Learning workshop: Alchemy and abstraction By Desmond Lazaro for primary and secondary students

What is the alchemy of paint and how does it connect to abstraction?

This workshop is adapted for primary and secondary stages and their relevant curriculum outcomes. It is designed for groups of 45 students or less. All materials included. We recommend booking at least four weeks in advance.

Designed and developed by artist Desmond Lazaro, Alchemy and abstraction is a hands-on art-making experience that engages students with the alchemical tradition of paint within the context of abstraction. With a strong focus on materials, students learn the four methods of pigment preparation, including turning mineral rocks and stones to pigment, and pigment to paint.

Desmond Lazaro is an artist based in Australia and India whose primary ingredient is colour. Trained and specialised in the miniature paintings of Rajasthan, his practice explores map-making, planetary systems and the concept of the journey. Lazaro uses handmade paper and creates his own pigments from grinding semi-precious stones and natural elements. His work can be found in the Art Gallery of NSW’s collection and in other private and public collections worldwide. For the exhibition Kandinsky, Lazaro created Point and line to plane, a specially created artist project that draws from the ideas that influenced Kandinsky.