An illustrated talk by Jacq Garner
What do birds, ancient Egypt, model making, calligraphy, and Nature in Art have to do with rocks and fossils? They all played essential roles on the path to Jacq Garner’s latest exhibition, GeOdyssey. In this presentation, Jacq gives a glimpse behind the scenes at the inspirations and processes she uses, and discusses how these seemingly random themes wove together, culminating in a radical change of artistic style. An inspiring evening for all.
(Jacq also works under the name Jackie Garner)
Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Improvers
Maximum Capacity: 12
Course Description:
This is a two day course that will show you how to sketch the colours and textures of autumn landscapes with waterproof black ink pen and watercolour wash.
Using photos supplied by the tutor you will be shown how to use the pen with watercolour paint both before and after painting. Techniques taught will include colour mixing, brush technique, light and dark, drawing with a pen and how to loosen up to achieve expressive sketches. By the end of the course you will have produced a few sketches to take home with you. Suitable for beginners and students with some knowledge of the medium.
Materials List:
Should the students wish to use their own tools and materials rather than buying a set from the tutor then they are welcome to bring them along.
A full list of what is needed can be obtained from the tutor jnewey210@gmail.com
Artist’s Profile:
Jonathan Newey is an award winning artist with over 25 years of experience in teaching in adult education. He has experience in a wide variety of mediums and subjects including landscapes, wildlife and architecture in acrylic, watercolour and coloured pencil. www.jonathannewey.com
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.
Course Suitability: Beginners – Advanced
Maximum Capacity: 12
Course Description:
Drawing with charcoal on gesso is a delightfully tactile activity because of the extra brush texture on the surface which adds a lovely patina effect. It’s easy to smudge and scrape to make black and white marks and with smooth graduations in between. We will create a black and white animal image ready for tinting in acrylics before the end of the course.
Materials List:
Gesso boards prepared by Ian. 2@12x10in boards (£10) These are cut, sanded, prepared with 3 coats of Liquitex white gesso and sanded in between coats for a toothy smooth but slightly ridged texture.
Please bring the following:
- Fine willow charcoal sticks.
- Kitchen towel.
- Scalpel blade with handle, or sharp cutting knife or Stanley window scraper blade.
- Charcoal fixative spray.
- Half inch soft flat brush and any yellow/red/brown acrylic paints.
Please bring £10 in cash for the board to be paid directly to Ian on the day of the course.
Artist’s Profile:
Ian has been using traditional media skills in illustration and fine art over the last 20 years, mostly depicting animal art with a passion for marine-life painting. He has been creating large oil and acrylic paintings for hotels, palaces and government buildings often using pencil and charcoal compositions as part of the composition process. Here on this day course Ian will share his methods and tips he’s discovered in his professional career.
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.
Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Advanced
Maximum Capacity: 12
Course Description:
This workshop will be a frolic through all sorts of ways of decorating initial letters – in fun, modern and quick ways with patterns, embellishments and loads of fabulous colours as well as some more historical styles, strutting their rich traditionalism.
Everyone will take home several decorated letters on cards, tags or the top of a natty little folded box. These would happily serve as highly personal and specialised (seasonal) gifts.
Materials List:
Josie will bring the majority of the materials at a cost of £3 (cash) per person to be paid directly to Josie on the day of the course.
There will be a small amount of other materials to bring along with you:
- 1 x H pencil + 1 x 2B pencil
- water soluble colour pencils
- gouache or watercolours
- waterproof fine liners (0.1 + 0.5) in black or colours
- watercolour paper – small pieces in approx. 300 gsm
- any pointed nibs and holder
If you do not have all of these items, please email the course coordinator, Alice. Josie will be able to provide some extras.
Artist’s Profile:
Josie Brown is a calligrapher and heraldic artist, who has carried out commissions for the private, academic and military sectors.
She enjoys taking natural materials together with ancient techniques and using them in a contemporary manner.
Josie trained in traditional arts, spending 3 years at Reigate School of Art learning calligraphy, heraldry, illumination and bookbinding. She has since worked for various adult education organisations in several curriculum areas, whilst always remaining a practitioner and teacher of lettering and associated arts.
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.
Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Improvers
Maximum Capacity: 12
Course Description:
Bring your scraps of fabric, trims, buttons and beads or beg and borrow from family or neighbours. We will be learning a simple method of making use of them to create a new fabric from this assemblage of bits and pieces. If it can be sewn down, it can be used!
The fabrics will be pieced together onto a background, decorated with stiches and trim to make a fabric collage. This can be an end in its own right, being a small transportable piece that can be worked on wherever you are. It is not too big or daunting even if you have little time or energy.It can be scaled up in different ways which will be demonstrated and practiced if you wish. Your finished piece will be mounted onto a greeting card suitable for giving on a special occasion.
Materials List:
The tutor will provide basic materials at a cost of £6 (cash) per person to be paid directly to Anne on the day of the course.
You are also invited to bring scraps of fabric (any size), trims, buttons and beads if you want to. Please also bring a basic sewing kit if you have it, but not essential.
Please also bring a notebook and pen.
