Online & In-Person Workshops
Movement, Marks and Meditation online workshop
July 30th 2026 (Autumn/Winter programme to be announced)
5 pm - 7:30 pm
Online
Price: £30
A series of monthly experimental taster workshops led by Marina Tsartsara (Somatic Arts Practice) and myself (Drawing and Meditation) bringing together our combined experiences and love for drawing with, and through, awareness of the body.
Marina’s approach to drawing is very close to mine, which is why we want to work together. While she comes from a dance and performance background, and I am from a visual art drawing background, we both approach drawing in the same way - as a sensory, physical, tactile and emotional experience - which can be further explored through movement, meditation, and the gestural mark. For example, if making drawings about the breath, Marina might start with more bodily references, to the anatomy and the physical structure of the lungs, while I might lead a meditation focusing on the breath itself, and as a mark - both of us would encourage expressive, emotional as well as physical drawings to emerge.
Marina leads from her own Somatic Art Practice® - “an embodied artmaking practice that explores the relationship between the psychophysical experience of corporeal structures & artistic gesture.” I too focus very much on the body and the senses as a vital part of the drawing process, using meditation as the starting point, to come into presence. Drawing from full awareness, whether from inside the body or from what is in the space around us.
Together our teachings mirror and weave, offering similar approaches with our own personal differences of touch, of voice, of everyday life and creative life experiences. Together we aim to bring you a drawing workshop that offers an inspirational and meaningful way to engage with the body, art and creativity.
DRAWING AND MEDITATION - Creative Nourishment Weeks
Various dates throughout the year
9.30am - 10.30am for a guided session (followed by studio/free time)
4.30pm - 5.30pm for an optional group share/discussion
Online
Cost £120 for 5 days (£80 for 3 days)
An online week of Drawing and Meditation is a precious a time to recommit to your practice and devote as much time as you can during this week. Each morning we will meet for a guided meditation session with a prompt to give you focus for that hour, or indeed the whole day. Each afternoon we work in our own spaces, with cameras on, audio off, in a quiet, focused co-working space. At the end of each day we meet for an hour to talk about our day, and what we might need for the following day. The discussions, connections, and shared inspirations are as much a part of the week as any individual projects you might have going on. The space becomes more than the sum of its parts. All you need do is show up, twice a day if you can. The rest will unfold.
Colour and Light on the Downs
DATES:
25 Sept - 26 Sept
9.30 am - 4.30 pm
In-Person in Emily Ball at Seawhite
Price: £280 (all materials are included)
This is a 2 day structured course led by Emily and Katie. They will offer an exciting collection of processes to help each artist feel immersed in the experience and able to produce drawings that go beyond copying the view and give the artist an injection of courage and creativity to make expressive new work.
Following last year’s success, Emily and Katie are offering 3 different workshops from early summer through autumn for this amazing course, so you can take your pick, or come to all three. And don’t miss out on the follow on course in June when we take all the studies back to the studio to make paintings from this exciting subject.
We will use the Truleigh Centre as our base while we are in the landscape. It is a fabulous recently converted barn space. We have access to it throughout each day to shelter from the elements, if needed, look at the work created and take breaks. It is spacious and light with all the facilities we need for our comfort. It is situated at the top of the Downs, nestled in the surrounding landscape.
All your materials for the 2 days will be provided for you.
Garden Light - A Mindful Art Workshop
Monday 17th August
10.00 am - 16.00 pm
In-Person in West Horsley Place
Price: £100
Celebrate the height of summer with a relaxed, sensory art workshop in the beautiful walled garden at West Horsley Place.
Through gentle meditation and mindful observation, you’ll be guided to slow down, tune into your surroundings, and respond creatively to colour, light and atmosphere.
Working with a range of mixed media—including pastels, inks, watercolour and natural materials—you’ll experiment freely to create a series of vibrant, expressive studies inspired by the shapes, textures and shifting light of the garden. These small works can stand alone or act as starting points for future pieces.
This workshop is suitable for all, whether you’re new to drawing or looking to refresh your practice.
We’ll be working outdoors where possible, so please dress for the weather. All materials will be provided. (subject to confirmation). Suitable for ages 16+ (under 18s must be accompanied). Tea/Coffee provided.
While we aim to make our workshops as accessible as possible, some activities may not be suitable for all access needs. Please get in touch before booking so we can advise and support you. For more information about access, visit our access page.
Abstracting Nature - Charcoal Drawing
Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 August
9.30 am - 4.30 pm
In-Person in West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0QZ
Price: £615
This charcoal drawing workshop takes inspiration from the natural patterns in the garden and surrounding woodland. Using abstraction and gestural, expressive marks in response to the woodland forms and structures, to create exciting, sensitive compositions.
Drawing inspiration from the beautiful surroundings of West Dean College and Gardens, this course will encourage a confident and expressive approach to your drawings. Working at a large and small scale, you will be in the studio each day following a short walk into the garden and arboretum. The act of walking itself is a way of connecting to the subject, and coming into your body. Mindful movement (Qigong) and meditation exercises will also be offered to reinforce the relationship between body and breath, the process of drawing, and the natural world.
Out in the landscape, you will make study notes as research - written and drawn (in a tiny home made field diary) - observing with all of your senses - flickers of light, textures in tree trunks, plant forms, sounds - looking for repetition and organic patterns. You will also be gathering fragments of things you find fascinating to bring back to inspire you in the studio - flints from the path, fronds of fern, pieces of bark, leaves and twigs.
Back in the studio, you will be guided through warm up drawing exercises each day, using gesture, rhythm and repetition to get the drawings started in a more abstract way. From here the drawings can develop as you allow your memory, and your research notes, to inform the drawing.
