Fridays in Oils
With Tutor: Sarah Brock
This is a 4-week course that will run on Friday mornings starting on the 8th May up to 29th May from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Oil painting is a rich and rewarding medium with a long-standing place in artistic practice. Across this series of four Friday workshops, you’ll discover just how accessible and satisfying it can be with the right approach. Known for its luminous, vibrant colour and beautifully blendable texture, oil paint gives you the time and flexibility to really develop your work, with slow drying that allows for subtle transitions and extended refinement. The paint remains workable on your palette, making the process both forgiving and expressive.
In a supportive, welcoming studio environment alongside fellow creatives, you’ll build confidence and deepen your skills each week. It’s no surprise that oil continues to be the preferred choice of many professional painters.
What Are Some Benefits of Doing This Workshop?
- Develop confidence working with oil paint across four structured sessions
- Learn how to achieve luminous colour and smooth, controlled blending
- Understand layering techniques and how to build depth in your work
- Gain practical knowledge of materials, mediums, and surfaces
- Work at your own pace with guidance suited to all levels
- Enjoy extended painting time thanks to the slow drying nature of oils
- Receive constructive feedback in a supportive studio environment
- Connect with fellow creatives and grow your practice in community.
What You'll Learn:
Beginners: Gentle introduction to using oil painting using a limited palette of colours. We start with one - Burnt Umber - while you get a feel for how oil paint behaves, then gradually add more colours.
More advanced students will explore the different ways you can start a painting - tonally or by colour blocking. We will look at composition and colour mixing. Building a repertoire of skills so YOU are the boss of your paint, not the other way around.
What You’ll Take Home:
Beginners: A series of studies using one colour, two colours and then more. You will create one colour study each week for the first two weeks. After that it will depend on how fast you work, because everyone is different. Reference pictures will be provided, or you can bring your own.
More advanced students: You will work on a painting project from beginning to end. You will learn how to compose a painting and how to build it up in stages gaining an understanding of colour mixing and the importance of tone. You can work from your own reference or from a reference supplied by your tutor.
Meet Your Tutor:
Sarah has been exploring creativity and sharing her passion for art for nearly two decades. She began her career as a graphic designer in London before leaving the field in 2003 to study creativity more deeply. After completing her studies, she worked as a portrait artist in Nelson, New Zealand, refining her ability to capture likeness and character. Teaching followed naturally, and by 2009 she was tutoring portrait drawing and painting. In 2011 she began exploring sculpture, developing her skills with guidance from artists associated with Weta Workshop, and after moving to Wellington in 2012 she joined the teaching teams at The Learning Connexion and Inverlochy Art School.
Sarah’s teaching now spans sculpture, painting, collage, and even the creation of custom art materials. She is passionate about craftsmanship and helping students discover and express their own creative voice. Her work has been recognised nationally, including finalist selections in the Adam Portrait Awards and the Parkin Drawing Prize, along with Merit Awards in the Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Awards and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts’ Fantastic Beasts exhibition. Alongside teaching, she maintains an active studio practice, creating work that brings imagination and strong technical skill together.
What Do I Need to Bring?
- A sketch book
- A pencil
-
A few old cloths / rags
No solvents please!
What Will Be Provided?
- A range of brushes
- A range of paints
- Liquin
-
Gesso
- A4 canvas paper
More advanced students are welcome to bring their favourite brushes, paints and rags. The first few sessions will be done on canvas paper or wet strength cartridge (not a canvas).
Can Anyone Do This Class?
Yes! This workshop is suitable for all levels, and absolutely beginner-friendly. If you love being creative, you’ll fit right in.
If you wish to cancel, email us at least 14 clear days before your class begins. You'll receive a full refund less an admin fee of $20 via the same payment method (e.g., credit card or Afterpay) if you cancel within this timeframe.
Unfortunately, refunds aren't available for cancellations with less than 14 days' notice, nor for missed classes within a series.
If you are required to bring specific supplies to this class you will be sent full details via email. Please make sure you keep the receive emails ticked at checkout to ensure you do not miss out on this information.
This class will be held on campus at The Learning Connexion located at 182 Eastern Hutt Road, Lower Hutt. Specific details of where on campus your class will be held will be sent to you the week prior to the commencement of your class
All our tutors are qualified and practicing artists who are skilled in specific art forms and regularly teach to support others in their own art practices.
Fridays in Oils
