Artists and students sign up for Whangārei's 35th Summer DO

Ceramics tutor Israel Dawson readying the community kiln at the Quarry Arts Centre for the Summer DO.

Discover the artist within - or build on the already established artist within.

That's the word about New Zealand's oldest multimedia five-day summer arts school, which starts at Whangārei's Quarry Art Centre next month with courses to interest a variety of practitioners.

Now in its 35th year, the Summer DO's intensive 2019 five-day workshops will be held from January 7-11. The seven workshops include glass casting, Māori weaving, painting and printmaking, woodwork, large-scale ceramics, wood-kiln building and textile art.

Tutors for the Summer DO are experts in their fields and this year's art school includes Auckland-based ceramic artist Matt McLean, who will guide students through hand-building large scale ceramic works.

McLean is particularly interested in modules and segmentation and experimenting with surface treatments.

Another ceramic-based workshop is the designing and building of a small wood-fired kiln, with local potter and kiln master Israel Dawson. Israel is taking the "number 8 wire" approach with this practical yet experimental class.

Students will make their own bricks, learn about basic glazing and how to make a usable product from raw clay as well as firing up their own hand-built kiln.

Maggy Johnston's community-minded workshop in textile art will bring participants together over knitting needles, crochet hooks and a multitude of different twines and ribbons to create a collaborative art work as well as personal individual pieces.

Glass casting is also on offer. Carver and glass artist Todd Sheridan will guide participants through the process of glass casting, from sculpting a model, making a mould and finishing the fired piece ready for display.

James Lawrence, an Auckland-based artist, will take students on a painting and printmaking journey, starting with a painting before pushing students' boundaries with mixed media and mono-printing.

Traditional Māori weaving with Northland artist Reva Mendes and wood turning by wood-turners Don Coutts and Granville Haworth round off the courses available.

The DO is open to artists of varying degrees of experience, from beginners to established practitioners.

It aims to build and develop students' existing practice and to encourage people to try something different in a supportive, social and stimulating environment. Class sizes vary from six to 12 participants and are suitable for ages 16 and over.