STILL

Best leaf in the garden right now - an aquilegia leaf. The golden colour makes my heart sing ✨ On another note I wanted to let you know that the 2nd cycle of my husband Olly’s ,’Dirty Laundry Writing’ Room starts Wed 20th May 7pm (UK) @dlpoetrynights From Olly - ‘When a poem moves you, do you need to know why? In the fourth and final session of the first cycle of the Dirty Laundry Writing Room, I read Postscript by Seamus Heaney. It’s a beautiful and stirring poem. We then did a freewrite using the prompt ‘Stop the car, I want to…’. I invite you to read the poem and try the freewrite yourself. If you don’t know what freewriting is, it’s easy. Set a timer for, say, five minutes and simply write. No stopping, no editing. If you get stuck, write the same word or sentence over and over until the words flow again. Freewriting is a fantastic exercise for getting out of your own way and putting words on the page. It’s fascinating where the pen goes during a freewrite. I say the pen because the words seem to appear on the page before my conscious mind has time to consider them. Where do the words come from? Free writing - with no worry about the outcome, or polish, or the audience - seems to open a path beneath everyday thought. It was the final session of the cycle (although it’s been so good, we’re starting again next week on Wednesday 20th May at 7pm - I’d love you to join us and you can , click on the link in bio to book) so I asked people for their reflections on how they’ve found it.’ One participant wrote: ‘It is amazing how just setting an hour a week can relieve the pressure of ‘trying to make space’.’ Another wrote: ‘The perfect balance of autonomy and accountability.’ What would happen if you gave your words this kind of space more regularly? If you’re curious, join us.

I’ve recently moved my studio from a room at the top of the house to this little room on the ground floor. I moved primarily because my son wants his own bedroom, but also because there was something about having my studio at the top of the house which I’ve never liked. Instead of using it I spent all my time working at the kitchen table and going up and down the stairs. I jumped at the chance for a change. I love my new space. It’s tiny but everything is here, my sewing stuff, art stuff, ceramics and it’s also where I run STILL classes from. I have to keep it very tidy and ordered otherwise it will burst! There are double doors out onto the terrace which will be wonderful when this icy wind finally moves on. I’ve also shared some of my colour tests and designs that I’m working on at the moment for my ceramics and the collection of fired/unfired pieces which I’ve made and are waiting to be glazed. More updates on my creative journey to come. Ellie x

Thank you so much to @andreahumphries3 for teaching an ‘acrylic and mixed media painting’ class last night and to all of you who came ✨ It was wonderful to have a glimpse into Andrea’s practice. We started the class with charcoal studies of the still life to loosen us up. Next we worked on the still life, using layers to paint in the background, then adding the vase, flowers and pattern. Finally we used collage to help with the composition and add texture to the painting. If you missed this class the recording is now available in the ‘on-demand’ section of the website.

I have a new class for all the sewers out there ✨ Fabric lampshade making with me, Ellie. My mum taught me how to make these lampshades years ago and I have filled my house with home made shades ever since. I thought some of you might enjoy making your own too! So here goes…. Learn how to make a fabric lampshade from scratch. First Ellie discusses which fabrics are best to use and then how to calculate the amount of fabric you need for your frame. Next we cut, iron and hem the fabric. Finally we assemble the lampshade using elastic. This class is suitable for anyone who has basic sewing machine skills. £8.50 This is a 25 minute recorded class. Happy lampshade making 🧡

There’s still time to join tomorrow’s gorgeous class with @andreahumphries3 …. Acrylic and mixed media painting with @andreahumphries3 12th May 8-9.15pm BST Join Andrea for an evening of still life drawing and painting. You will use charcoal to make preparatory studies, looking at the structure and shape of plants and favourite flowers. Decorative backgrounds and detailed surface patterns will feature in your work, and we will use experimental collage as a tool to construct and arrange compositions. Andrea will teach you to paint with acrylic, manipulating the paint to form layers and washes in varying degrees of transparency and volume. You will create a feeling of nostalgia and tranquility in your painting with the emotive use of colour, adding white to paint to soften colours and balance tones. She will ask you to reference your own textiles and ceramics to further personalise your still life painting. Come and paint with us 🧡

