Workshops and Events
Regular art workshops are held in Heather’s studio space at Oriel Karridale Gallery. The workshops can be booked privately for a group or you are able to join pre-advertised workshops. These include a wide variety of techniques and art styles.
They are run in a relaxed but informative way and each participant can enjoy creating their own art pieces surrounded by the inspiring and creative gardens at the gallery.
Please scroll down below for more information about art workshops.
MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE
Can’t decide on one medium? Are you itching to work with all sorts of creative tools? Come and try out the mixed media collage!
Through the medium of ink and pencil you’ll learn the bones of drawing and design. From the initial planning stage we move on to colourwork and then we create our final design. Using papers, fibres, fabrics, beads, buttons, threads, inks and pens you can create an exciting mixed media collage that can be abstract or pictorial, landscape or portrait.
WEAVING
Working with different yarns, threads and fabrics, you’ll create a woven piece of art.
Often utilising recycled materials, this is a creative way to repurpose anything pliable enough to weave with. You can make cushion covers, bags or your own beautiful woven wall art. Use the rhythm of weaving to create a relaxing workshop where nature may inspire your work, whether it be through colour, texture or form.
GARLANDS & WREATHS
Garlands have traditionally been part of the festive season, today however they can go beyond the traditional look and embrace vibrant colours and unusual materials, perfect for any time and occasion.
Seadrift garlands, Christmas wreaths, fabric garlands, dried floral garlands, memory garlands or culinary garlands or wreaths made out of feathers, shells, buttons, beads, seeds and nuts are just a few of the exciting ideas for creating something a bit different at this workshop.
You will be taught all the skills necessary to make a garland which can be made from almost any material. A fun day where you can use different materials to have a fun and creative day with friends!
FELT MAKING
Enjoy a day of working with fibres. Felt is the oldest made textile known to man. Using merino wool you will create a finished piece of handmade felt.
We start the day with design and colour ideas, then continue to expand our creativity by translating your designs into vibrant beautiful finished felt whether it be a flat or three-dimensional piece. Felting is fun, creative and enables beginners or those with experience to learn how to create layers of colour and texture to form a beautiful textile. Come and have a go!
PAPER MAKING
Come to this workshop and you will never look at paper in the same way again. You can create beautiful handmade paper by using everyday materials that most people would discard. But instead of throwing away all that potential, you’ll be making your own paper using basic equipment. You can make richly textured and coloured paper with citrus peel, flowers, threads, leaves, ferns, and glitter; or go for a more chunky, textural route by making laid fibre papers from textiles. You can go all out by adding various colours and textures into your final piece!
WIRE WORK
Wire is an excellent creative medium, easy to manipulate and bend into whatever shape you please. You will be creating three-dimensional mini sculptures, jewellery, trees of life or mobiles out of wire and beads. Using different gauge wires, you can craft a unique piece of art. Working from the initial design stage through to the final piece, you will enjoy experimenting with this wonderful medium.
MOSAIC
Discover the world of tiles, glass and recycled ceramics!
A mosaic can be made out of any material that can be embedded into or stuck onto another. Come and have a go at creating a mosaic, you’ll choose between making a personalised mosaic house number or creating a decorative plaque.
From the initial design process where we look at scale, composition and colour, you’ll progress to selecting our tiles and glass beads. Learn how to recycle old crockery and transform it into a beautiful finished mosaic. The material can be broken into regular pieces or smashed haphazardly for a crazy paving effect.
You’ll get to work with materials such as beads, shells, stones, seeds, fragments of plastic, mirror and metal as well as traditional tile. Mosaic making is an ancient craft but today’s designers and craftspeople are drawn to the medium for it’s decorative qualities and versatility. Come for a great day and gain a new skill while having some fun.
DRAWING
Learn how to use line, tone and shade. Tone drawing makes use of the effects of light, which change the tone of the three-dimensional object being drawn. Line drawing in its most typical form eliminates the realism of the mass and tones of the subject but does not entirely neglect them. Learn to use variations of pressure and manipulation of the pencil, pen or charcoal to create lines, tones and shades.
This workshop teaches you how to structure a drawing in a measured way, then moves on to working quickly and freely with your drawing tool for a more spontaneous and energetic piece.
PAINTING
From general drawing to the planning and composition of a painting, Heather skillfully introduces the basic techniques of painting. How to recognize a good subject and how to use different brush strokes and techniques to translate it into form, colour and texture. From this initial idea and sketch all the way through to a finished piece. Students will be encouraged to experiment with mixing colours, tones and shades. The day is geared towards creating an inspirational and practical painting workshop that will surely awaken the creative spirit in you.
CHRISTMAS
A workshop geared towards creating something different for Christmas, to spice up your Christmas tree and have a fun day out leading up to the holidays. You’ll be working with different gauge and colour wire and beads, having fun creating stars, angels, mini wreaths or Christmas trees, any of which would look fabulous hanging in your Christmas tree or catching the light at a window. Each decoration can be as simple or complex as you choose by using fewer or more wires in your own handmade decoration.
A relaxing and fun workshop to do with family or friends during the festive season!