Plein Air Atelier with Lucy O’Doherty

Hosted from the elevated lawns of Blackburn Gardens with a finale at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, this three-part atelier is designed for artists who want quiet, rigorous time with the landscape and the mentoring to refine it.

Across three sessions, Lucy will guide attentive observation and disciplined practice: from compositional decision-making to the subtleties of late-day colour and the development of a personal visual language. Sessions combine focused demonstrations, directed practice on location, one-to-one guidance and group review at the gallery.

Bring the painting medium you prefer – oil, acrylic, watercolour or pastel – and your chosen outdoor materials. A small number of easels and boards will be available; please advise if you require one when booking.

Places are strictly limited to 15 participants per session to ensure personalised guidance and considered feedback.

Session Program:

Perspective & Composition
Saturday 17 January, 10:00AM - 1:00PM

Learn how to reduce complexity, define spatial structure and compose with intention. Lucy will demonstrate strategies for framing scenes quickly and confidently so you can move from observation to making with purpose.

Colour & Light
Thursday 22 January, 5:00PM - 8:00PM

Work in the golden hour, responding to the harbour’s changing palette. This session focuses on colour relationships, tonal clarity and capturing atmosphere with immediacy and restraint.

Developing a Personal Style
Saturday 31 January, 1:30PM - 4:30PM

Synthesise observational skill and material experimentation into a distinctive approach. The workshop concludes at Woollahra Gallery with a reflective review and an informal reception for participants.

Participants may attend a single session or the full three-part program.

Where | Blackburn Gardens & Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf

Cost | $25 per session (+ booking fee)

Capacity | 15 participants (bookings essential)

Transport & arrival | Accessible via buses 324, 325 and 326, or a short walk from Edgecliff Station and Double Bay Wharf. After-hours parking is available at Woollahra Council Chambers (536 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW 2028). For ride-share drop-off, please request Council Chambers.

Image | Kitty Callaghan

About Lucy O’Doherty

Lucy O’Doherty’s work explores memory, thresholds and the quiet architecture of place. Working primarily in oil and soft pastels, her paintings distil twilight landscapes and intimate interiors into scenes that linger between recollection and observation. O’Doherty is a graduate of the National Art School (2011) and recipient of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2016), which led to a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. Her work has been exhibited widely in Australia and New Zealand and has been featured in Artist Profile, the Art Gallery of NSW magazine Look, Grazia and Travel Insider.

Also check out other Arts events in Rose Bay, Fine Arts events in Rose Bay, Workshops in Rose Bay.