John Baird Masterclass: Abstraction, colour & collage

Join acclaimed artist John Baird for a special two-part workshop that offers a rare insight into his unique way of making art. Over two consecutive Saturdays, John will guide participants through his personal process of building an artwork from the ground up—starting with a Birchwood panel and gradually layering paint, collage, and shellac to create a rich, abstract composition.

Workshop dates:

• Saturday 25 October > 1 - 4pm

• Saturday 1 November > 1 - 4pm

Rather than working from a set subject, John focuses on the energy of composition, colour, and surface. His approach blurs the line between abstraction and representation, encouraging participants to see painting in a new way—where form and feeling matter more than the subject itself.

What you’ll learn

• How to prepare and set up your birchwood panel for painting
• Building an intuitive composition layer by layer
• Using chromatic auras and exploring colour through John’s unique palette system based on frequencies
• Introducing shellac to shift tone and atmosphere
• Adding collage elements for texture and depth
• Finishing with lighter paint layers to bring the work together

First Saturday session: Begin your panel, create the structure of your composition, and establish the first layers of paint. Explore colour relationships and build your palette.

Second Saturday session: Introduce shellac and collage, darken and enrich your surface, then bring the work to completion with final layers of paint.

This workshop is perfect for artists wanting to expand their practice, experiment with new materials and gain an insider’s look at John distinctive process. Whether you’re new to abstraction or looking to push your work further, you’ll walk away with new tools, techniques, and a finished painting that reflects your own voice.

Cost includes birchwood panel, vintage wall papers (for collage), shellac & some acrylic paints.

What to bring: Fabrics for collage, a sketch pad, some acrylic paints of your choice colour palette & a few brushes, including a square headed brushes. Wear non-precious clothes too!

Studio address: 2/27 Progress St (signage above door is Ultimate Action Toys)

Image: John in his Progress St studio with workshop subject.

Also check out other Arts events in Mornington, Workshops in Mornington, Fine Arts events in Mornington.