MORE than 50 artists from across Australia have descended on the Wimmera for a five day long intensive workshop series at Longerenong College.
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GrampianArts' inaugural Summer Brushes program is offering participants seven different art workshops including watercolor, pastels, mixed media, printmaking and drawing.
Project co-ordinator Adelle Rohrsheim said the workshops enabled people to experiment with new techniques and mediums.
"It's all about learning amazing techniques from our tutors and experimenting. They won't be coming out with just one finished piece but experimenting with lots of different elements," she said.
"We're staying on site as well and have catering. We're doing talks and lectures some of the nights."
Mrs Rohrsheim said people had travelled from across Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and even from New Zealand to attend.
"We have a mix of both artists and hobby artists, and people who might have never done art before. It's really interesting and great to see people try something new," she said.
"There aren't many locals who do it, but lots from Melbourne, Geelong and South Australia. We even have one lady who has travelled from New Zealand just for this."
Program participant Brian Collins, of Wodonga, is one of only three men taking part in the workshops.
"There should be more men doing these kind of things. It's been great for my mental health and could help the mental health of other men," he said.
"I had never even picked up a paintbrush before Monday."
Swan Hill resident and artist Gloria McKerrow said the program had been rewarding so far.
"It's great that a country town has something like this. The cities have so much and regional Victoria doesn't have a lot of resources for art," she said.
GrampianArts also runs Grampians Brushes and Grampians Textures in Halls Gap twice a year.
The Summer Brushes program will end on Friday.
Mrs Rohrsheim said people interested in participating in the 2021 Summer Brushes program could contact her on 0431 820 493.
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