Artist’s Profile:
Anne is a capable, patient, enthusiastic tutor who will inspire people to learn. She has always loved art, particularly embroidered textiles. She is keen to keep the skills alive by teaching them in a contemporary way to anyone with an interest. Over time she has given many workshops both in her home studio and elsewhere and taken part on many exhibitions.
Anne has a B.A. in Contemporary Craft. Her website is: annewardartist.co.uk
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.
Course Suitability: Beginners – Improvers
Maximum Capacity: 12
Course Description:
Collagraph is a wonderful form of printmaking that allows for a playful exploration of materials and techniques. It can be as complex or as simple as the artists wants it to be. For this 2 day workshop participants will be introduced to ways of creating quick, inexpensive collagraph plates with readily available materials, resulting in the opportunity to discover the potential of this printmaking process and develop ideas. There will be demonstrations of plate making using various materials, the process of inking a plate and using the press. Participants will also receive one to one tuition as they develop their own prints.
Materials List:
The tutor will provide the required materials for course participants. The cost per person will be £10.00 (cash) which will be paid to Nik 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. 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. 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. Nik has been involved and has helped develop a number of Art/ Conservation projects, he sees art education as a perfect opportunity to help people re-engage with nature and believes that art has a role in promoting conservation stories. https://www.nikpollard.co.uk/
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.
Join us to hear the The Tuesdays Singing Group as they get us in the festive mood. This choir was formed in 2015 and is one of three community groups that are part of ‘The Cheltenham Singing Groups’, directed by Louise Johnson. Based in Up Hatherley, the choir is made up of a range of people – different singing experiences, ages, occupations and life stories – but one of the main connections they have in common, is the joy of singing!
This is a great opportunity to also have FREE access to view THE BIRD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR beforehand, making it a wonderful evening event.
Part of the proceeds from this evening’s performance will be donated to Emmaeus, a Gloucestershire homelessness charity.
Doors open 7pm, mince pies and mulled wine 7.30pm followed by event
Doors open at 6.30pm to view the Wildlife Photographer of the Year photographs and the museum galleries
Bring a pudding for 2 people and spend an evening trying other people’s puddings from 7.30pm!
To book tickets (£5) visit Nature in Art or call Simon on 07774 803177 or Brian on 07721 315684 (even if you pay on the night, it would help to know if you intend to come!)
Proceeds will go towards projects in Ghana overseen by Caendon
An illustrated talk by Tony McFarlane
Tony is an avid collector and admirer of Ladybird books with a personal collection in excess of2000 copies. This talk on the history and art of Ladybird books will have a particular emphasis on the portrayal and promotion of the natural world in all it’s forms from the 1940’s to 2000. In the past, Nature in Art has shown original artwork from Ladybird books by, for example, Charles Tunnicliffe, so this is great opportunity to spend an absorbing evening applauding the work of the great Ladybird artists and illustrators who contributed to this iconic series, loved by so many.
- Doors open 7pm to view exhibitions
- 7.30pm finger buffet
- 8.10pm talk
To book, click here
Wild Animal Portraits with Lucy Burton
Course Suitability: All Abilities
Maximum Participants: 12
Course Description:
Together we will work through a stage by stage process to create an Animal Portrait in Oils or Acrylics- using an ‘islands to oceans’ method of working. We are aiming to make the eyes come alive and give the animal and your painting lots of personality! I hope to inspire you with some new ideas and techniques to take away with you and apply to your own work.
You will be working from your own image, either from an I-pad OR you can use a photograph at least 5” x 5”. The animal’s eyes must be clear and in focus. Crop your image so that it is square. The head of the animal should take up most of the frame. For good (free to use) reference images see www.pixabay.com
Materials required:
8” x 8” Canvas or 8” x 8” Ampersand Smooth primed panel (available on day £5)
A colour photograph of your animal or an image on an ipad / tablet.
A black and white print out of your square cropped image as large as you can make it on an A4 piece of paper eg:
A selection brushes eg. Rosemary Ivory Short Flats nos. 2,3,5, Ivory Filbert size 0
A selection of artist quality paints oils or acrylics eg. Daler Rowney starter set.
Palette knife – eg. Winsor and Newton size 22
Paper Palette and a box to take your work home in
Oils only: A jar and some low odour thinners/ white spirit substitute for cleaning your brushes, some rags or plenty of tissues to wipe brushes clean.
Optional extra items
‘Liquin’ painting medium if working in oils
A ‘Stay-wet’ palette if working in acrylics
Artist’s Profile:
Lucy is an oil painter and teacher, living in Leamington Spa.
Whatever the subject matter, Lucy encourages students to apply the paint in a dynamic and interesting way: focusing on colour mixing, brushwork and composition.
She paints commissions, sells her work and exhibits locally with ‘Leamington Studio Artists’…and has also:
• Worked as the ‘Artist in Residence’ at ‘The Artroom’ Gallery in Leamington,
• Painted live at ‘Blenheim Palace Flower Show’
• Been a wildcard artist on ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’
• Exhibited with ‘Warwickshire Open Studios’