July has been much much wetter than previous months and, whilst I know we need it, I can’t help feeling a bit annoyed that we tend to get the better weather during the months we are in school! It’s also been a month of contrasts for me. The first two weeks were filled with the final end of term busy, busy craziness with performances, special assemblies and trying to get everything wrapped up before the holidays. I also fitted in the July art club where we drew and painted household objects. We focussed on capturing negative space and the form of 3D objects. As always i was immensely impressed by the outcomes and it turned out not to be boring at all!
This busy time was then followed by the first two weeks of the summer break when the pace changes but I struggle to relax! Suddenly all those jobs I’ve putting off for ‘when I have more time’ need to be done and I also want to keep the girls entertained but my energy levels feel extremely low. Despite looking forward to the holidays, I often find I have less time for my own art practice – just when I think I should have more! That’s when I find the ‘52 Weeks of Nature‘ project so valuable because it is a commitment that I don’t feel I can put off. Whilst it can feel difficult to find the time and there seem to be lots of other things I ‘should’ be doing, that commitment to getting out in nature and drawing and painting what I see always makes me feel calmer and keeps my practice going. So, despite July almost getting the better of me, here are the weekly paintings for July – ones that I doubt I would have found time to produce without the commitment to the project.
Coming up in August…
Adult Art Club at Dungworth Village Hall
Thursday 28th August , monthly, 7-9pm
This month the focus will be on shells inspired I hope by trips to the seaside! We’ll focus on looking at how to create 3D forms drawing shapes with mass. We will also look at pattern and tone using watercolour paints to portray all the wonderful colours that shells come in. If you have any favourite shells that you’ve collected on holiday, please bring them along.
This group is very friendly and open to everyone with or without prior experience. The sessions focus mainly on drawing and watercolour painting techniques but I like to throw in other processes such as printing occasionally! Each week is a stand alone session so don’t worry if you can’t commit to each one but if you do attend regularly, you’ll really start to notice your skills improve over time.
I provide stimulus and gentle instruction so you don’t have to worry about knowing what to draw. I also provide paper, drinks and usually homemade cake! I can provide a sketchbook, graded pencils and watercolour paints or you are welcome to bring your own. Sessions are £9 each or £32 for 4 sessions booked in advance.
Other workshops booking now:
Autumn Art Club at Dungworth Village Hall
I’ll be continuing to run my popular Art Club at Dungworth Village Hall on Thursdays monthly in 2025 and from September I’ll also be trialing a Wednesday evening monthly. Both the Wednesday and Thursday within each month will have the same focus and teaching content so you can choose which is most convenient for you to attend. The Wednesday date is usually in the second week and the Thursday in the fourth but there are some changes to this, so please check the dates carefully.
- Wednesday 10th or Thursday 25th September – Animals
- Wednesday 8th* or Thursday 23rd October – Autumn leaves and other treasures
- Wednesday 5th or Thursday 20th November – Misty Landscapes
- Wednesday 3rd or Thursday 18th December – Festive Wreaths
Each session is £9 and includes tea and homemade cake. You can ‘pay as you go’ or book all 4 sessions for £32.
*On Wednesday 8th Tim Crowther and Helen McNair will also be adding some musical accompaniment to the evening. Tim (guitar) and Helen (vocals) are folk musicians who will be adding musical inspiration on the theme of autumn leaves.
Workshops at The Botanical Gardens
I’m really excited to be offering these workshops in the autumn at the Botanical Gardens. They have a lovely purpose-built classroom space called the Dorothy Fox Centre and in both cases we’ll be using the gardens themselves as inspiration. The printing workshop is a four-week course and the nature journalling is a one-off morning. If this is something that interests you but you can’t do Mondays, Please let me know as I have plans to run weekends in the future.
Other great things to do in July!
- Visit a beach! – Although I love living in Sheffield, one downside is that it is pretty much as far from the coast as it’s possible to be in the UK. During the holidays though we do try to get to the seaside and I love just poottling around, picking up shells and pebbles, making patterns and all with the constant growl of the sea and wind beside me. Well worth the journey!
- Watch ‘Nature and Us – A History through Art’ (BBC iplayer) – There are just 3 episodes in this sweeping history program which focuses on our relationship with nature and how this has been portrayed and influenced by art. Beginning with cave art, it moves through all the periods of human history to the modern day. I love these history programs that help piece together the narrative of the whole of human history in a way that makes more sense than the individual periods we tend to study at school. This was even better for me in that it focuses on two of my particular interests – art and nature! It also introduced me to some art and artists I wasn’t already aware of which is always a joy. Two in particular stood out for me… Maria Sibylla Merian who was a 17th century pioneer of botanical and nature illustration. She travelled to Suriname to document the insects there, painting the stages of their lifecycle and with the plants they relied on. Her work is not only stunning in its detail, it also feels very modern. Edward Butynsky is a Canadian photographer who’s images capture in detail landscapes influenced by humans. In a series of pictures called the ‘anthropocene’ he shows landscapes often from aerial views which appear abstract but actually show deep mining or settlements.
- Draw this! – I love a pebbly beach even more than a sandy one because I love the variety of textures, colours and shapes. Have a go at getting lost in drawing the spaces between the pebbles and see whether the pebbles emerge!
Thank you so much for reading this and supporting me! If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter and want to stay in touch with upcoming workshops, ideas and tutorials, please add your email below to subscribe and why not share this with friends who you think might also fancy something creative in their lives?!
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