McGregor Art Workshops 2025
Cindy MacDonald
Portraiture
Charcoal
March 29 | 10am – 4pm
Registrations Close 21st March
Cindy MacDonald | Portraiture | Charcoal
Workshop Outline
Beginners | 15+
This is a one day workshop
March 29| 10am – 4pm | 12 people max
UniSQ Toowoomba, Q166
Join award winning artist Cindy MacDonald for this one-day workshop. Under Cindy’s expert guidance, you will navigate the nuances of portraiture in charcoal. Learn traditional drawing methods as you are introduced to the materials, methods and techniques that Cindy uses to draw a simple, realistic portrait in charcoal from scratch. Discover the ‘Andrew Loomis’ method of drawing; the concepts of values and edges, line, and shading; proportion; facial features; and what constitutes a good/poor reference. Some drawing experience preferred, but not essential.
BYO materials list: Approx $150 (you may already have some of the required materials)
Cost: $260
Bio
Award-winning artist Cindy MacDonald paints in a variety of styles and mediums. She considers animals, particularly birds, and humans to be her preferred subjects. Her art practice allows Cindy to express her phenomenological response to her lived experiences, her faith, and the world around her, ‘To find that essence, that divine spark that is within us all…’
David Bongiorno
Draw Anything!
Drawing
26 & 27 April | 10am – 4pm
Registrations close 18 April
David Bongiorno | Draw Anything! | Drawing
Workshop Outline
Beginners-Intermediate | 15+
This is a two-day workshop
There will be a clothed/nude life model
26 & 27 April | 10am – 4pm
UniSQ Toowoomba, Q166
Spend a weekend with award-winning artist David Bongiorno, learning the underlying fundamentals of drawing that will allow you the freedom to draw anything you want. Learn foundational techniques and apply your learning to drawing still life, plants, buildings, animals, the figure and more, in and around the classroom.
BYO materials list: Approx $35 (you may already have some of the required materials)
Cost: $635
Bio
Award-winning artist, curator, and arts mentor David Bongiorno teaches life drawing, anatomy, and composition workshops to develop the confidence of contemporary artists. Bongiorno’s national art prize achievements include Emerging Wearable Artist – Winner at the Australian Wearable Art Festival 2022, Highly Commended at the Waterbrook Drawing Prize 2023, Highly Commended at the Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award 2024, Finalist in the Kennedy Art Prize 2024, and ACB Selects, 2024, Michael Reid Northern Beaches. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in venues including Steps Gallery Carlton, The Cooroy Arts Centre, Manning Gallery, Maryborough Gallery, Caloundra Gallery, and Cardinia Cultural Centre, while also undertaking commissions, with works in private and public collections.
Peta Berghofer
Thinking Through Clay: Handbuilding Techniques
Ceramics
Tuesday Evenings | May – June | 6pm – 9m
Registrations Close 4th May
Peta Berghofer | Thinking Through Clay: Handbuilding Techniques | Ceramics
Photography by Grace Yu/Studio Bitsy
Workshop Outline
Beginners to Intermediate | 15+
Tuesday Evenings: May 13, 20, 27 May, and June 3, 10 & 24, 2025, 6pm – 9pm (please note a 1-week break between lesson 5 & 6)
UniSQ Toowoomba, A229
Join Australian ceramicist Peta Berghofer for an in-depth exploration into hand-built ceramics. Learn to build ceramic objects unique to your own artistic interests, ideas and storytelling using a variety of ceramic handbuilding techniques and surface finishes.
Within the first two classes, Peta will guide you through fundamental ceramic hand-building methods including pinch, coil, and slab building techniques. With these new skills, under Peta’s guidance you will then be free to create objects of your own artistic vision. To follow, objects can be decorated with a selection of ceramic colours. At the completion of the course, you will have confidence in clay joining and finishing skills, leaving with several ceramic objects.
Cost: $660 –Â Registration includes tuition, materials, tools, use of studio space, and firing.
Bio
Based in Toowoomba, Australian ceramicist Peta Berghofer practices on Giabal and Jarowair lands. Her ceramic work sits at the intersection of still life and sculptural abstraction, employing hand-building techniques to reimagine everyday objects and structures. Through the distortion of domestic forms into ceramic assemblages, Berghofer explores the peculiarities of human-made realities, creating artifacts that suggest an altered perception of the familiar. Since graduating with First Class Honours in a Bachelor of Creative Arts from the University of Southern Queensland in 2016, Berghofer has exhibited across Australia and internationally in France and Denmark. She has participated in numerous artist residencies abroad, and her work is held in both private and public collections.
