Vibrant Florals in Ink with Jennifer Forster
Saturday 13th 10am - 4.00pm and 14th February 9.30am - 3.30pm
ERAS Sunday School
Vibrant Florals in Ink
A Two-Day Workshop with Jennifer Forster
Discover the freedom, colour and beautiful unpredictability of painting with vibrant acrylic inks in this fun and expressive two-day workshop.
Working on watercolour paper, Yupo and canvas, you’ll explore how inks behave across different surfaces and learn to work with their natural flow rather than trying to control every mark. Jennifer will demonstrate ways of combining ink and water to create luminous washes, flowing shapes, interesting edges and rich layers of transparent colour.
Florals are the perfect subject for this expressive approach. Their organic shapes allow you to loosen up, experiment and let the ink move and mingle on the surface. You’ll explore ways of suggesting flowers, foliage and botanical forms without becoming caught up in unnecessary detail.
Throughout the two days, Jennifer will guide you in developing clear, vibrant colour combinations, creating strong compositions and finding the balance between controlling the ink and allowing those wonderful unexpected effects to happen.
You’ll be encouraged to paint bolder, brighter and more freely, while still working in your own individual style. Rather than trying to reproduce a particular painting, the focus will be on understanding the medium, experimenting with different techniques and using them to create work that feels distinctly your own.
Participants will explore:
Controlling and directing the flow of acrylic inks and water
Working on watercolour paper, Yupo and canvas
Creating clean, vibrant colour combinations
Layering transparent colour while maintaining luminosity
Using spontaneous marks, blooms and flowing edges to suggest floral forms
Balancing loose, expressive passages with more intentional marks
Developing interesting floral compositions
Knowing when to guide the ink—and when to simply let the ink paint itself
Expect two days of colour, experimentation and plenty of opportunity to play. You’ll leave with a greater understanding of this exciting medium, new approaches to painting florals and a collection of colourful works and experiments to continue developing at home.
Beginners are very welcome, and more experienced artists will have plenty of opportunity to extend their existing skills, experiment and take their work in new directions.
How to book
How to book
Bookings are open now: https://www.trybooking.com/DQJJK
Pricing:
$200 per person - Non Members
$170 per person - for ERAS Members
or $195 become a ERAS member (includes workshop ticket)
Please note that this workshop is has a maximum of 14 places, so bookings are essential.
About the workshop
Requirements guide:
Pencils, eraser, apron and paper towels, Small Spray bottle, water container, and palette, Easel, backing board and tape. Hair dryer & extension cord.
1x Watercolour paper (300gsm)
1x Yuppo paper (supplied)
1x Small canvas possibly for Sunday
Brushes: Bring whatever you have: Hake (or wash brush) , Fine liner (rigger), Synthetic rounds (with a tip) of various sizes and a Fan brush
INKS
Bring along whatever acrylic based inks you have. Art Spectrum pigment ink is a good brand but any brand is sufficient, I will be supplying some if you do not have the below. (Not alcohol inks)
The suggested (only) list:
Phthalo or Ultra Blue, Bright Red, Warm or Cool Yellow, Phthalo green, Magenta, Purple, Burnt Sienna, White and Antelope Brown. (Black supplied)
References: You are welcome to bring any foliage or flowers to the workshop to add to the selection provided. Likewise if you prefer a garden scene you may bring reference photographs
About the artist
Jennifer M. Forster is an Australian artist, educator, curator and art judge with more than 25 years of professional practice. Based at Killimicat in the Riverina, at the base of the Snowy Mountains, she works from a converted woolshed studio on the cattle property Willaway.
Drawing and painting are central to Jennifer’s practice. Grounded in tonal impressionism, she works across acrylics, oils, inks and mixed media, exploring light, colour, atmosphere and the emotional experience of place. Her work moves between representation and abstraction, combining close observation with intuitive mark-making and experimentation.
Landscape and nature are recurring themes, inspired by her travels throughout Australia and overseas as well as the familiar environment surrounding her home. A sketchbook is her constant companion, capturing fleeting impressions, shifts in light and the character of a place. These drawings often become the starting point for larger works developed in the studio.
Jennifer is also a highly regarded tutor, teaching drawing and painting across a broad range of media, and is a sought-after art judge and curator throughout regional New South Wales.
Over her career, Jennifer has presented more than 30 solo exhibitions and exhibited extensively in joint exhibitions and regional art competitions. She has received numerous awards across drawing, acrylics, oils, pastels and works on paper. These include multiple awards at the Tumut Art Show, including People’s Choice and winning works across several categories; King Valley Art Show – Winner, Works on Paper; multiple first and second prizes at the Narrandera Rotary Art Show; the Country Energy Acquisitive Prize; Casella Art Prize wins in 2005 and 2006 and People’s Choice in 2013; the Charles Sturt University Mitchell School of Arts Drawing Award; and numerous awards at the Wattle Time Art Show. She was also a finalist in the Outback Art Prize, Broken Hill, and in 2026 won the Acrylic section at the Deniliquin Rotary Art Show.
Her work is held in public, corporate and private collections across Australia, New Zealand, China, India, England and the United States.
Jennifer’s practice extends well beyond the studio. She has created large-scale public murals throughout NSW, including works for Hay Library, Hillston Library, Griffith City Library—including a nine-metre mural—and a number of public schools. In 2008, her work was selected for a permanent government exhibition in Harbin, China.
She has also contributed extensively to community arts initiatives, including the charity project BuyaBALE, and was the instigator of RegenerART, an arts outreach program supporting villages affected by the Snowy Valleys bushfires. RegenerART went on to become a state finalist in the 2024 NSW Mental Health Awards
