Brushing up local skills

BENDIGO artist Alanah Ellen Brand was a finalist in last year’s Archibald Prize and Swan Hill will be hosting a portrait workshop by the acclaimed artist in a sold out event in June.

The high school art teacher is looking forward to the intense two-day workshop that will take the participants through the funda­mentals of painting portraits using the mediums of oil and canvas.

Ms Brand brings the benefit of her years of art practice combined with her skills as a high school art teacher to give the participants an opportunity to learn how to mix colours to produce realistic colour tone and bring the canvas to life.

Ms Brand conducted her first workshop as part of the travelling Archibald exhibition and enjoyed the experience.

She has conducted several in her home town of Bendigo and was thrilled when Nina McNamara of Dandy Lion Studio approached her about conducting one in Swan Hill.

Ms Brand said she is very excited about doing the workshop and it is always good to be teaching students that are very keen on learning.

“Unlike some of my school stud­ents at work each day it is a pleasant change to have students that want to listen to me,” Ms Brand.

Ms Brand has a Masters degree in Visual Art from Latrobe University Bendigo and likes to draw on her experiences to create portrait paintings that celebrate the people she admires.

She is a big believer in gaining a wide breadth of influences and encourages her students to undertake as many different workshops and lessons as possible from a range of people.

Ms Brand practises what she preaches having attended art schools and workshops with renowned painters Robin Eley, Jessica Le Clerc and Solomon Kammer, who later became Brand’s mentor and the subject of her 2023 Archibald Prize entry.

She has been a finalist in other prestigious competitions such as 12th Prospect Portrait Prize, the Bluethumb Art Prize, the Tatiara Art Prize and the Percivals and was a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize.