Paradise Courses offer exciting week-long holiday retreats focussed on a number of subjects. Our teachers are well-established in their fields; they’ll inspire you afresh in the course you choose, show you new ways to look at old techniques or teach you things you never knew in the first place.

Every morning starts with breakfast beside the pool before a daily morning workshops. The workshops fit the pace of each teacher’s programme – it might be a three hour writing session around a table near the pool, morning’s singing in the big bure, an intensive tutorial bent over your drawing pad, or perhaps a dawn start to catch the early morning bird chorus for the birdwatchers. Have a look at each course – and my thanks to all past course participants who have sent me their photos, particularly Julie Rickwood (all sorts of lovely images) and Jenny Carmichael (who has excelled in the quilting photos).

The afternoons are free for you to relax by the pool, have a massage, snorkel on the reef or wander into Savusavu. Or maybe you just want to keep going with your writing or painting or quilting, enjoying the tranquillity of the place and the companionship of the other people with you. And then in the evenings we gather together for a buffet dinner, and there’s time to exchange stories, listen to some Fijian singing and drink a bowl of kava.

During the week we organise a couple of local excursions so you see some Fijian life – we visit a village and watch a meke (dance), spend an afternoon on a beach and have a drink at the Savusavu Yacht Club. And of course you’re free to take your own expeditions as well – a walk through town to buy a souvenir, a boat across the bay to Mutuku Beach, a visit to the J.Hunter Pearls farm where they harvest magnificent black pearls, a steep walk through the bush to a lovely waterfall where you can jump into the deep water pools if you’re brave enough, or lounge in the shallow pools if you’re not.

Our accommodation is at Daku Resort in a range of single and double bures, cottages and villas. It’s a comfortable mid-range resort set in lovely tropical gardens, with a staff who will welcome you like family. Have a look at www.dakuresort.com

Have you thought about making a quilt to capture your memories of a special place?  This week in Fiji is a marvellous opportunity to do just that. You will have a rich choice of subject matter in and around the resort where we stay – the mountainous landscape, the view over the bay, the tropical gardens…or you might like to use a scene from a nearby village or the nearby market. No matter what the inspiration, creating a landscape quilt is an achievable project.  The process combines making decisions about design and colour choices as well as incorporating accurate construction techniques.

Over the week, Gloria will show you how to choose the subject, what aspect to focus on, how to make it come alive, and where to begin. She will then guide you through the process, looking at how to translate what you see into an image in textiles. By the end of the week you will have had the opportunity to produce  a wall hanging depicting a scene of your choice.

You will need to bring basic sewing supplies and a sewing machine, and she will supply hand dyed fabrics, fabrics to paint and the paint.
Gloria Loughman lives by the sea, on the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula, in Victoria.

She has been teaching patchwork classes for many years and enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills with others. She likes to challenge students to design their own quilts but is also happy to provide patterns for those less confident. Her classes are very popular with lots of students coming back. She has also travelled extensively overseas teaching classes in New Zealand, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa, and Japan.

Over the years she has dabbled in many areas including strip piecing, bargello, colourwash, fabric dyeing and painting, and machine embroidery After completing some studies in design and colour as part of a Diploma of Art in 1996, she began to make her large vivid landscape quilts depicting the Australian bush. Most of the textiles used have been hand dyed or painted and feature extensive machine embroidery. These quilts have won many major awards in Australia, Europe, Japan and the United States. Her quilt ‘Kimberley Mystique’ was the winner of Australia’s most prestigious national quilting award in 2003.

She has also curated eight exhibitions of Australian quilts to the United States and have had the privilege of judging at many major shows. She has had a number of solo exhibitions, including an invitation to exhibit at the prestigious NEC Show in Birmingham, UK. Her book, Luminous Landscapes, was released by C&T in January 2007, and her second book, Quilted Symphony, will be available in January 2010.

Programme

Saturday 30 October
Arrive Fiji and fly on to Savusavu.

Sunday 31 October
Morning workshop: an introduction to the week. Cutting the 20 fabrics needed into strips, and starting to sew the strips together to make fabric sets. Poolside lunch and coconut cutting demonstration, followed by a walk around resort gardens.

Monday 1 November
Morning workshop: Cross cutting sets ready to design the quilt. After lunch you will have some free time for snorkelling, swimming and relaxing. Or there’s an optional visit to town, visiting the geothermal hot springs, local market and shops.

Tuesday 2 November
Morning workshop: Designing and sewing quilt to achieve design. There will also be a tapa making demonstration.

Wednesday 3 November
Morning workshop: Continuing to sew quilt. Adding borders and completing the design. In the afternoon we will have an boat or beach outing.

Thursday 4 November
Continue individual projects. In the evening we will go into Savusavu for drinks at the Yacht Club and dinner in town.

Friday 5 November
Finish individual projects; end with show and tell. Afternoon visit to Vivili village for traditional meke (dance).  Final lovo dinner.

Saturday 6 November
Return home.

A writing workshop is a precious opportunity to forget all your daily responsibilities and be greedy with your writing time. No work; no cooking or shopping – just pens, paper, inspirational teaching and a group of others who share the passion.

Jan Cornall’s Island Writer’s Workshop is a perfect combination of an intensive laboratory atmosphere in a relaxed tropical setting, giving you the kind of focus, energy and inspiration you cannot achieve when working alone or fitting writing around a busy life. Workshops take place every morning and participants are expected to use some of their time in the afternoon to complete specific writing goals. During the workshops, we’ll revise the essential elements of the writer’s craft, and you’ll have a chance to read, critique and receive feedback on any aspect of your writing or writing process.

Then spend the afternoons relaxing or exploring the island – and in the process, find answers to all your writing questions. In a rainforest, on a beach, snorkeling the reef – you’ll learn new techniques for treasuring every writing moment and bring fresh energy to old habits and ideas. Craft becomes pleasure in the process of making your work sing as you get in back in touch with the essence your creative self. Begin a new work, refresh a tired old draft or come as you are. Be prepared to play with maps and clues, nature and art, and go digging for creative treasure.

Throughout this week you have the opportunity to be a serious writer and show yourself and others just what you are capable of. The workshop concludes with celebration drinks and readings.

Jan Cornall is a highly experienced teacher, renowned for motivating writers in all genres to set and complete writing goals while instructing them in essential writer’s craft. Participants in past workshops include many who go on to publish. First time author Marguerite Van Geldermalsen, Married to A Bedouin, received invaluable help from Jan’s workshops. Margo Lanagan, award winning fantasy writer wrote her new novel, Tender Morsels, while attending Jan’s weekends.

Jan has written over 10 produced plays and musicals, a feature film (Talk 1994), a novel (Take me to Paradise, 2006) and three CD’s of songs. Jan’s cabaret musical, Failing In Love Again, (with pianist Elizabeth Drake), was a cult hit of the comedy/cabaret revival in the early 80’s when Jan performed alongside Jeannie Lewis, Margaret Roadknight, Robyn Archer, Wendy Harmer and Gretel Killeen.   www.writersjourney.com.au

Jan Cornall is one of those rare people who can capture the creative thread in someone’s writing and build it into something worthwhile. If you’re stuck, she’s the one. If you’re going gangbusters, she’ll fine tune you. She makes a group come alive – and there’s no better place for it than Daku.
Peter Bishop

I was lucky enough to attend Paradise Courses at Daku Resort in March 2009.  The course is given by Jan Cornall who is an exceptional teacher and motivator.   It was the best course I have been to and the small group of writers were wonderful – we were all very keen to learn and to say that we grew in our writing is an understatement. I found it so empowering to be with like minded people in a divine setting.  We had a lovely bure on a hill as our ‘classroom’.  We looked out onto a marvellous garden which ran right to the sea.  But as good as it was the view did not have our attention. Jan had us enthralled.  She is very good at stimulating our minds and had us doing very interesting writing exercises before we got down to our own work.  Jan really brought the best out in all of us and we enjoyed ourselves. Even though there were other activities each afternoon we actually elected to go back to writing on a number of afternoons!
Celia Bray

Daku was a source of inspiration and energy. Beautiful people, food and environment.  Jan was as always  supportive and her course and  working method highly creative in drawing out the best in us all.
Hilary Linstead

The course runs for 6 days, and includes workshops, local excursions and free time.
Throughout this week you have the opportunity to be a serious writer and show yourself and others just what you are capable of. The lab concludes with celebration drinks and readings.

Programme

Day 1: Saturday 6 March
Arrive: welcome ceremony and dinner.

Day 2: Sunday 7 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Introductions, mapping our projects, dreaming up descriptive detail, creating the imagery and atmosphere of our writing, setting writing goals, creating mutual mentoring teams.
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 3: Monday 8 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Exercises on narrator voice, character voice (inc. dialogue) and developing engaging characters.
Afternoon: visit to Savusavu town
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 4: Tuesday 9 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Playing with building blocks of structure: sentence, paragraph, scene, chapter, story.
Afternoon: Beach outing
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 5: Wednesday 10 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop: Finding dramatic tension in action, plot and opposition. Foreshadowing and suspense techniques.
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 6: Thursday 11 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Learning effective editing, busting bad writing habits, going for the jugular, ensuring the impact of our writing with pace, rhythm, timing.
5pm – 6pm: Reading and feedback
6.30pm: Drinks and dinner at Savusavu Yacht Club

Day 7: Friday 12 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Finding unity and story cohesiveness, polishing and preening, resetting future writing goals and tasks.
4.30pm – 5.30pm: Village visit and meke (traditional dance)
Final dinner and readings and celebratory drinks

Day 8: Saturday 13 March
Return home.

This art retreat will be an inspiring introduction to the art of capturing a likeness as well as the importance of realising a great painting. Jo will focus on the study of the individual, particularly the influence of environmental elements such as light and situation on the subject and their subsequent depiction. You will gain an understanding of how to record accurate and detailed observation, in their own particular style, from the beginning of engaging with the human figure with drawing and painting studies, to the nature of resolving a depiction of an individual in context. All students, from beginners to more experienced artists, will learn strategies useful to their ongoing portrait practice, enabling them to discover what the genre has to offer their own artistic education.

Jo Bertini is an Australian artist living and practicing in Sydney. Her work is represented by Tim Olsen Galleries in Sydney and Melbourne Art Rooms (MARS Gallery) in Melbourne, and her portrait work is part of the 2008 Inaugural Opening Exhibition of the Permanent Collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. For ten years she worked and travelled throughout Asia, South America, Africa, USA, the Middle East and Europe before returning to Australia in 1991. She published ‘A Man and his Camel’ (UQP), resumed exhibiting and art studies at the National Art School (ESTC) and wrote a weekly art review for the Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper in 1995. She has been guest lecturer / teacher at many public and Regional Art Galleries, Colleges and Tertiary Institutions. She has had more than a dozen solo exhibitions of her work, since returning to live in Australia, including solo painting shows at Regional Art Galleries.

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1: Saturday 13 March
Arrive Nadi and fly to Savusavu. The resort is 10 minutes from the airstrip, and you will be welcomed into it with a traditional Fijian welcoming ceremony.

Day 2: Sunday 14 March
Morning workshop: introduction to the week.
Poolside lunch and coconut cutting demonstration, followed by a walk around resort gardens.
In the late afternoon there will be a tapa making demonstration

Day 3: Monday 15 March
Morning workshop; lunch. Afternoon visit to town, visiting the geothermal hot springs, local market and shops.

Day 4: Tuesday 16 March
Morning workshop; lunch. Afternoon beach / boat outing.

Day 5: Wednesday 17 March
Morning workshop; lunch. Free afternoon for swimming, snorkelling and relaxing.

Day 6: Thursday 18 March
Morning workshop; lunch. Later on we will have a beach outing and a sunset drink at Yaukolo, returning to Savusavu for drinks at the Yacht Club and dinner in town.

Day 7: Friday 19 March
Morning workshop; lunch. Later in the afternoon we will visit Vivili village to see a traditional Fijian meke (dance) and then have a final dinner at Daku.

Day 8: Saturday 20 March
Leave Savusavu. Return to Nadi.

In a lot of art classes today, often you will be asked to draw or paint straight on to paper using the your imagination.  This can be of great advantage to someone who already has the drawing skills formed, but can be very discouraging to someone who can’t draw.   Richard and Diana discovered that by using reference, you can learn to observe your subjects to ensure each picture is drawn accurately and with the correct proportions.

Once you have mastered the drawing skills, you then will have the confidence to draw with or without reference.  However, this is a process that is taken at your own pace.

“You never stop learning with art.  Every teacher will have something to add to your knowledge.  These lessons will give you the confidence you need to try different styles and techniques.”

