Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 October, 10am – 4pm
(plus closing dinner 4–6pm, Saturday 11 October)
Goolugatup Heathcote, 58 Duncraig Rd, Applecross WA 6153
This three-day intensive provides advanced training in classical oil painting, with a focus on mastering the technical and aesthetic principles that defined Caravaggio’s work. Designed for intermediate to advanced painters, or for those who have previously studied with Melissa Clements, the program offers structured, in-depth learning within a professional studio environment.
Across the course, participants will complete a master copy of Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit, integrating Melissa’s signature Verdaccio underpainting process with Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro lighting and naturalistic colour palette. Each day combines live demonstration, lecture, guided studio practice, and individual feedback to ensure both technical progression and conceptual understanding.
The program also includes targeted lectures on Baroque art and Caravaggio’s life, providing historical and theoretical context for the studio practice. On the final evening, participants will join a cohort dinner at Tucci (nibbles provided; meals at student’s cost) to consolidate learning and engage in professional discussion.
Day 1 – Values and Form
Introductory lecture
Demonstration: Preparing the surface and sketching the form
Verdaccio underpainting of Boy with a Basket of Fruit, focusing on form and chiaroscuro light
Individual guidance and feedback
Day 2 – Beginning Colour
Lecture: Caravaggio’s colour theory
Demonstration: Translating value into colour using a limited palette
Students begin first colour layers, working lean to fat
Focus on temperature, transitions, and luminosity
Day 3 – Refinement and Finish
Demonstration: Building depth in shadows and flesh tones
Painting refinement — edges, highlights, and expressive detail
Group critique and discussion
Cohort dinner and closing reflections, 4-6pm Tucci, Goolugatup Heathcote
10% off early bird fee available only until September 1st.
About Melissa:
Melissa Clements (b. 1998) is a Perth-based fine artist whose practice draws on classical painting traditions to explore the dualities of human existence.
She has undertaken formal training at the New York Academy of Art and the National Art School, grounding her work in the techniques of the atelier. Her paintings have been recognised in major national prizes including the Archibald Prize, Lester Prize, and Darling Portrait Prize, and she has been commissioned to paint official portraits of significant public figures, among them the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, The Honourable Peter Quinlan, and The Honourable Robert French, AC for the University of Western Australia.
Clements’ work is represented in both public and private collections across the world.
Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 October, 10am – 4pm
(plus closing dinner 4–6pm, Saturday 11 October)
Goolugatup Heathcote, 58 Duncraig Rd, Applecross WA 6153
This three-day intensive provides advanced training in classical oil painting, with a focus on mastering the technical and aesthetic principles that defined Caravaggio’s work. Designed for intermediate to advanced painters, or for those who have previously studied with Melissa Clements, the program offers structured, in-depth learning within a professional studio environment.
Across the course, participants will complete a master copy of Caravaggio’s Boy with a Basket of Fruit, integrating Melissa’s signature Verdaccio underpainting process with Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro lighting and naturalistic colour palette. Each day combines live demonstration, lecture, guided studio practice, and individual feedback to ensure both technical progression and conceptual understanding.
The program also includes targeted lectures on Baroque art and Caravaggio’s life, providing historical and theoretical context for the studio practice. On the final evening, participants will join a cohort dinner at Tucci (nibbles provided; meals at student’s cost) to consolidate learning and engage in professional discussion.
Day 1 – Values and Form
Introductory lecture
Demonstration: Preparing the surface and sketching the form
Verdaccio underpainting of Boy with a Basket of Fruit, focusing on form and chiaroscuro light
Individual guidance and feedback
Day 2 – Beginning Colour
Lecture: Caravaggio’s colour theory
Demonstration: Translating value into colour using a limited palette
Students begin first colour layers, working lean to fat
Focus on temperature, transitions, and luminosity
Day 3 – Refinement and Finish
Demonstration: Building depth in shadows and flesh tones
Painting refinement — edges, highlights, and expressive detail
Group critique and discussion
Cohort dinner and closing reflections, 4-6pm Tucci, Goolugatup Heathcote
10% off early bird fee available only until September 1st.
About Melissa:
Melissa Clements (b. 1998) is a Perth-based fine artist whose practice draws on classical painting traditions to explore the dualities of human existence.
She has undertaken formal training at the New York Academy of Art and the National Art School, grounding her work in the techniques of the atelier. Her paintings have been recognised in major national prizes including the Archibald Prize, Lester Prize, and Darling Portrait Prize, and she has been commissioned to paint official portraits of significant public figures, among them the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, The Honourable Peter Quinlan, and The Honourable Robert French, AC for the University of Western Australia.
Clements’ work is represented in both public and private collections across the world.
