I will be running a one day workshop in stencilling at 78, Derngate on the 29th of April, if you want detail and booking details look here.
78, Derngate is having a celebration this year… 100 years of enjoying the great designs that Charles Rennie Mackintosh created for the property while it was in the hands of the industrialist Basset Lowkes. Exhibition, tours, but also heritage talks on the making of this property and workshops on stencilling for would be stenciller apprentices.
I was at 78, Derngate this week end to deliver two workshops and a heritage talk on the stencilled schemes recreated for the exhibition. It was a great week end with endless creativity and a very enthusiastic number of participants.
Friday night was dedicated to a talk about the challenges of recreating heritage stencilled schemes. From identifying the right colours to accessing archives about the design detail, a stencilling artist involved in recreation faces many questions and challenges. I discussed previous commissions… The House for an Art Lover, George Walton’s Ault Wharrie, but also the two recreations I have done for the centenary of 78, Derngate that is the 1920 Hall Lounge scheme and the Candida Cottage seating room stencils here is a copy of my presentation
Saturday we ran a great full day stencilling workshop, from stencilling Mackintosh based ready made stencils to designing, cutting and applying their own simple stencil the participants left on a high, so excited about their new skills. Most of them with no experience, nor art training were very excited about having achieved so much during the day. They left with a lovely starter pack offered by 78, Derngate of cutting mat, stencilling brushes, knife and pencil all ready to do more using their new skill.
One participant said “Fantastic Mackintosh stencil workshop, thoroughly recommend. Elizabeth was a great teacher, we achieved amazing results. Thank you to all who organised this amazing event” another, “enjoyable and rewarding day in lovely surrounding” .
We are running a second workshop on the 29th April, there are a few spaces left, if you want to book or find out about it check here
Sunday we ran a great “Teach the teacher” class for teachers and carers, it was all about inspiring, learning the techniques and suggesting projects to a team of participants who deal with specific groups in schools, hospices, community centres, housing associations etc… In a short period of time they learned to pick up a concept, design a simple stencil and apply it. The emphasis was on small rewarding projects you could run with a non artistically trained public as well as in the context of Art therapy.
One participant said : “Excellent course, very well explained and a finished product to go home with” and another one said “great to have equipment to take home with you so you can try on your own”.
I like sharing the skill of stencilling with the public, its an immensely rewarding technique for anyone to pick up at basic level and every class always finishes on a high with participants amazed at their achievements.
I will be back at 78, Derngate for more workshop at the end of April and I am very much looking forward to it.
Hope you like the photos here, they are the participants achievements….
Betty xx
THE LANSDOWNE HOUSE 