Richard and Diana Moore have been teaching art since 1997. Over the years they have developed a drawing program that works quickly and efficiently with those who feel they have no natural talent. It only takes a few lessons to see that anyone can draw if they have the correct tuition. Each year they develop and refine their techniques to make it simple for you to pick up drawing skills effortlessly.

Richard, whom was born with natural talent, brings more than 30 years of professional art experience to share with you.

Diana, having learnt from scratch brings empathy to those who are just starting out, and has worked with Richard to develop simple step by step instructions to make it easy for you as a beginner to follow.

Together they bring a harmonious balance to the classes with Diana building your confidence up and once you are showing a need to advance, Richard steps in and stretches your skills to enable you to improve with each lesson.

Here are some of the questions they get asked – and how they reply:

1. I have had no experience with art or drawing and find it even difficult drawing a stick figure!  How  will the Learn to Draw lessons or Painting Workshops benefit me?

The lessons are specifically designed to meet the needs of students like yourself.  In fact many of  our students have come to us for lessons because of our advertising “No Natural Talent Required!” logo. All lessons and workshops are taught with step by step instructions.  You are  given individual attention . We teach a special technique that enables you to build the pathway from your left side of the brain to the right.  Not everyone has this pathway when they are born, but you can develop this pathway by using our easy to learn techniques, very quickly.

2. Art lessons I have been to at other art school put me off  as I didn’t get shown how to draw anything, I was literally left on my own to work things out and then the teacher would come along to critique it. What do you do that is different?

We work with you on an individual basis.  Both Richard and Diana circle the class, problem solving with more advanced students, and with beginners, giving them step by step instructions.  Often we will be doing the same drawing  or painting at the same time to show you how things are done.
We only have 10- 12 students at a time to ensure quality lessons.

3. Will I need to bring art materials with me to Fiji?

All of the art materials will be supplied at the workshop, so there is no necessity to bring anything with you.

4. What style do you teach?

We teach Realism.  Realism is the only style of art that you can build a pathway from the Left side of the brain to the Right Side of the Brain.  The Right side of the brain is your “artistic” side.  Some people are born with this pathway already established.  If you are one of these people, you are very lucky. If not, you can use realism to build this pathway.  All other styles of art will not create this pathway. If you can master realism, you can master any style.
Both Richard and Diana paint and draw in a variety of styles.  However realism is mainly taught in the classes.

5. I hear you use reference.  Isn’t this just copying?

To build the pathway to the right side of the brain it is essential to have  reference. It is easier for a beginner to have photo reference than drawing from life.  Once you have built that pathway, we will encourage you to draw from life as much as you can.
After drawing a subject several times, often you will no longer need to have anything specific to draw from. But initially we highly recommend you use photographic reference. Most well known realistic artists will use some sort of reference.

6. How long does it take to be drawing pictures like I have seen on your website?

Every student is different. Some come with no natural talent and within a few days at the workshop they are drawing beautiful work on their own. Others may take less time and some may longer. We work with establishing a pathway from the left side of the brain to the right. This process is enhanced by the specific way that we teach. So often results happen very fast. We have taught over 2000 students in New Zealand and Australia, and there hasn’t been one student that hasn’t improved 100%.

Programme

Sunday 28 March
Travel day: fly to Nadi, transfer to domestic flight to Savusavu. Welcome.
Dinner.

Monday 29 March
9.00am – 12.00pm: Learn what subconscious questions an artist is thinking whilst drawing a picture.  Learn easy techniques to help you problem solve and to draw realistic images.
Afternoon: visit to Savusavu town – local market and shops.

Tuesday 30 March
9.00am – 12.00pm: Drawing Birds and other wildlife
Afternoon beach / boat outing.
Evening Session: Watch how Richard or Diana go through a picture from start to finish.

Wednesday 31 March
9.00am – 12.00pm: Drawing Palms and trees using an easy to follow recipe. Then you will progress onto drawing from reference. Then we will draw one from life.
Afternoon: free time. Late afternoon: tapa (bark cloth) making demonstration.

Thursday 1 April
9.00am – 12.00pm: Drawing buildings using a simple perspective recipe.  Drawing from reference.  Drawing a Bure from life.
Late afternoon session: Watch how Richard or Diana go through a picture from start to finish.
Evening: drinks at Savusavu Yacht Club and dinner in town.

