Gel Plate Printing Workshop
10am - 12pm Saturday 22 August 2026
Gel Plate Printing Workshop
Athena Costopoulos | $75 - $95
Athena Costopoulos, Castle Hill (detail), 2025, Gel plate print, acrylic and ink on paper, 42 x 30cm. Photograph: Amanda Galea.
Explore the creative possibilities of gel plate printing with exhibiting artist Athena Costopoulos. Working with acrylic paint, you’ll experiment with layered colour and mark-making to create a series of unique monoprints.
Athena will demonstrate how to create your own stencils to produce positive and negative shapes and incorporate found objects and natural materials into the printmaking process. This workshop encourages playful experimentation and embraces the unexpected outcomes that make gel plate printing such a rewarding experience.
Participants will work with 16 × 16cm gel plates and produce a collection of prints on a variety of paper types. Attendees are encouraged to bring a small selection of found objects and natural materials, such as string, lace, buttons, keys, leaves, and flowers. All other materials and equipment will be provided. Suitable for beginners and those looking to expand their creative practice.
Athena Costopoulos’ exhibition Nature Shrines is on display 31 July – 6 September 2026.
Member Discount
Enter the discount code MEMBER at checkout after you select the "continue to payment" button. If you are not already an Umbrella Member and want the workshop discount, sign up here.
Umbrella Members $75 | Full Price $95
Limited to 12 spaces (ages 18+) | Bookings close at 4pm on the Friday prior to the Workshop Day. | The workshop will take place in Umbrella’s downstairs studio at 408 Flinders St. | All bookings subject to Umbrella's workshop and public programs booking policy.
Athena Costopoulos is a multidisciplinary visual artist based on Gurambilbarra / Townsville, specialising in painting, ceramics, printmaking and fibre art. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Queensland and she has designed and constructed sets for theatre groups. Her work is held in private and public collections. Costopoulos has been involved in notable North Queensland arts events such as Ephemera (three times), Pop Up North Queensland, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Wearable Art Townsville, Pose and Pop Up Percivals. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Class 1 Honours in Painting. Costopoulos’ work challenges the traditional use of materials and surfaces. Her recent multidisciplinary practice incorporates motifs that relate to home, family and belonging while exploring the symbiotic relationship humans have with their environment.
Image: Athena Costopoulos. Photograph: Sonia Warrell.
Open Hours
Tues - Fri: 9am-5pm
Sat - Sun: 9am-1pm
Gallery closed Mondays, public holidays and during exhibition install weeks.
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Contact
408 Flinders Street,
Gurambilbarra / Townsville,
Qld, 4810 Australia
PO Box 2394,
Gurambilbarra / Townsville,
Qld, 4810 Australia
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Acknowledgement of Country
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region - Bindal, Gugu Badhun, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal - as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
Umbrella is a Member & Signatory of the Indigenous Art Code. This means we are committed to fair and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, and transparency in the promotion and sale of artwork. As a Dealer Member and signatory to the Code we must act fairly, honestly, professionally and in good conscience in all direct or indirect dealings with artists.
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Acknowledgements
Umbrella is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Education, and the Visual Art, Craft and Design Framework, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments. | Umbrella is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. | Townsville City Council is a funding partner of Umbrella's program. | Vetta Creative is Umbrella's fortieth anniversary creative partner.
