What’s On

Nov
18
Sat
Monographs with Nik Pollard
Nov 18 – Nov 19 all-day

FULLY BOOKED

Course Suitability: Beginners – Advanced

Maximum Capacity: 12

Course Description:

Monotype / Monoprint is an intriguing hybrid among printmaking techniques. It is neither a print nor a painting but a unique combination of both. It can be achieved by using oil paint, water based paint or printers ink, through a press or by hand burnishing. The characteristic of both processes is that no two prints are the same. This 2 day workshop is designed to introduce Mono printing to the beginner whilst allowing those who are familiar with the process to refresh their knowledge and further explore this medium. The Course will consist of demonstrations, group work and one to one tuition. At the completion of the course participants will be able to use the methods that they have learnt, at home or in their own studio. Participants are invited to bring any sketchbooks or source material of their own, however this is not a requirement.

Materials List:

The tutor will provide the required materials. The cost per person will be £10.00 which will be paid by the participants on the day of the course.

Artist’s Profile:

Nik Pollard’s paintings and drawings are generated from sustained, direct observation and are often resolved in the field. A period of dedicated study at single or related locations is a necessary part of his process. Drawing from all the senses, he investigates the rhythms and characteristics of a location and its ecology, resulting in a sense of time and place. Working with a range of mediums, he focuses on the essential aspects of what it is that has drawn him to the subject. Searching for a balance between figuration and abstraction he enjoys exploring the ambiguity and serendipity of mark making. When working in the studio he often turns to printmaking in order to pursue an idea further, substituting the thrill of the first-hand direct response with the magic of printmaking and the exploration of materials and processes that cannot easily be replicated outdoors.

Course Costs:

Members: £96

Non-members: £118

(cost does not include lunch (available to order and purchase on the day from the Coffee Shop))

Nov
25
Sat
Modern Sashiko-style Embroidery with Liz Robertson
Nov 25 – Nov 26 all-day

This course has been cancelled due to Liz having an operation and will be postponed to Spring 2024. If you are interested in being contacted when a new date is arranged then please email Alice.

Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Improvers

Maximum Capacity: 12

Course Description:

In this course Liz will teach a simple, modern interpretation of Sashiko stitching. Sashiko is a traditional Japanese decorative stitching technique, originally used to reinforce clothing. As an art form, it can be used to create a beautifully textured and melodic textile.

You will create a fabric panel of appliqued shapes with Sashiko stitching, which can be a stylised landscape or a repeat pattern of your choice. After the course, it’s up to you how you use the panel; it could be a centre-piece for a special ‘memory’ textile; applied to a cushion or a bag, or framed as a piece of artwork!  These are great ideas for presents for others or a keepsake for you.

Materials List:

  • Photographs of landscapes or patterns to take ideas from
  • Cotton fabrics which you may like to incorporate into your Sashiko stitching to create a ‘memory’ piece.

The tutor will provide the rest of the required materials for course participants. The cost per person will be £5.00 which will be paid to Liz by the participants on the day of the course.

Artist’s Profile:

Liz is an exhibiting textile artist and teacher. She has more than 40 years experience of teaching children and adults in all types of educational and community settings. She delivers art workshops in her studio and further afield, including at national events. Liz is delighted to have been Artist in Residence several times at Nature in Art, including in October/ November this year. She has also lead large textile projects, with local and national participants, for a regional arts festival. Liz’s passion for natural landscape is expressed in her colourful and textural textile artwork.

https://www.lizrobertsontextiles.com/

Course Costs:

Members: £96

Non-members: £118

(cost does not include lunch (available to order and purchase on the day from the Coffee Shop))

Nov
28
Tue
Arctic Visions: An Illustrated Talk by Nick Jones
Nov 28 @ 7:00 pm – 9:15 pm

 

FULLY BOOKED

In 2018, the painter Nicholas Jones made an extraordinary voyage along the coasts of Greenland and Baffin Island as ‘Artist in Residence’ with the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. In this talk, Nick will reflect on his time in the Arctic and the ways he set about capturing some of those experiences on canvas back in the studio.

He will talk about the ways his landscape paintings have evolved over four decades through abstraction to figuration and back again, the challenges of painting the Northern Lights and why he never tires of seeking to evoke and celebrate the transient beauty of the natural world.

In 2022, Nick was the recipient of the Royal Geographical Societies Cherry Kearton Medal, awarded for ‘his ability to capture the uncapturable; the ever-changing display of light on landscape.’

An evening for all. View Nick’s exhibition 7pm – 7:30pm.

 

 

Feb
10
Sat
Loose Florals and Abstract Patterns Transferred onto Fabrics with Christina Sadler
Feb 10 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

FULLY BOOKED

Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Beginners

Maximum Capacity: 10

Course Description:

A relaxing and fun filled day creating loose abstract floral paintings and abstract patterns using sublimation inks and then heat pressing them onto fabrics.