Friday 2 April
9.00am – 12.00pm: Drawing Landscapes and Beach Scenes using a simple recipes.  Guidelines to good composition.  Using Charcoal and/or Pencil.
Afternoon: visit to village for meke (traditional dance).
Evening Session: Watch how Richard or Diana go through a picture from start to finish.

Saturday 3 April
9.00am – 12.00pm: Putting it all together.  Drawing outside, using the environment as your inspiration.
Afternoon: free time and prepare for class exhibition.
Final lovo dinner.

Sunday 4 April
Depart from Savusavu 0830 and connect with flights home.

10-17 July, 2010

Have you ever been convinced that you know the way to do something, but you just can’t get people to listen to you? Or wanted to speak out against something but found your own words just sounded lame?

The value of stepping outside your normal environment and routine is enormous: it allows you to approach these issues with a completely fresh energy and open attitude. It’s an opportunity to take on a range of new disciplines in a group of people who will share your goals, sympathise with your challenges, and support your efforts. You’ll find your learning accelerates and your self confidence soars. During the week of intensive workshops, we’ll address exactly how to find your true voice as a leader and learn to project that voice with authority, passion, and vision. By the end of the week, you can expect to be a more dynamic and engaging speaker and to have tools to create high trust relationships and to deal with conflict in a way you never dreamt possible before.

And when the daily workshops are over, you can relax, go snorkelling, take a mountain hike, see some local Fijian culture and enjoy a holiday under the care of the staff at Daku Resort.

Sally has designed the course for both experienced leaders as well as those just starting out – and finds that the interplay between the different levels is a fascinating learning process in itself. There will be activities to awaken your authentic voice on four levels:

1. Physically, to express your voice with strength and skill.
Case study: Sales Manager Brett Laurence used to speak very quickly and very loudly which tended to make people tune out to what he was saying.  He says: “I speak with clients daily. I conduct small group trainings and even large seminars. Sally’s guidance has helped me immensely. She was able to show clearly how my volume and velocity affected those around me. I am now more confident as a business professional and recognize a tremendous shift in how people perceive me.”

2. Emotionally, to express your passion dynamically.
Case study: Business owner and coach, Catherine Newton, was unclear in her direction and hesitant to speak with her colleagues about some troubling issues. Through working with Sally, she gained the confidence, clarity and skills to communicate more directly. “Over the past several months, my coaching sessions with Sally were packed with  tools, techniques and strategies to bring out my best.  Specifically, she assisted me with developing my voice & Leadership and skills as a coach.  Sally was an awesome coach with a wonderfully encouraging and genuinely delightful manner. She took the time to really listen to my needs and adapted each of our coaching sessions to suit. I left each session highly motivated and charged, ready to take on any challenge that comes my way!”

3.Mentally, to give focus to your message and vision.
Case study: Linda McDermott, public speaking coach and author, used to suffer nerves from negative self-talk before she spoke. After attending one of Sally’s courses, she said:  “I’ve never come across such a unique approach to the psychology of public speaking before – it was like finding water in the desert! Loved the insights about being authentic to yourself and how to set yourself up mentally before you even get to the stage. All of those tips and techniques you crammed into the CD are definitely going to help my stage presence, resonance, and level of enjoyment when I’m in front of an audience. It will also help me when I coach others. Thanks again!

4. Spiritually, to discover the purpose of your voice as a contribution to the greater good.
Case study: Emma Bale, Hospital Manager: “The course surpassed my expectations. Sally is a superb facilitator creating a wonderfully supportive environment that challenges everyone to be fully authentic. The difference in my fellow course attendees was staggering, when somebody presents authentically their presence is so much stronger, the audience is engaged and the humour that naturally flows keeps everyone amused. The sign of a great course for me is that when you leave you immediately spend the drive home thinking about how you can bring your newly acquired skills into your life, I spent the weekend thinking about all the areas where I could use the skills.”

Sally Mabelle, M.Ed., originally began working with the Voice of Leadership in the United States in 1989. She is the currently the President of the National Speakers’ Association of New Zealand (Auckland Chapter) Her undergraduate degree is in Rhetoric (the art of Change) and Communication, and her Masters degree is in Education. She also has a professional background as an actress and an Executive Coach in the United States, as well as having spent the past 5 years teaching, coaching, and speaking in New Zealand. For more details,
see her website: www.sallymabelle.com

Itinerary at a Glance
The course runs for 6 days, and includes both workshops and visits to local places of interest.

