Spring 2023 Craft Sessions: Growth and the Natural World
Taking inspiration from the environment this series of printmaking workshops aims to celebrate the wonder of the natural world from the local to the global, from the tiny to the gigantic, shining an artistic light on the beauty of nature.
These sessions will explore the world of plants, flowers and organic forms to produce original artwork reflecting the wonder of our natural environment.
Lead by artist and printmaker Bill Chambers, these workshops are suitable for most ages, with families particularly welcome to take part in what promises to be a fantastic dive into the art of printmaking and an exploration of the shapes and forms of the natural world.
Bill has huge experience of running creative workshops for children, young people and adults and specialises in delivering activities that have a playful approach to printmaking with the aim of encouraging creativity through engagement and process.
The work generated by these classes will be used to create a unique and prominent artwork, welcoming our visitors and enhancing the entrance to the Memo.
This crafting workshop is supported with funding from Arts Council of Wales: Create Fund – Diolch!
Friday 14th April 10am – 12.30pm
Easter Holidays, open to all
Cyanotype is an antique photographic process distinctive for its vivid blue monochrome prints. It is an alternative photographic technique recognised as being one of the easiest and safest to master. Learn to mix and apply the chemicals to paper and expose flowers and plants to the ultraviolet light of the sun. A technique that is fun, satisfying, easy to master and suitable for both kids and adults.
Friday 14th April 2pm – 4:30pm
Easter Holidays, open to all
Have you ever wondered how paper is made? This is a fascinating and ancient craft to learn. Practice how to use a frame and deckle to draw the fibres together and lay them down as new paper. This workshop will show how to recycle scrap paper and use organic materials such as flowers and leaves to produce a variety of beautiful decorative papers. A technique that is fun, satisfying, easy to master and suitable for both kids and adults.
Monoprint with leaves and plants
Saturday 15th April 10am – 12.30pm
Easter Holidays, open to all
You will be surprised how easy it is make beautiful and detailed prints from leaves, grasses, plants and feathers. This is a wonderful process which yields fantastic results and just keeps on giving! By simply laying natural forms on top of printing plates rolled in colour, beautiful and richly detailed impressions can be created. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
Saturday 15th April 2pm – 4:30pm
Easter Holidays, open to all
Using plants and flowers as our starting point, we will explore natural forms through this simple and historical etching process tracing from a drawing or photograph and inscribing lines directly onto transparent plastic plates. This is an ideal way to learn the art of intaglio printmaking through the technique of dry point. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
Saturday 13th May 10am – 12.30pm
Adult classes
This collograph printmaking workshop will explore the shapes and forms of the natural world and is suitable for all ages and abilities. Learn how to use old recycled orange juice cartons and sticky tape to make an original print. A wonderfully satisfying activity for beginners and seasoned printmakers alike, collograph has the potential to make colourful prints of exquisite tone and intricate pattern and texture.
Saturday 20th May 10am – 12.30pm
Adult classes
Using plants and flowers as our starting point, we will explore natural forms through this simple and historical etching process, tracing from a drawing or photograph and inscribing lines directly onto transparent plastic plates. This is an ideal way to learn the art of intaglio printmaking through the technique of dry point. In combination you will learn how to use collage, layered tissue paper and handmade Indian papers to create rich background colours for the prints, a technique known as chine collé.
Thursday 1st June 10am – 12:30pm
May half term, open to all
This workshop is a chance for participants to help design the banners that will be installed at the entrance to the Box Office at the Memo. Using copies of the many prints that have been produced during the printmaking workshops come and have a go at trying out combinations and compositions that could be used in the final artwork. Printed on acetate, as colour copies and using hand made papers we will spend the morning cutting, pasting and arranging the artworks to form striking designs which will then be photographed and used to inform the finished artwork.
Banner design – photocopy transfer
Friday 2nd June 10am – 12.30pm
May half term, open to all
Using the technique of photocopy transfer and drawing on copies of the many prints that have been produced during the printmaking workshops, explore how to combine the artworks to produce designs and try out combinations and compositions that will be used in the finished artwork.
English 
Welsh 