The morning will focus on us painting and creating collages using these specialist paints. The paints you will be using acts like ink and watercolour and so will blend and disperse in a very magical way. The paint can also be used to created pre painted papers which can be used to create abstract patterns and interesting relief prints of different elements.

You will be taught how to create quick, loose and free abstract florals which can also be applied to other subjects as well as how to create interesting abstract effects.

In the afternoon you will experiment with transferring these floral images and abstract patterns onto fabric, using a heat press
and irons. You will be able to take your fabrics home to frame, to work on further with embellishment or simply use the day as a chance to unwind and learn something new.

Materials List:

The tutor will provide the required materials for course participants. The cost per person will be £15 (cash) which will be paid to Christina by the participants on the day of the course. Materials will include a selection of inks to carry on using at home. If possible please bring two jam jars for water.

Artist Profile:

Christina is an abstract artist based in Gloucester. Inspired by the natural world she works with inks and paints to create layers of translucent colours resulting in soothing and relaxing art.

Christina has had lots of experience in the arts and running workshops and at one stage was even the Education Officer here at Nature in Art.

Christina’s website: https://www.makerwhodoesntmake.com

Course Cost:

A £25 non-refundable deposit is required on booking. Full course price is:

Members of Nature in Art: £55

Non-members of Nature in Art: £69

To book a place on this course, please click here.

 

Feb
22
Thu
What’s so special about insects? An illustrated talk by Cath Hodsman AMRSB
Feb 22 @ 7:00 pm – 9:15 pm

 

Cath is one of the U.K’s foremost entomological artists and illustrators. A great enthusiast, she believes that the best way to celebrate the importance and relevance of insects in a happy, healthy ecology, is to capture their micro beauty and anatomical intricacy in art using microscopes and ethical specimens. Come along and spend an evening with Cath and her insects to find out how she creates her miniature masterpieces. Discover what insects do for the natural world and finally, how we can encourage more of them into our wild spaces. Cath is convinced that we can all metamorphose from traditional gardeners to wildlife gardeners extraordinaire! An evening for all!

https://linktr.ee/cathhodsman

Starts 7pm, followed by a finger food buffet and the talk. Finishes around 9:15pm.

£12 per person.

Book a ticket HERE.

Feb
26
Mon
Gold & Metal Leaf with Claudia Hahn
Feb 26 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

 

 

Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Advanced

Maximum Capacity: 12

Course Description:

Inspired by the decorative works of the golden age of illustration and the Arts and Crafts movement, this course will show you how to include gold-leaf in your paintings.

Gold-leaf is a very versatile medium. It can be used either to highlight small areas of your paintings or bring glow to the complete background. it is a stunning and decorative way to bring a surprising new element and shine to your work.

This course is suitable for absolute beginners as well as advanced participants, but please be aware that working with gold-leaf, which comes in thin, fragile sheets, is painstakingly fiddly: you need to bring patience!

Materials List:

Participants will be required to bring their own work to embellish with gold-leaf. Gold-leaf can be used on any ground: watercolour paper, canvas, board, wood panel or even acrylic or glass surfaces.

The tutor will provide (free of charge) glue, brushes, and a variety of imitation gold leaf, brass and copper leaf in different colours.

The tutor will also bring a small selection of 24ct gold leaf and silver leaf, which you can use (with a charge per sheet)

Artist Profile:

Claudia grew up in the Black Forest and studied graphic design & illustration in Freiburg, Germany.

Claudia is a published freelance illustrator and wildlife artist based in the UK. She has been around the globe on assignments, commissions, missions and exhibitions for new inspiration. Her love for detail and vibrant choice of colour combinations are trademarks of her work.

Claudia is an enthusiastic fossil hunter and birdwatcher, a lover of owls and the brief owner of a pet magpie. She has an interest in everything natural history and science has to offer and is active in conservation projects. Her website is https://claudia-hahn.com/

Course Cost:

A £25 non-refundable deposit is required on booking. Full course price is:

Members of Nature in Art: £55

Non-members of Nature in Art: £69

To book a place on this course, please click here.

 

Mar
16
Sat
Flowers, Foliage & Windows (Brusho/Watercolour) with Jean Lee
Mar 16 @ 10:00 am – Mar 17 @ 5:00 pm

Course Suitability: Beginners – Improvers

Maximum Capacity: 12

Course Description:

During this two day course students may choose to work with watercolour or ‘Brusho’ paint. The aim is to create a colourful image of flowers and foliage against a stained glass window, producing a very attractive image. There will be guidance from the tutor at every stage in a relaxed and stimulating atmosphere.

Materials List:

*Paints. Either watercolours or ‘Brusho’. (If using Brusho please bring some small screw top jars eg individual jam or marmalade pots)

You will need 3 different shades of blue.

*Some sheets of A3 watercolour paper at least 140lbs weight. Nothing thinner or smaller please.

*A board to stick your paper onto.

*Selection of paintbrushes.