Day 1: Saturday 10 July
Fly to Savusavu. The resort is 10 minutes from the airstrip, and you will be welcomed into it with a traditional Fijian welcoming ceremony.

Day 2: Sunday 11 July
Workshop: The Seven Steps to Powerful Presence
as a Leader. Each step will be introduced with an interactive activity to bring the learning to life and make it memorable.
Free time in the afternoon for writing. In the late afternoon there will be a tapa making demonstration
7.00 Dinner

Day 3: Monday 12 July
Workshop: Discovering your Leadership Purpose and Passion Both reflective exercises and interactive small group and larger group activities will assist you in clarifying your purpose and adding tremendous energy to your way of being and presenting.
Afternoon visit to Savusavu Town for shopping / visit to local market and geothermal hot springs.
7.00 Dinner

Day 4: Tuesday 13 July
Workshop: Engaging others with your vision, commitment, and empathy – You’ll get more practice today presenting your point of view to fellow participants, giving and receiving feedback on how inspirational and engaging you are – you’ll learn creative ways to keep the audience on their toes and listening.
Afternoon: free time for writing / snorkelling / optional trips.
7.00 Dinner

Day 5: Wednesday 14 July
Workshop:  Creating a high trust environment through modelling authenticity and openness:
Here you’ll learn the FIVE steps to authentic communication both in assertive speaking and empathetic listening.
Case Study: It helped me to understand that different people have different ways of communicating and effective communication is about understanding them, along with expressing myself in an appropriate way they can understand. These new skills have helped me to become more assertive in getting messages across and dealing with challenging situations. Louise Joel, entrepreneur, naturopath
Afternoon: beach / boat outing.
7.00 Dinner

Day 6: Thursday 15  July
Workshop:  Voicing your Vision with Authority
Today, we explore the true nature of authority.  Credibility has nothing to do with what others think but ultimately with our own alignment with our values and
Our acting with integrity in our own eyes.  Self-reflective and interactive activities will
Challenge you to discover your authentic authority and leadership purpose and connect you with a larger vision and purpose for your life and work.
Afternoon: free time for writing / snorkelling / optional trips.
6.30 Drinks at Savusavu Yacht Club and dinner in town

Day 7: Friday 16 July
Workshop: Putting it all together – moving forward as a leader at home and in the world.  This final morning will focus on acknowledging your new skills and creating a practical action plans to support you in integrating and developing your new voice.  Small group activities and individual reflective exercises will help you consolidate your learning into a form you can remember and apply.
4.00  Visit to a local  village to see a traditional Fijian meke (dance) and then have a final dinner at Daku.

Day 8: Saturday 15 July
Leave Savusavu. Return to Nadi.

The Course
Susan Worthington is New Zealand’s most celebrated Botanical Artist, and has recently earned the extraordinary distinction of having three of her paintings selected for inclusion in the Prince of Wales Highgrove Florilegium. This is a book which features plants from Prince Charles’ gardens at Highgrove. With a price tag of $30,000 for two volumes, it is a unique collectors publication, and to have a painting selected – let alone three – is an accolade of the highest order.

Susan’s approach to botanical art reflects her belief that people are interested on a number of levels – artistic, botanical and gardening. “Each plant has its own challenge. An artist has to make it aesthetically pleasing.  It needs the ‘wow’ factor.”

Her success in the field is leading something of a renaissance in this art form – and has a particular value in times when so many species are threatened. “It needs to make people care, to make them realise how vulnerable some of the plants are.” And of course paintings can last longer than photos: Sidney Parkinson and the other painters who accompanied Captain Cook made enduring contributions, and you can still see their paintings in Kew Gardens.

Susan will be bringing her passion to the course, teaching you to observe the tiny details of the plants you paint, how to find the best angle of approach, and above all how to infuse them with your own sense of their unique beauty. Susan has been teaching adults for many years and her main aim has been to encourage students to explore and expand their own art talents and help them to realise their individual potential. She comments: “It always gives me great pleasure to help others to see and capture the beauty and diversity of the world around us. Each student is on an individual art journey and all I am doing is using my skills to suggest and showing ways to make that journey successful and enjoyable.”

