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Karen Christiansen, home

Workshops and classes

Teaching

I teach soft pastel through belArts in Brisbane: technique classes, weekend workshops and the occasional demonstration. Beginners are welcome; so are people who have been painting for thirty years and want to try pastel properly.

Karen Christiansen working on a pastel portrait at the easel in her studio

Currently offered

  • Saturday Workshop 9:30am - 4pm - Soft Pastel Skies (Atmosphere and Glow)

    Saturday Workshop 9:30am - 4pm - Soft Pastel Skies (Atmosphere and Glow)

    6 hours 30 minutes · $256 · Up to 12

    Paint atmospheric skies in the medium of pastel! Karen will walk you through the elements of perspective, value, form, colour and texture as they relate to clouds. She will demonstrate how purposeful underpainting can form a strong foundation to create depth in a sky – all with the aim to move beyond a reference image to convey the emotion of a moment. Suits all levels 15 years plus students. BYO materials: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h1dwEj3ygzRvt4rwH6oXmoQymSUL_zSum36zmRSHmWU/edit?usp=sharing

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  • Tuesday Afternoons 1:30 - 4:30 pm - SOFT PASTELS (Term 4 2026)

    Tuesday Afternoons 1:30 - 4:30 pm - SOFT PASTELS (Term 4 2026)

    24 hours · $575 · Up to 12

    This 8-week course runs from 20 Oct to 8 Dec 2026. Explore the wonderful medium of soft pastels! Each 3-hour lesson will involve introducing a concept, a demonstration of a technique, and then completion of a small exercise, study or painting during the class, with personal feedback. Course details and Materials List (copy & paste this link into your browser): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mh_9L9ePTd5m0YmMMZiUDGDifSvwnYDhtE-dWLnQ8Ss/edit?usp=sharing

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Read live from the belArts booking system, so this is whatever they currently have open.

Upcoming workshops

Dates, prices and places are managed by belArts, so the schedule on their booking page is always the current one.

See dates and book

Opens belArts Visual Arts School. Look for Karen Christiansen in the list of tutors.

Classes are small on purpose. Pastel is a physical medium and most of what is worth knowing is easier shown than explained: how hard to press, when to stop blending, which stick to reach for when the green has gone dead.

We work from photographs and from life, depending on the session and the weather. Materials are discussed before the first class; you do not need an expensive set to start, and I would rather you brought twelve good sticks than two hundred mediocre ones.

I consider the teaching part of the work rather than a break from it. Explaining a decision out loud is the fastest way to find out whether it was a good one.

The school

belArts Visual Arts School

Classes and workshops run through belArts, who handle enrolments, dates and payment.

belarts.com.au

Private tuition

Personal one-to-one sessions, tailored to where you are in your artistic journey. Useful if you are working towards a particular piece or want to focus on one problem.

Enquire about tuition