*Mixing palette

*Masking tape.

*Pencil.

*A 30cm ruler

*A medium nib black waterproof drawing pen.

*Any pictures of flowers you would like to work from. Preferably not multi petalled blooms eg Chrysanthemums or roses. Choose simple shapes eg lilies. Fake flowers are fine..The tutor will have leaf shapes and pictures.

Artist Profile:

Since qualifying in Design at the University of bath Spa, Jean has taught people of all ages and abilities in schools, colleges and art holiday establishments. She has also worked for cruise lines teaching portrait drawing on board ships. She has been successfully running Brusho courses for several years in the South of England and she aims to create a relaxing atmosphere where people can enjoy experimenting with the medium.

Course Cost:

A £25 non-refundable deposit is required on booking. Full course price is:

Members of Nature in Art: £110

Non-members of Nature in Art: £138

To book a place on this course, please click here.

 

 

Mar
21
Thu
From Chalk Streams and Woodlands to Open Oceans – Innovations in Wildlife Conservation Imagery. An illustrated talk by Paul Colley CB OBE FRPS
Mar 21 @ 7:00 pm – 9:15 pm

   

Paul is a freelance wildlife photographer striving to make images count in the conservation of wildlife and habitats in rivers, lakes, forests and oceans.

He works with marine, freshwater and wildlife conservation agencies worldwide. A former chairman of the British Society of Underwater Photographers, Paul pioneered new river-wildlife photography techniques using remote control cameras. He expanded his portfolio to include above-water subjects and is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading night-infrared bat photographers. A former overall winner of the British Wildlife Photography Awards, Paul has recorded major successes in Underwater Photographer of the Year, Bird Photographer of the Year and Nature  Photographer of the Year. He has Royal Photographic Society gold medals and his work is published widely in UK and internationally. This talk will focus on his pioneering bat, river and ocean photography projects in conservation.

Starts 7pm, followed by a finger food buffet and the talk. Finishes around 9:15pm.

£12 per person.

Book a ticket HERE.

Mar
30
Sat
Mosaics with Joanna Dewfall
Mar 30 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

FULLY BOOKED

Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Improvers

Maximum Capacity: 12

Course Description:

You will learn about the simple beauty of making mosaics and produce one for your home with professional mosaic artist Joanna Dewfall who has over 30 years experience of commissions and teaching the art form.

In this friendly and relaxed workshop, Joanna will demonstrate and explain the various mosaic materials and techniques of cutting and laying tesserae in the classical mosaic style.  You will learn how to use two different types of tile cutters in a safe and productive way. Joanna provides all tools and materials:  tile cutters, safety glasses, washable pva, paper, tracing paper, 20cm boards, glass and porcelain mosaic tiles, grout to take home with instructions.

You may bring a simple design which Joanna will help you adapt for mosaic, or use one of Joanna’s many tried and tested template designs.  Grouting will be demonstrated but you will need to complete this at home – grout and full instructions included.  The completed mosaic will be heat and wipe proof.

Materials List:

Please bring with you a soft pencil, ruler and rubber. Joanna will supply all other materials at a cost of £15 (cash) per person, to be paid to Joanna directly on the day of the course.

Artist Profile:

Joanna Dewfall has a BA in Fine Art from Winchester School of Art (1982) and for over 25 years has been making mosaic artworks for a variety of private and public clients. Joanna has considerable experience of engaging with a wide range of groups and organisations. Her passion is in creating exciting detailed designs in mosaic which reflect the values, stories and wishes of the client.

Joanna’s style of mosaic for the most part is based on the classical small tesserae flowing designs of ancient mosaics. Joanna works in matt porcelain, vitreous glass and marble mosaic tile. Public engagement is an important part of Joanna’s way of working and her most recent example of this is a large mural at Salisbury Rail Station made with rail staff.

www.dewfallmosaic.co.uk  Instagram:  dewfallmosaic

Course Cost:

A £25 non-refundable deposit is required on booking. Full course price is:

Members of Nature in Art: £55

Non-members of Nature in Art: £69


 

 

 

 

Apr
6
Sat
Hedgerow Baskets with Helen Lomberg
Apr 6 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

FULLY BOOKED

Course Suitability: Beginners – Improvers

Maximum Capacity: 12

Course Description:

On this one day course, Helen will teach you how to make a basket using red Dogwood, Snowberry Hazel and Lime, together with the glorious colours of this years willow harvest. No previous experience needed.

Materials List:

The tutor will provide the required materials for course participants.  The cost per person will be £10, to be paid to the tutor on the day of the course.

Artist’s Profile:

​Helen Lomberg has been making Baskets and using Willow and other Hedgerow materials for many years now. Twelve years ago she set up The Gloucestershire Arts and Crafts Centre in Westgate Street, Gloucester.

Course Cost:

A £25 non-refundable deposit is required on booking. Full course price is:

Members of Nature in Art: £55

Non-members of Nature in Art: £69