The Teacher
Susan Worthington BA. Dip. A Hons. Dip EGS .Dip Tchg

Susan writes of herself:
Looking back, plants and paint brushes have had parallel space in my life, but it is only in the last seven year that they have come together. I grew up with grandmothers and a mother who took their gardening seriously.

Life followed with its ups and downs. In 1986 I took myself to Auckland’s Whitecliffe Art School to gain a Diploma of Art with Honours. This was followed by three years at Auckland University where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English and Art History. Auckland Teachers’ Training College came next where I qualified and taught adults for the next ten years.

After returning to Taranaki, I had the opportunity to travel to West Dean in England to study botanical art, a subject not offered in New Zealand.

On returning home, I put what I’d learned into practice but found I needed to know still more. I returned to England, this time to Kew, where I studied for two weeks. Back in New Zealand again I started painting native plants from the Pukeiti Garden. The resulting paintings I took to exhibit at the Royal Horticultural Show in London where I was awarded a Silver Medal. I sold one of my paintings to Dr Shirley Sherwood and it became part of her exhibition, ‘A New Flowering, 1000 Years of Botanical Art’, at the Ashmolian Museum in Oxford.

In 2004, six of my paintings of garden flowers, hybridised in New Zealand, were used by New Zealand Post on a set of postage stamps. 2005 again found me in England where I exhibited a collection of Vireya (rhododendron) paintings at the Royal Horticultural Society’s botanical art display in the BBC Garden World Show in Birmingham. They were awarded a silver medal – my second.

In January 2006 I studied for a Diploma in Botanical Painting at the English Gardening School located in the Chelsea Physic Garden. I was awarded the Diploma with Distinction.2007 saw a collection of 50 of my paintings displayed at Puke Ariki Museum in New Plymouth for three months.2007 also saw one of my paintings selected to be included in the Highgrove Florilegium a set of two books of which only 175 will be printed. The funds raised will go towards The Princes Trust. Since then I painted two more paintings that were also included in the Highgrove Florilegium.

Programme

Sunday 18 April
Arrive in Nadi and on to Savusavu.

Monday 19 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.00pm: Poolside lunch.
Afternoon: Visit to Savusavu, visiting the geothermal hot springs, the local market and the shops
7.00pm: Dinner

Tuesday 20 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop
12.30pm: Lunch
2.00pm: Coconut cutting demonstration
7.00pm: Dinner

Wednesday 21 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop
12.30pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time for snorkeling, diving, swimming etc.
4.00pm: Tapa making demonstration (tapa: bark cloth)
7.00pm: Dinner

Thursday 22 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop
1.30pm: Lunch
3.30pm – 5.30pm: Boat/beach outing
6.00pm: Drinks at Yacht Club in Savusavu and dinner in town

Friday 23 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop
12.30pm: Lunch
4.00pm – 5.30pm: Traditional Fijian meke (dance)
7.00pm: Dinner

Satursday 24 April
9.30am – 12.30pm: Workshop
12.30pm: Lunch
1.30pm – 2.30pm: Final session; questions and continuing on
Afternoon: Relaxing. Optional outings to beach along the coast.
6.30pm: Final dinner

Sunday 25 April
Return to Nadi and on home

There will time for optional outings to the local black pearl farm, Waisele waterfall or snorkelling on the reef, and for massages, swimming – or just relaxing by the pool.

The course
Terrie has established a reputation for her rich and beautifully realised colour pencil drawings. Her course covers a discussion of key aspects of pencil drawing and techniques – choosing colours, shading, layering, producing highlights, textures. She will provide guidance and instruction on how to draw a range of textures, leaf shapes and flowers. The course will also cover picture composition, the use of computer aided design and image transfer, information on matting, framing and reproducing drawings and watercolour paintings. Finally, she’ll be showing you some simple book binding techniques to enable you bind up the week’s work – and encourage you to keep drawing.

EXTRA WEEK!!! Why not have two weeks of Botanical Art at Daku Resort? In the week before Terrie’s course, Susan Worthington is also teaching Botanical Art. Susan is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated Botanical artists. The two courses will show you entirely different ways of approaching Botanical art, opening up exciting new possibilities in your style and understanding of the form. If you do both courses, the second one will only cost NZ$1900 – a saving of NZ$800.

