MADAG endeavours to provide a variety of art and craft workshops and classes for the benefit of its members and friends.

There seems to be an endless supply of artistic creativity and talent in the Bega Valley. 
Ros Owen is another in our midst.   Ros offered her expertise and demonstrated her methods of eco dying for an enthralled audience at the last meeting.   As can be seen on the "More" page on this site,  Ros brought along an impressive amount of products she has produced.   She works with natural bits and pieces collected from her walks in the Bournda National Park and beyond.   These are set on natural materials like silk and wool to form a design then steamed or boiled into the fabric to create beautiful patterns on wearable items or paper.  
Following on from Ros' demo,  a small group attended a workshop at her place and have provided some photos of what they called a  fabulous way to spend a day and their fantastic creativity is shared on the "More" page.  

MADAG members and guests were treated to a demonstration of Fabric Art at the February meeting.   Suzie Dietrich took her audience through a journey from original ideas, selection of fabrics, tracing on to background, cutting and glueing, then finally stitching to produce a beautiful artwork.   As the photos on the "MORE" page will show,  there is a lot of work involved.  Not only does the fabric she chooses tell a story,  but it also requires enhancement with many stitches both by hand and machine.

Suzie produces "paintings" to be hung, baskets, jeans patches and bookmarks amongst other creations.   Of particular interest was a parrot made from many colourful pieces of fabric and sewn on to a background then on to a favorite jacket or coat.   Suzie has a soft spot for frogs but works with flowers and other subjects as her creativity allows.


Two very talented members gave a demonstration of acrylic pouring following the August meeting.   Ann Mawhinney and Sylvia Edwards shared their expertise in preparation of the surface, mixing a pouring formula, hints on removal of oil or silicone and quantities of mixed paints required.   They started with a display of the varied equipment that can be employed, then went through steps to demonstrate how to apply the materials.   The use of a heat gun was intriguing then playing with the flow to see what evolved.  From there,  the creation could be used as a background to which subject matter is added, used as decorator abstracts or just great for exploring creativity.  There is an endless source of recipes but time limited the demo to produce one piece each.   A display of their previous works was enjoyed by their audience and showed what a completed piece might look like.  Examples of these can be seen on the slide show under the "More" tab.  


Members and guests have recently enjoyed tuition by Nicki Hall.  Separate groups attended two, two-day workshops using acrylic paints.   Attendees enjoyed enlightenment in many aspects of painting, starting with breaking the subject down into 5 or 6 areas,  blocking in,  mixing the paint , the application then final touching up.    The class started by painting footprints in the sand, then  a lesson in movement which involved a breaking wave,  then concluding with a seascape from beginning to end.   Along the way,  they received tuition on working from photographs,  points to consider prior to painting, recipe for painting,  tonal values, the illusion of distance and so much more.   After a fun couple of days,  the groups have come away with much inspiration and knowledge (new and revised) and a renewed enthusiasm to paint.  See photos under the "More tab"


"Hidden Gardens" was recently held in Merimbula.   Local residents opened their gardens to locals and visitors where they could enjoy the gardens while at the same time,  MADAG members displayed their work in a most picturesque setting.  Some members were so inspired that they worked En Plein Air in the garden which created a lot of interest to the public.    All proceeds from this event went to the local Rural Fire Service as a thank you following our summer of bush fires.   Photos of the day are on display on the activities page. 


A group of members and friends recently attended an acrylic workshop conducted by Patrick Carroll.    They were treated to a demonstration of how to remain objective, let the brush do the work and let the resulting image speak to the artist.   From there,  a painting develops through composition, tone, line and colour.    It was most exhilarating to witness Patrick's use of credit cards, cardboard, pieces of plastic and even kitchen tools to make a mark on his painting.    He then demonstrated how those marks can be either male or female and their interaction in an abstract or a traditional scene.   The resulting works from the workshop will be shown at the September meeting 2pm at the RSL Club in Merimbula.   See photos on the activities slideshow page.


Many members  attended a workshop for beginners in Encaustic.  Presenter Mo Godbeer had all those in attendance, enthralled by the extent of what can be achieved exploring this unusual medium.   At the completion of two days,  they left with a smile and new pieces of work produced whilst working outside normal boundaries.


Local artist Suzanne Lindhorst demonstrated the use of ochres in painting at the October meeting held at the RSL club.   Suzanne brought along samples of earth and rocks she had collected mainly from The Kimberley region.    The group present learnt how to grind these ochres to a paste and how to apply to a board eagerly watching as Suzanne produced a lovely earthy coloured painting.  See the photos on our activities page.


February saw members left mentally and physically exhausted but totally inspired and enthused at the completion of a three day watercolour workshop with John Lovett   No doubt some amazing new works will result.


The Ephemeral art festival was held at Panboola wetlands on 28th April. It was a lovely sunny morning and a most inviting location for members to immerse themselves in the beauty of the surrounds.    Some painted,  some sketched while others took advantage of the photographic subjects on offer.    Just to sit on the green grass and chat with likeminded artists was valued time to rekindle the spirits and evoke new enthusiasm.    See photos on the activities page.