About the Course
Unleash your expressive voice while learning traditional oil or
acrylic painting methods. This course is suitable for artists who want
to learn to paint stylised representational subjects, through to more
realistic work.
Basic drawing skills are required for this course.
Please wear closed footwear.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
: How to use oil or acrylic paint (or both together)
: How to structure a painting – blocking in and composition
: Expressive brushwork
: Basic form, tone and colour theory and how to use these to interpret
objective reality and express your unique artistic “voice”.
MATERIALS:
: Oil or acrylic paints – Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Alizarin
Crimson, Cadmium or Vermillion red, Yellow Ochre, Lemon Yellow,
Titanium White, Burnt or raw umber. I prefer water mixable oil paints.
: Canvas board approximately 12 X 16 inches or a bit larger if desired
: Brushes of different sizes (large and small, flat and round). If you
have brushes with damaged bristles, bring those along too.
Long-handled brushes are most suitable for expressive work.
: Painting palette (oil painting) OR recycled plastic containers,
lids, etc. (acrylic)
: Odorless solvent and linseed oil (oil painting)
: Containers with lids to hold linseed oil and odorless solvent (oils)
or a water jar (acrylics or water-mixable oils)
: Paper towels
Your Instructor
Teri White
eresina’s story began in the 1970s, at a time when the world was
changing rapidly, and so too were the creative boundaries in art. She
enrolled at TAFE Meadowbank, eager to learn but finding herself torn
between the technical demands of fine art and the freedom of
expression that fueled her passion. Though her Certificate of Fine Art
remained incomplete, it was a starting point, a foundation upon which
the rest of her artistic journey would unfold.
Throughout the years, Teresina’s pursuit of mastery never wavered. By
the 1980s , she found herself under the tutelage of John Ogburn, a
colleague of John Olsen, where she honed her skills further, absorbing
not just the technique, but the soul of visual art itself. It was
during this period that she truly understood the power of art to
communicate beyond words, to capture the essence of a subject, a
moment in time, or even the intangible emotions that so often elude
description.
The 1990s brought new challenges. Teresina competed and thrived,
becoming a finalist in the Mosman Art Prize, and taking top honors in
TAFE Meadowbank’s drawing, color, and design categories. She realized
that while awards were gratifying, they were but fleeting moments in
the grand arc of her career. Her real joy came from the process—the
slow building of layers, both in her artwork and in her understanding
of herself as an artist.
In 2009, after years of cultivating her skills and exploring different
mediums, Teresina took on the role of an arts advisor with the Holroyd
City Council. She became a judge for various art events, including the
short film festival and a local photography competition. But she never
lost touch with her own art; the exhibitions she took part in, such as
the 2021 “We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday” at the Hawkesbury
Regional Gallery, were a testament to her dedication to her craft. Her
art began to capture a broad spectrum of human experience, each piece
an invitation to the viewer to reflect, to pause, and to feel.
From 2018 to 2025 Teri studied the Bachelor of Creative Practice at
Nepean TAFE on a part-time basis, painting each day throughout those
years to hone formal technical skills and deepen her creative and
conceptual voice.
The journey wasn’t easy, and as the years went by, Teresina found
herself increasingly drawn to portraiture. The Blue Mountains
Portraits competition in 2024 marked a significant turning point in
her career, when her work was selected as a finalist, further
cementing her place in the art community.
Today, Teresina is not just an artist; she is a mentor, an advocate
for the arts, and a testament to the power of perseverance. Her work,
ranging from intricate portraits to large-scale abstracts, explores
the relationship between form, color, and emotion. She has taught
countless students, many of whom now create their own masterpieces.
And as she prepares for her next group exhibition at Braemar Gallery,
Teresina reflects not only on the recognition she’s garnered but on
the path that continues to unfold.