Petronella van Leusden: Vibrant Layers: Mixed Media & Pastel Still Life

Unlock the power of colour in this two-day workshop, Vibrant Layers: Mixed Media & Pastel Still Life, led by Master Pastellist Petronella van Leusden, who studied at Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague and has over 30 years of teaching experience. 

With a focus on colour theory and its application in still life, this workshop explores the dynamic interplay of complementary underpaintings and bold pastel strokes.  You can choose to create vibrant works that range between traditional, contemporary  and abstract styles.

Open to artists of all levels, this workshop will delve into the essentials of still life composition. You will experiment with colour to add depth, energy and expression to your pieces, making colour the star of the show.

Workshop Goals:

• Experiment with value and tonal thinking.

• Develop cohesion and composition in still life using simplification, Notan, and design planning.

• Finding pastels of correct tonal value.

• Learn color theory: complementary and harmonizing colors, color temperature, and creating greys.

• Explore underpainting techniques.

• Discover the versatility of pastels for creating textures, blends, and mixtures.

• Build confidence in pastel techniques and application.

Students will explore value, color theory, and composition in still life. Topics include complementary and harmonizing colors, color temperature, creating greys, underpainting, tonal thinking, and Notan. They will also learn to simplify designs, plan compositions, and confidently use pastel to create textures, blends, and cohesive artworks.

Material List:

About The Tutor

Award winning artist Petronella van Leusden’s work shows an incredibly diverse skill set. She uses a varied range of materials and mediums to give

expression to her subject. Her work ranges from sculpture to painting, from oil to pastel, from portrait to landscape, from abstract to realism.

Petronella is a Master Pastellist in the Pastel Society of Australian Inc. She has been the feature artist at BeScene Gallery.

Multi-talented and versatile, Petronella’s work ranges from subtle nuances of tone and texture through to passionate and bold strokes of vibrancy depending on what the idea requires. Her work aims to encapsulate the essence of beauty and evoke the emotion beyond the form. She explores her visual vocabulary and pushes it to its extremes and tantalises the viewers.

Petronella has studied fine art and sculpture extensively both in The Netherlands and Australia and her knowledge and breadth of experience demonstrates itself with her use of depth and form. Her work integrates a three dimensionality where the subject and the environment interact. Her focus is to use her creative expression to channel and elicit an emotive response from the viewer, allowing them to add their interpretation. 

Petronella is the coordinator of the Pastel Society of Australia Gold Coast meetings.