Tutors

Sandra Marasco

Drawing has always been that one constant. An exhilaration that forged an ability to see and acknowledge the world surrounding her.
Sandra Marasco grew up in a picturesque valley where the solitude of living and working on a tobacco farm implored an immersion in art.

A graduate of The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Sandra received a Bachelor of Art(with Distinction) in Gold and Silversmithing. Awarded the A. D. Hope Acquisitive Figurative Award in 1989.
Whilst sentiment for artisanal craftsmanship keeps part of her life working as a contemporary jewellery designer, it is the language of drawing that resonates. An offer to tutor drawing in 2009 cemented a desire to pass on her skills.
Impressionistic Realism defines her work with a fondness for the intrinsic beauty of soft pastels. Yet, habitually including charcoal, watercolour, acrylic, oils and ink.
An intuitive creative approach to her work, Sandra gains much of her inspiration from the rural landscape throughout the distinguishable seasons. Often depicting ramshackle farmhouses, vintage cars or the allure of a bird's nest found in a vineyard. En Plein Air is highly revered and a notable aspect of her work.
Sandra currently resides in Melbourne and divides her time between city and rural living.

Vicki McInnes

Vicki McInnes is originally from Alphington, just across the river from Kew where she now lives, in 
Melbourne’s inner northeast. Nearby was her grandparents’ home: her grandfather William Beckwith 
McInnes was a pre-eminent painter with one Wynne and seven Archibald Prizes, and her 
grandmother was a highly regarded painter and member of Melbourne Society of Women Painters 
and Sculptors.

While Vicki has always loved painting and drawing, she pursued a career in fashion design, then 
fashion buying for a national department store, later, decorative painting and interior design. Around 
twenty years ago, she began studies in Tonalist painting with Melbourne painter Don James at 
Montsalvat. She follows this approach in painting: no preliminary drawing, and working directly 
from the subject. 
Sense of place, the importance of the handmade, the homegrown, of the everyday and familiar 
have a strong presence, and are sources of themes she explores in paintings and drawings. 
The first painting she exhibited was at The Victorian Artists’ Society in 2009. She continued as a 
member there, and solo exhibitions include Montsalvat in 2013, then at The Light Factory Gallery in 
Eltham in 2013, at Malvern Artists’ Society in September 2016 and February 2023. Awards include 
Best Oil Painting Brighton Art Society 2017, Best Oil Painting Malvern Art Society 2016, AGRA 
Medallion 2012, Highly Commended Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize 2013. She is a signatory 
member of the Victorian Artists’ Society, and three-times finalist in the A.M.E. Bale prize.
She teaches and runs workshops in drawing and painting, and continues to exhibit regularly.

Craig Penny

Craig studied art at the Ballarat University, where painting and graphic design attracted most of his attention. He then pursued a successful career as an illustrator. Craig's career has progressed into a range of mediums including skills in computer graphics.

As a result he has also undertaken a successful career in teaching traditional drawing and illustration, as well as digital drawing and illustration at Victoria and Swinburne universities. Throughout this time, he never lost his love of using traditional methods and subsequently specialized in watercolour and acrylic painting. This has lead to an extremely successful solo career.

Born in Mildura in 1961, Craig showed an interest in art and drawing at a very young age. In 1970, his family moved to the Western District of Victoria. His love of art saw him enrol in the art course at Hamilton Technical School in 1976. At the age of 16 his artistic interests extended into ceramics and sculpture, and he constructed several wood fired kilns in his parents’ backyard.

In 2001, Craig had his first major solo exhibition at Manyung Gallery in Mt Eliza, Victoria. In 2007, his work was accepted by Gallery Diamante in Carmel California. Craig has lead painting and sketching trips to Cambodia, Veitnam, Greek Islands, France and Japan.

"I like to think that to paint a successful painting is not so much to have tamed the beast, rather to have been taken along for the ride and still be there at the end of the experience. For me painting is like life … giving yourself enough skill, knowledge and integrity and then letting yourself free to take what is thrown your way. You don't need to tame and control it for magic to happen... you just need to be there at the end."

WEB: www.craigpennyart@bigpond.com.au

Margarita Riaikkenen

Margarita Riaikkenen is a self-taught artist, co-author of internationally published books, and an accredited therapeutic art life coach. She is also a certified cognitive behavioral life coach.

Finding work in cooperation with other artists inspirational, she has participated in a range of exhibitions, and received art awards. Margarita is a member of The Australian Guild of Realist Artists and the Pastel Society of Victoria, Australia.  She is most passionately producing portraiture, still life and scenes from everyday life in Melbourne together with meditative works of art in different media, mostly in oil and pastel.

Danielle Robertson

Danielle Robertson attended Box Hill College and studied two years of Art & Design, followed by an Associate Diploma in Finished Art. She then worked for various design houses and although Danielle enjoyed working in this industry, her passion is for fine art.

Danielle has taught classes and workshops at art groups for the past 14 years and finds that this has challenged and inspired her art process. Previously focusing on portraits, she now focuses on painting animals with pan pastels, pastel pencils and pastel sticks on pastel mat paper. She loves to encourage and inspire new and more experienced artists realise their potential. She has been published in several local and international magazines and has won numerous awards in art shows.

You can see more of her work through her website

Maxine Wade

Maxine Wade has always had an interest in creativity and trained as an Art Teacher at Melbourne University, going on to teach in a variety of secondary colleges for 27 years. She then began tutoring adults in watercolour, drawing, life drawing and mixed media at many art societies in Melbourne

She has been a member of Australian Guild of Realist Artists (AGRA) for 12 years (2 of those serving as a councillor there, and as Professional Development Officer), and a member of the Watercolour Society of Victoria for 20 years. Maxine has won many awards for her work and has held many solo and joint exhibitions over 35 years. She also tutors at Malvern Artists’ Society and McClelland Guild of Artists.

Maxine published her book ‘Watercolour Warfare’ in 2020 which is now almost sold out.