David Bongiorno
Draw Anything!
Drawing
10 & 11 May | 10am – 4pm
Registrations close 23 May
David Bongiorno | Draw Anything! | Drawing
Workshop Outline
Beginners-Intermediate | 15+
This is a two-day workshop
There will be a clothed/nude life model
10 & 11 May | 10am – 4pm
UniSQ Toowoomba, Q166
Spend a weekend with award-winning artist David Bongiorno, learning the underlying fundamentals of drawing that will allow you the freedom to draw anything you want. Learn foundational techniques and apply your learning to drawing still life, plants, buildings, animals, the figure and more, in and around the classroom.
BYO materials list: Approx $35 (you may already have some of the required materials)
Cost: $635
Bio
Award-winning artist, curator, and arts mentor David Bongiorno teaches life drawing, anatomy, and composition workshops to develop the confidence of contemporary artists. Bongiorno’s national art prize achievements include Emerging Wearable Artist – Winner at the Australian Wearable Art Festival 2022, Highly Commended at the Waterbrook Drawing Prize 2023, Highly Commended at the Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award 2024, Finalist in the Kennedy Art Prize 2024, and ACB Selects, 2024, Michael Reid Northern Beaches. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in venues including Steps Gallery Carlton, The Cooroy Arts Centre, Manning Gallery, Maryborough Gallery, Caloundra Gallery, and Cardinia Cultural Centre, while also undertaking commissions, with works in private and public collections.
Alana Wilkie
Portrait Drawing Essentials: From Sketch to Masterpiece
Graphite & Charcoal
May 13, 20, 27 May, and June 3, 10 & 24
Registrations Close 4th May
Alana Wilkie | Portrait Drawing Essentials: From Sketch to Masterpiece | Graphite & Charcoal
Workshop Outline
All Levels | 15+
Tuesday Evenings: May 13, 20, 27 May, and June 3, 10 & 24, 2025 | 6pm – 9pm
UniSQ Toowoomba, Q166
Join highly-skilled and internationally renowned artist Alana Wilkie for this engaging portrait drawing workshop, and explore the art of creating lifelike portraits. You’ll learn key techniques, including facial anatomy, proportions, and capturing different perspectives (profile, three-quarter, and full face). Through hands-on practice, visual aids, and expert guidance, you’ll gain a solid foundation in portraiture. Transform the way you see and draw portraits! This course is open to all levels—whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist looking to enhance your technique.
Using both charcoal and graphite, you’ll discover which medium suits your style while refining your skills. This course is open to all levels—whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist looking to enhance your technique. By the end, you’ll complete a portfolio featuring technical studies, structured portraits, and a final personal portrait project.
This workshop blends technical mastery with creative expression, helping you build confidence and deepen your artistic voice.
Cost: $895
Plus
BYO Materials & Tools list: Approx $150 (you may already have some of the required materials)
Bio
Australian artist Alana Wilkie is known for her intricate and thought-provoking paintings and drawings. Drawing from found images, she disrupts their original narratives by introducing unexpected elements, creating a sense of mystery and reinterpretation. With a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) from RMIT University, she has exhibited internationally, earning recognition such as the Rome Art Program Purchase Award. Her work is collected worldwide, reflecting her meticulous technique and unique storytelling. Passionate about portraiture and automotive art, Alana also teaches art classes, sharing her expertise with aspiring artists.
David Bongiorno
Draw Anything!
Drawing
31 May & 1 June | 10am – 4pm
Registrations close 23 May
David Bongiorno | Draw Anything! | Drawing
Workshop Outline
Beginners-Intermediate | 15+
This is a two-day workshop
There will be a clothed/nude life model
31 May & 1 June | 10am – 4pm
UniSQ Toowoomba, Q166
Spend a weekend with award-winning artist David Bongiorno, learning the underlying fundamentals of drawing that will allow you the freedom to draw anything you want. Learn foundational techniques and apply your learning to drawing still life, plants, buildings, animals, the figure and more, in and around the classroom.
