice, honing a unique style that has gained recognition across Australia. She has been a finalist in several juried exhibitions, including the 2022 Perth Royal Art Prize for Landscape, and her works are held in private and civic collections both nationally and internationally.
