paintbox

17/10/2026

BOTANICA | Friday Artists

Our Friday Artists began their first Botanica project this week, exploring the distinctive shapes and intricate forms of the monstera leaf through watercolour.

Working with an expressive palette of colours, our young artists experimented with layering, blending and allowing pigments to move and mingle across the paper. Rather than reproducing the natural colours of the leaf, we encouraged them to explore their own interpretations, creating vibrant compositions full of unexpected colour combinations.

The first stage is now complete, with beautiful washes of colour establishing the foundations of each artwork.

Next week, we'll return to these paintings to develop the finer details and bring our colourful monstera leaves to completion.

A wonderful start to our Term 4 exploration of the botanical world.

17/10/2026

THE JOURNAL STUDIO | Thursday Artists

Our first session of The Journal Studio began with the artists making their journals entirely their own.
Using an assortment of decorative papers, vintage illustrations, botanical imagery, watercolours, drawings and ephemera, our young artists spent the afternoon designing and personalising the covers of their mixed-media journals.

Each cover became a composition of carefully chosen images, colours and textures, reflecting the individual interests, tastes and imaginations of its maker.

What I love about this process is how much it reveals about each artist. The images they are drawn to, the unexpected combinations they create, and the personal details they choose to include all become part of their emerging visual language.

Over the coming weeks, these journals will gradually fill with experiments, observations, ideas and discoveries, without the constraints of conventional artmaking.

For now, the covers are complete, and each journal already has a personality of its own.
A lovely beginning to ten weeks of creative exploration.

17/10/2026

ARTFORM | Wednesday Artists

Our first ARTFORM session for Term 4 began with an exploration of colour, movement and expressive mark-making.

Working with bold, vibrant colours, our young artists created flowing, abstract patterns, experimenting with the way colours interact, overlap and move across the surface.

But these paintings are only the beginning.
The first stage of our project is complete, and these beautiful arrangements of colour will become the foundation for something entirely different.

We can't wait to see what our artists create from them!

ARTFORM is our new contemporary art program at paintbox, encouraging young artists to experiment, think beyond conventional approaches and discover new possibilities in artmaking.

17/10/2026

BOTANICA | Wednesday Artists

Our Wednesday Artists began their first session of Botanica this week with a study of the monstera leaf, exploring its distinctive form through watercolour.

Working with vibrant pigments, our young artists experimented with colour, transparency and the way water carries pigment across the paper. Colours were allowed to meet, mingle and settle into unexpected combinations, transforming a familiar botanical subject into something wonderfully expressive.

Rather than reproducing the natural greens of the monstera, we encouraged our artists to explore their own interpretations, discovering how colour can change the character and atmosphere of an artwork.

A beautiful beginning to a term devoted to observing, interpreting and finding artistic possibilities in the botanical world.

15/10/2026

A new term, a new season of artmaking at paintbox.

Our Tuesday Artists welcomed Term 4 with the first session of BOTANICA, a ten-week exploration of the natural world through art.

We began with the beautiful, sculptural form of the monstera leaf, exploring its distinctive shapes and intricate openings before introducing watercolour.
Working with vibrant pigments, our young artists experimented with colour blending, transparency and the unpredictable ways water and pigment move across paper. Some colours flowed gently into one another, while others met in unexpected combinations, creating wonderful variations in every leaf.

There is much to discover in the natural world, and even more when we begin to look at it through an artist's eyes.

A beautiful beginning to BOTANICA, and we look forward to seeing where the coming weeks take us.

12/10/2026

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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!