Tracey Cattana is an educator (Wollongong University) and an Artist with many exhibitions under her belt. She has spent many years travelling overseas visiting every art gallery imaginable big and small. Her favourite being of course the Louvre in Paris (where she was known to spend many hundreds of hours lost in its paintings).

Her favourite artists span from Australian Indigenous Art and Brett Whitely to the genius she has a soft spot for the once misunderstood and beautiful Vincent Van Gogh. Come with her as she shares the eclectic, sometimes sad and sometimes funny lives behind the artwork of much loved artists that will touch your heart not just for their amazing works but their creative minds and enviably interesting stories.

Tracey has had many exhibitions of her own artwork, her musings of art honed over a dedicated lifetime. She continually perfects her skill and would like to share this with you through her own speciality in Watercolour and Aboriginal Art of Australia. Perfecting colour, form and design.

Click here to download a PDF example of a Watercolour Workshop that she conducted on a the Cunard Queen Mary 2 cruise.

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EXAMPLES OF ART TALKS

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1. Vincent Van Gogh - Vincent Van Gogh’s Paintings may be worth millions however was chopping of his ear and allegedly sending it to Gaugin and living in poverty for most of his life worth it? From Starry nights to sunflowers he had quite the ride.

2. Claude Monet - In 2008 one of Monet’s paintings sold for 41.4 million. Why was Monet so important to the art world? Was he always popular? What was his personal life like? Did he really keep images of his first wife on his bedroom wall after he remarried? Come with me as we explore his water lilied world and pose the question why is he still so popular today?

3.Archibald: The Story Of - Why did Vincent Fantauzzo paint three Heath Ledgers in his painting ‘Heath?’ What did Nigel Milsom’s painting ‘Judo House pt6 have to do with justice? The Archibald is part of our Australian culture or is it merely a mirror to our own Australian psyche’s? Look into the lives of the people behind the paintings and what inspired them to make such amazing works or portraiture.

4. The Dreaming and its connection to Aboriginal Art - Aboriginal Art is inspired by the original markings of the Dreaming. However how does the Dreaming live in Aboriginal culture? What is the Dreaming and how has it been passed on in Aboriginal culture? What links, rites and responsibilities does this tie to Aboriginal people? Come with me as we share the Dreaming through Aboriginal art.

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EXAMPLES OF ART ACTIVITY

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Name: Meeting Places and Travelling Lines: A representation of lines, dots and circles used in Aboriginal Art

Time: 55 MInutes

Materials
Lead Pencil
Cotton Sticks
Paint: brown, orange, red and yellow
A4 Paper

1. Draw a circle within a circle continuously (show example) making sure the circles are the same space away from each other as you go.
1a. The circles represent a campsite or meeting place.

2.Draw four lines parallel to each other (show example) making sure the lines are the same space away from each other as you go, Make sure the lines are also free-hand straight (which means they don't have to be ruler straight just pretty straight)
2b. The lines are travelling lines.

3. Turn your page over and draw four circles as shown in step one of the same size and put them in strategic spots around the page. (show example) To do this you need to imagine joining them up with the four lines.
3b. You are using your imagination to use campsites and travelling lines

4. Four lines go to each circle from each circle (show example).

5. You can make a square with a circle in each corner or right angle. (show example)

6. You can make a diamond by moving the shape around (show example)

7. Use the paint and cotton buds to makes dots to go over the drawing you have made of campsites and travelling lines. Use your imagination with the four colours, putting different colours next to each other (show example)

Name: Using Aboriginal Symbols

Time: 55 Minutes

Materials
Lead Pencil
Paint pots
Aboriginal Symbols Chart
Paint Brushes
Cotton Buds
a4 paper

1. Discuss the Aboriginal Symbols Chart. What does each symbol mean?
1a. Look at a painting that uses these symbols see if you can find them on the painting. Discuss with the people around you what story you think the artist is trying to tell. Discuss as a group what story the artist is telling.

2. Draw three of your favourite symbols show them to the person next to you. Without looking at their sheet get the person next to you to guess what symbols you have drawn. Both discuss why you chose these symbols

3. Discuss the design of the symbols on your paper. For example how will they look balanced, set them out on your page? For example putting them all in one corner won't make them look balanced. Make a mental check of where you are going to put the symbols on your page thinking about what story you are telling.

4. Draw the symbols on your page.

5. Talk about the colours Aboriginal people used in their paintings. (Show an example of a modern day painting and a traditional painting)

6. In light of this choose your colours and paint your picture

Name: Aboriginal Design

Time: 55 Minutes

Materials
A4 paper
Cotton Buds
Paint
Pencil

1. Draw medium size circle (show an example) lightly using a pencil. Draw a circle inside that circle using the same technique until you have about six concentric circles.

2. Draw lines about six centimetres long coming off the circle all the way around the circle (show example) make sure you do it lightly.

3. In another corner choose colours you would like to use and experiment with them to see if they go together (show an example). This is your draft paper to look at when you make the real thing

4. When you have picked your colours get another pice of paper and look at it to decided where you want your circle with lines coming of it to go on the paper. Ask yourself questions like: How big do I want them to be? How can I make them look balanced? Do I want them to cover the whole page? Do I want them to join up with other circles?

5. Make your design based on your findings. Do a rough in pencil first that you can go over in paint when you are ready.

Name: Aboriginal Bark Drawing

Time: 55 Minutes

Materials
Brown Const paper
Sharpie Markers
Textas
Animal example Pics
Red White and Yellow Tempera Paint

1. Show examples of Aboriginal Bark paintings. Explain how the aboriginal people drew 'xray style' imagine looking inside one of the animals, thats what the Aboriginal people drew

2. Start with the brown piece of conte paper. Tear away all the straight edges so it looks more like bark. (Only tear small bits of the edges so the paper can stay big)

3. Choose an animal to draw. Just draw the outside edges.

4. Imagine what you may see inside the animal and draw shapes that represent that (xray)

5. Outline the edges (both inside and out) with a black sharpie marker

6. Colour the inside and outside using Textas or paint

7. Now paint the contour (or outer sides) with different coloured dots in a bright yellow, red or white

8. Wait till it drys the role up for easy storage

Below are some examples of watercolors produced by some of the passengers who attended Tracey's workshops.

An especially succesful Watercolour Workshop on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and enrichment lecture series on Royal Carribean Ships for the last five years, being asked back again and again.

I am witty, sincere and encouraging by nature therfore the travellers took to there watercolour pallettes and paper with both confidence and zest. My natural and honed teaching abilities leading the travellers through a watercolour wonderland of colour and fun!

I have also shared my knowledge of artists such as Monet and Van Gogh, I also have a Bachelor of Education and am an Artists having many exhibitions under my belt. It would be my great privilage to share my love of drawing and in particular Aboriginal Art with groups of passengers. I specialise in dot and line drawing and Aboriginal design and colour. I have art plans organised to entertain and delight cruisers through step by step flexible instruction that sees the cruisers with a finished product after a fifty five minute art workshop. Through my enrichment lecturers I have been told on many occasion that I am humorous, entertaining and witty.