BYO materials list: Approx $35 (you may already have some of the required materials)
Cost: $635
Bio
Award-winning artist, curator, and arts mentor David Bongiorno teaches life drawing, anatomy, and composition workshops to develop the confidence of contemporary artists. Bongiorno’s national art prize achievements include Emerging Wearable Artist – Winner at the Australian Wearable Art Festival 2022, Highly Commended at the Waterbrook Drawing Prize 2023, Highly Commended at the Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award 2024, Finalist in the Kennedy Art Prize 2024, and ACB Selects, 2024, Michael Reid Northern Beaches. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in venues including Steps Gallery Carlton, The Cooroy Arts Centre, Manning Gallery, Maryborough Gallery, Caloundra Gallery, and Cardinia Cultural Centre, while also undertaking commissions, with works in private and public collections.
Jane du Rand
Making Relief Tiles
Ceramics
14, 15, and 28 June | 10am – 4pm
Registrations Close 6th June
Jane du Rand | Making Relief Tiles | Ceramics
Workshop Outline
All Levels | 14+
This is a three-day intensive workshop
14, 15, and 28 June 2025 | 10am – 4pm | 12 people max
UniSQ Toowoomba, A229
Over three days, you will combine working with award-winning ceramicist and mosaic artist Jane duRand’s personal wood block stamp collection,
together with learning to carve surfaces and build up relief forms on the tile surface. You will look at: tile design; using stamps and making stamps; carving surfaces for decorative effect and sculpting; adding relief sculpture to clay surfaces; textures and surface decoration; and finally, colour and using underglazes, oxides and stains to decorate the tiles.
Cost (includes materials, use of tools, and firing): $1185
Bio
South-African born ceramic and mosaic artist Jane du Rand uses her art practice to document and better understand the world around her. Originally trained as an architect, du Rand’s practice also extends to large-scale ceramic and mosaic installations, with her intricate designs incorporated into the architecture of civic and private buildings around the world.
David Bongiorno
Draw Anything!
Drawing
28 & 29 June | 10am – 4pm
Registrations close 20 June
David Bongiorno | Draw Anything! | Drawing
Workshop Outline
Beginners-Intermediate | 15+
This is a two-day workshop
There will be a clothed/nude life model
28 & 29 June | 10am – 4pm
UniSQ Toowoomba, Q166
Spend a weekend with award-winning artist David Bongiorno, learning the underlying fundamentals of drawing that will allow you the freedom to draw anything you want. Learn foundational techniques and apply your learning to drawing still life, plants, buildings, animals, the figure and more, in and around the classroom.
BYO materials list: Approx $35 (you may already have some of the required materials)
Cost: $635
Bio
Award-winning artist, curator, and arts mentor David Bongiorno teaches life drawing, anatomy, and composition workshops to develop the confidence of contemporary artists. Bongiorno’s national art prize achievements include Emerging Wearable Artist – Winner at the Australian Wearable Art Festival 2022, Highly Commended at the Waterbrook Drawing Prize 2023, Highly Commended at the Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award 2024, Finalist in the Kennedy Art Prize 2024, and ACB Selects, 2024, Michael Reid Northern Beaches. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in venues including Steps Gallery Carlton, The Cooroy Arts Centre, Manning Gallery, Maryborough Gallery, Caloundra Gallery, and Cardinia Cultural Centre, while also undertaking commissions, with works in private and public collections.
Jane du Rand
Large Bird Sculpture Workshop
Ceramics
12, 13, and 26 July 2025 | 10am – 4pm
Registrations Close 6th June
Jane du Rand | Large Bird Sculpture Workshop | Ceramics
Workshop Outline
10 people max
This is a three-day intensive workshop
12, 13, and 26 July 2025 | 10am – 4pm
UniSQ Toowoomba, A229
During this three-day intensive workshop you will be guided by award-winning ceramicist and mosaic artist Jane du Rand as you look at Australian birds, considering various reference sources, to then design and make a large sculpture based on your observations. Jane will bring some of her taxidermy bird collection to use as reference models. You will learn ways of observing, planning, and designing a large sculpture, constructing the work and dealing with textures and surface decoration. Finally, you will learn about glazing, underglazes, oxides and stains, and apply this to the decoration of the sculpture.
Cost (includes materials, use of tools, and firing): $1250
Bio
South-African born ceramic and mosaic artist Jane du Rand uses her art practice to document and better understand the world around her. Originally trained as an architect, du Rand’s practice also extends to large-scale ceramic and mosaic installations, with her intricate designs incorporated into the architecture of civic and private buildings around the world.
More workshops coming very soon…
Watch this space!
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Art Workshops 2025
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EOI now open for art workshop tutors.
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