paintbox

10/10/2026

10/10/2026

WILD | Week 2, Day 3 — A Beautiful Finale

And just like that, our WILD Holiday Studio has come to an end.

For our final session, we turned our attention to the delightful little zebra finch, exploring its distinctive markings, delicate form and character through layers of acrylic paint and expressive pastel work.

There was an abundance of colour, some wonderfully adventurous interpretations and, as always, the unmistakable individuality of each young artist. Working from the same subject, no two paintings arrived at quite the same destination. That, perhaps, is one of the most rewarding things about teaching art: witnessing how differently children observe, interpret and respond to the world around them.

Over the past two weeks, our studio has been filled with the creatures of sea and sky, with six workshops devoted to exploring the natural world through painting, drawing and the pleasure of making something with our hands.

Beyond the finished artworks, there have been discoveries, conversations, small triumphs and those lovely moments when a child steps back from their painting and realises what they have accomplished.

To every young artist who joined us over these two weeks, thank you for bringing your imagination, curiosity and enthusiasm into our studio. It has been an absolute pleasure to create alongside you.

And to the families who continue to entrust us with their children, thank you for making these experiences possible.

That's a wrap on WILD. What a wonderful two weeks of artmaking at paintbox.

10/10/2026

BOTANICA | ONE PLACE AVAILABLE

Our Tuesday Botanica class (Tuesdays, 6yrs+) was fully booked, but one place has just become available for Term 4.

This term, our young artists are stepping into the extraordinary world of botanical art, exploring the intricate forms, colours and textures of the natural world through drawing, painting and mixed media.

From delicate petals to sculptural leaves, Botanica invites children to look more closely, notice the smallest details and develop their own artistic interpretations through thoughtful observation and creative exploration.

Each session is designed to nurture artistic confidence, introduce new techniques and encourage children to see the familiar world with an artist's eye.

With just one place available in our sought-after Tuesday class, this is a rare opportunity to join us for the term.

BOTANICA | Tuesday Artists | 6yrs +
Term 4, 2026
1-hour weekly sessions
$300 for the term, including materials

One place. First to enrol secures it.

Places are still available for the Friday sessions, 9yrs to highschool.

Enrol at: https://www.paintboxstudios.com.au/product-page/botanica-the-art-of-the-natural-world

09/10/2026

WILD | Week Two, Day Two — Cockatoo

A magnificent burst of colour took over the paintbox studio yesterday as our young artists turned their attention to one of Australia's most spectacular native birds: the Cockatoo!

With its extraordinary crest, beautiful plumage and striking features, this magnificent bird gave us plenty of opportunities to explore colour, texture and expressive mark-making.

Working with acrylic paints and pastels, our artists built up layers of vibrant colour, experimenting with bold backgrounds, contrasting tones and the wonderful textures of feathers.

And what a collection of cockatoos emerged! Some delicate and beautifully detailed, others wonderfully bold and expressive. Each painting had its own character, shaped by the imagination and individual artistic choices of its creator.

There is so much joy in seeing children become absorbed in their work, discovering what their materials can do and finding the confidence to make something entirely their own.

Another beautiful day of artmaking, colourful hands and proud young artists at paintbox!

08/10/2026

WILD | Week Two, Day One — Rainbow Bee-eater

Yesterday, we welcomed our young artists back into the paintbox studio for the beginning of our second week of WILD Holiday Studio!

Our subject was the magnificent Rainbow Bee-eater, one of Australia's most colourful native birds, with its brilliant turquoise, emerald green, golden yellow and chestnut plumage.

Working with acrylic paints and pastels, our young artists explored layers of colour, texture and expressive mark-making. We introduced patterned papers into our compositions, creating wonderfully rich backgrounds against which our birds could take centre stage.

And those proud little faces holding up their finished work? They tell the story beautifully.

A wonderful beginning to our second week of WILD.

07/10/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of being an artist is knowing when to stop.

I’ll begin with an idea, thinking I’m simply making a study or testing a colour, and then something happens. A particular combination catches me. A mark suggests another mark. One painting raises a question that I want to answer in the next.