Excited to welcome @jayharperart back to STILL. This time Jay will be teaching …. Indian ink drawing 7th July 8-9.15 BST Join Jay Harper for an evening of exploring line using ink. Working both from a still life set up by Ellie, and from our imagination, we will use black Indian ink and paint brushes to explore different ways of creating a still life. When you are using the absolute minimum in medium and tools you can start to find ways of creating some very interesting outcomes when it comes to mark making. I always find that using ink and a paint brush can feel very liberating, helping to progress drawing skills and confidence with creating line work. I will accompany you for an evening of using very little to create something that feels very effective. Come draw with us ✍️

Thanks to @stephenfowler_rubberstamper for a really wonderful class last night delving into the world of Tetrapak printing and chine-colle. We started by creating a fish template, adding detail and texture using different tools and by cutting out parts of the Tetrapak. Next we added the ink and then used a scrim to remove it. Then the coloured paper was added and finally we printed. What a joyful process to learn! Thanks to everyone who joined 🧡 If you missed the class it’s now available to buy as a recording in the ‘on-demand’ section of the website. Happy printing!

I’m so excited about next week’s class…. Acrylic and mixed media painting with @andreahumphries3 12th May 8-9.15pm BST Join Andrea for an evening of still life drawing and painting. You will use charcoal to make preparatory studies, looking at the structure and shape of plants and favourite flowers. Decorative backgrounds and detailed surface patterns will feature in your work, and we will use experimental collage as a tool to construct and arrange compositions. Andrea will teach you to paint with acrylic, manipulating the paint to form layers and washes in varying degrees of transparency and volume. You will create a feeling of nostalgia and tranquility in your painting with the emotive use of colour, adding white to paint to soften colours and balance tones. She will ask you to reference your own textiles and ceramics to further personalise your still life painting. Come and paint with us 🧡

Can’t wait for this wonderful class happening next week…. Fish tetrapak printing and collage with @stephenfowler_rubberstamper 5th May 8-9.15pm BST This workshop invites you to discover the joys of printing with Tetra Pak; originally designed for packaging milk and other foodstuffs. Recently, printmakers, artists and makers of all descriptions have begun using it as an experimental and playful means of creating atmospheric and expressive prints full of character and flair. Prints can be made at home with little equipment, and the process is ideal for both the beginner and experienced printmaker. Come and join printmaker Stephen Fowler to learn how to create your own prints on the theme of fish, using this humble but versatile printing method. During the session, you will be shown how to make intaglio prints as well as Chine-Collé prints—the process of combining print and paper collage—to create your own delightful fish images.

Tulip appreciation 🧡❤️🩷 The tulips are coming to an end in the garden, making way for the geraniums, geums and Iris’. I love the natural shift as one goes over and the next lot of beautiful flowers appear. I planted what felt like hundreds of tulips this year and i’m pretty sure half got munched but I did still have some beauties. And here they are… Slawa Artist Black hero Apricot pride Sanne Cluisiana Purissima Not sure what the red one is called - if anyone knows please tell me! Ballerina Until next year 🌷

Thank you to the lovely @kathryn_davey for teaching a ‘botanical inks and paint making’ class last night. It was fascinating to see the beautiful colours you can extract from the humble onion skin, builders tea and avocado stone. As well as rosemary, marigold, coreopsis and so many more flowers, leaves and kitchen waste items which Kathryn shared with us. We made our own paint from onion skins and Kathryn showed us how to change the colour using modifiers which you have at home like soda crystals, vinegar and baking powder. A seriously inspiring class for anyone who’s interested in colour, natural dyes and trying something new 🧡 If you missed the class it’s now available to buy in the ‘on - demand’ section of the website.

So excited to welcome Australian based artist @staceymccallart back to STILL. This time Stacey will be teaching a two part class…. Underpainting in oil paints 23rd and 30th June 8-9.15pm BST Join Stacey as she demonstrates the classical technique of the tonal underpainting in oil paints. Stacey will teach over the course of two weeks. In the first class, Stacey will work on a still life composition in her sketchbook, then translate this drawing into a tonal underpainting using a limited palette of earth pigments, primarily raw umber, burnt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine blue and white. In the second class, she will show colour mixing and the application of colour to your now dry underpainting. Stacey will play around with single objects first, working up to a more complex still life arrangement. “So much information can be put down in the underpainting. I think it is my favourite part of the process, creating the skeleton of your painting. So many decisions are made at this stage about form, light and composition in preparation for the layers of colour”. Come and paint with us 🧡