On a warm Sunday at the start of March, Art Works Gallery held an intuitive charcoal drawing workshop led by artist Sylvie Kettle. With the morning light pouring into the gallery onto Kettle’s own ethereal paintings, guests began to arrive for the session. With attendees of all different ages and artistic backgrounds, the workshop focused on encouraging everyone to look inwards and relax into the practice, embracing their individual styles and artistic perspectives.

Artist Sylvie Kettle led the session, gently guiding guests through different techniques and approaches to life drawing. The session began with a short intro from Kettle, followed by a series of quick pose drawings to practice capturing impressions of the human body. Kettle then introduced the single line drawing technique to the session, a practice that focuses on keeping the charcoal or pencil on the page during the entire duration of the drawing. This technique further emphasised the natural flow of life drawing and encouraged individuals to allow their charcoal to glide across the paper. By the end of the session, everyone had found their own style, whether that was through broader abstract strokes or capturing the texture and details. The essence of the workshop focused on tapping into the intuition that resides within us and bringing that natural creativity to the paper, allowing it to ebb and flow as it desires.

At the end of the session, attendees shared their works, creating a mosaic of drawings on the floor of the gallery. While everyone’s individuality shone through, the works came together to create a tapestry of narratives, bringing a sense of community to the practice. Guests then had the opportunity to chat with Kettle over breakfast in the gallery, with discussions arising about both the workshop and Kettle’s own artistic practice.  

Sylvie Kettle is an Australian artist from the Northern Rivers, whose practice presents dreamlike landscapes that delve into the spiritual and the subconscious. Kettle’s paintings encourage the viewer to consider new perspectives that celebrate the interconnectedness of life, presenting compositions radiating with light and abundance.