And suddenly there are sketchbooks open everywhere, palettes still wet, brushes in jars, and I’m several paintings further into a thought I hadn’t intended to pursue.

Once I find a direction that feels alive, I find it incredibly difficult to leave it alone.
Perhaps that is part of the work, following the thread while it is still pulling at you. Allowing curiosity to outrun the original plan. Staying with an idea long enough to discover what else it might become.

These orchids and wildflowers started as exploration, but I’m not finished with them yet. There is something here I want to keep pushing: the looseness, the colour, the strange shapes, the places where observation begins to give way to interpretation.

So I keep painting.

Not because I know exactly where it is going, but because I want to find out.

06/10/2026

THE BIRDS HAVE LANDED AT PAINTBOX
https://www.paintboxstudios.com.au/product-page/paintbox-holiday-studio-wild

These are the three paintings waiting for our young artists in Week Two of the Paintbox Holiday Studio: WILD.

After every session in Week One was fully booked, Week Two is filling up too.

This week we’re painting birds, vibrant artworks filled with colour, expressive marks and layers of acrylic paint and pastels.

Prism — Rainbow Bee-Eater
Wednesday 7 October

Wild at Heart — Cockatoo (FULLY BOOKED)
Thursday 8 October

Little Song — Zebra Finch
Friday 9 October

Each is a two-hour, step-by-step studio session, guiding young artists through the painting from beginning to end while still leaving room for individual choices, different marks and their own artistic hand to come through.

Beginner-friendly and everything is supplied. Young artists simply arrive ready to paint.

3PM–5PM
Ages 6 years to high school
$60 per session, all inclusive

Choose a favourite bird or join the studio for all three.

Week One showed just how quickly places can disappear, and with Week Two already filling, booking ahead is recommended for anyone hoping to join us.

Bookings for Week Two are open now.

Come paint WILD at paintbox.

05/10/2026

⚘️🌿🌸

04/10/2026

WEEK TWO IS TAKING FLIGHT

Week One of the Paintbox Holiday Studio — WILD was fully booked, and after three brilliant days exploring creatures beneath the sea, this week we’re turning our attention to some of our favourite birds.

And Week Two is already filling up.

Across three separate two-hour studio sessions, young artists will create bold, expressive bird paintings using layers of colour, texture and mark-making, with step-by-step guidance throughout.

Wednesday 7 October — Prism: Rainbow Bee-Eater
Thursday 8 October — Wild at Heart: Cockatoo
Friday 9 October — Little Song: Zebra Finch
3PM–5PM
Ages 6 years to high school
$60 per session, all materials included

Each workshop is a complete standalone session, so you can book one, two or all three.

If you’ve been thinking about joining us these holidays, I wouldn’t leave it too late. Every session in Week One booked out, and places for our bird workshops are already being taken.

Three beautiful birds. Three paintings. Three afternoons in the paintbox studio to make something wonderful.

Bookings are open now — secure your place before Week Two fills too.

https://www.paintboxstudios.com.au/product-page/paintbox-holiday-studio-wild

04/10/2026

WEEK ONE: DONE & DUSTED

Friday wrapped up the first week of our Paintbox Holiday Studio -- WILD, with Day 3: Blue Drift -- Manta Ray.

We began with acrylic paint, building those deep ocean blues, the strong silhouette of the manta ray and colour blocking ocean plant life before bringing out the soft and oil pastels to add colour, texture and detail.

From there, the underwater worlds really began to take on a life of their own; shafts of light through the water, curling seaweed, coral and all sorts of wonderful details appearing around each manta.

Same subject. Same materials. Completely different paintings.

And that is one of my favourite things to see in the studio: even with step-by-step guidance and a shared reference, there is still so much room for each young artist’s own hand, decisions and imagination to come through.

And just like that, Week One is done and dusted, three days of painting, pastels, sea creatures and some fantastic finished pieces heading home.

This week we leave the ocean behind and turn our attention to birds for Week Two of the Paintbox Holiday Studio.

Three more days of making ahead of us.