Terrie Reddish is a skilled and accomplished colour pencil artist based in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay on the east coast of New Zealand. She produces exquisitely detailed botanical works which are incredibly lifelike. Terrie’s objective is to present plants from everyday life in a way that draws the observer in to a new world of discovery.

She was awarded a gold medal at the Royal Horticultural Society’s December 2008 show for her study of Phormium tenax, also known as NZ Flax or Harakeke, in Maori. Two of the eight drawings were purchased at the show: one by the RHS Linley Library for their collection and the other by a private buyer.

Dr Shirley Sherwood, the world’s leading collector of botanical art, has recently added one of Terrie’s medal winning drawings to her comprehensive private collection of twentieth century contemporary botanical art.

Programme

Saturday 24 April
Arrive in Nadi and spend the night in Nadi

Sunday 25 April
7.00am: Fly to Savusavu
8.30am: Breakfast
10.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop Pencil drawing basics and tips
1.00pm:  Poolside lunch
2.00pm:  Coconut cutting demonstration
Afternoon free
4.00pm – 5.30pm: Workshop
7.00pm: Dinner

Monday 26 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Composition
12.30pm: Lunch
Afternoon visit to Savusavu town
7.00pm: Dinner

Tuesday 27 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Leaves
12.30pm: Lunch
Afternoon: Free time for snorkeling, diving, swimming etc.
4.00pm: Tapa making demonstration (tapa: bark cloth)
7.00pm: Dinner

Wednesday 28 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Flowers
1.30pm: Lunch
3.30pm – 5.30pm: Boat/beach outing
7.00pm: Dinner

Thursday 29 April
9.00am – 12.30pm: Workshop – Practice, trouble shooting and discussion on completion of drawings
12.30pm: Lunch
Afternoon: free
6.00pm: Drinks at Yacht Club in Savusavu and dinner in town

Friday 30 April
9.30am – 12.30pm:  Workshop – Wrap up – binding up the week’s work
12.30pm: Lunch
1.30pm – 2.30pm: Final session – questions and continuing on
4.00pm – 5.30pm: Village visit and traditional Fijian meke (dance)
7.00pm: Final lovo dinner

Saturday 1 May
Return to Nadi and on home

International travel from Australia
The course price for all courses excludes the international flight from Sydney. You are able to book your own flights, or we can arrange them for you. We usually book with Virgin Pacific Blue which leaves Sydney at 8.10am (depending on time of year) and arrives in Nadi at 2.10 pm. This enables us to connect with the late afternoon domestic flight to Savusavu.

If you are coming from another city in Australia, we can also book your flight; we will advise of the price before going ahead.

If you wish to make your own flight arrangements, the course price is AUD$1980 for yoga courses, AUD$2280 for all other courses.

International travel from New Zealand
The course price excludes the international flight. The reason for this is that many of our New Zealand visitors prefer to use their frequent flier points – although we will quote and book your flight if you would like. Flights from New Zealand are with Air New Zealand and Air Pacific.

International travel from other cities
If you are coming from another part of the world and are arranging your own flights to Fiji, the course price is AUD$1980 for yoga courses, AUD$2280 for all other courses. Please advise us when you plan to arrive so we can make the appropriate domestic flights bookings.

Requests for different flight dates
We are happy to book your flights earlier / later than the course dates if so requested. If this involves moving into an expensive period we will let you know and add on the difference, but this is unlikely to happen, and we will quote you before going ahead.

Overnight stays in Nadi
In some instances, flight times make it necessary to spend a night in Nadi. We can book you into Raffles Gateway hotel for $75 (standard single / double). It is a comfortable, pleasant mid-range hotel directly beside the airport, with a courtesy bus service running regularly back and forth.

Domestic flights from Nadi to Savusavu (Daku Resort)
Daku Resort is just outside Savusavu on Fiji’s northern island of Vanua Levu.
The price of your course includes the domestic flight from Nadi to Savusavu return.

The flights from Nadi depart at 7.00am, 10.00 am and 3.00pm (although the local carrier will delay this flight until 3.30pm in order to help passengers arriving from Sydney on the Virgin flight make the connection).

The return flights from Savusavu to Nadi are at 8.30 am, 2.00pm and 4.30 pm. The flight is in a deHavilland Twin Otter which has 20 seats, and takes 55 minutes.