Workshops

A place to play, explore and surprise yourself.

Blanefield Art Alchemy is a small creative studio, overlooking Beeston Bump, where curiosity is encouraged and perfection can stay at the door.

Every workshop begins with noticing. A colour. A texture. A memory. The way the sea meets the sky. Inspired by remarkable artists and the landscape around us, we explore paint, collage, printmaking and mixed media in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.

These are gently guided sessions, an invitation to experiment, to trust your instincts and to discover what happens when you let go of getting it right.

With small groups, all materials provided and plenty of tea, cake and conversation, there's time to slow down, enjoy the process and make something that's uniquely your own.

Whether you've painted for years or haven't picked up a brush since school, you'll be warmly welcomed.

The workshop lasts three hours. The curiosity it awakens stays with you much longer.

“Come curious….leave inspired.”

“ I love that moment when an idea begins to surprise us.”

Workshop Menu

Inkblot & beyond

Andy Warhol reminds us that some of the most exciting ideas begin by accident.
We'll splash, fold, print and watch happy accidents unfold, discovering how unexpected marks can become the starting point for something completely original.
Leave looking at happy accidents in a whole new way.
Wild marks torn stories

Cy Twombly reminds us that not every mark has to be understood to be meaningful.
We'll scribble, scratch, tear, layer and play, discovering how freedom, movement and instinct can become a language all of their own.
Leave trusting your marks a little more than you did before.
Kaleidoscope

Sometimes all it takes is one unexpected mark to open a whole new world of possibilities.
Inspired by my own practice, we'll splash, fold, layer and play, allowing accidental marks to become the beginning of something beautifully unexpected. Like looking through a kaleidoscope, every turn reveals a new way of seeing.
Leave wondering what else might be hiding in the next mark.
Picasso

Picasso reminds us that every rule can be questioned.
We'll turn familiar ideas upside down, explore unexpected combinations and discover the joy of looking at familiar things in completely new ways.
Leave with permission to be wonderfully bold.
Gerhard Richter

Gerhard Richter reminds us that beautiful things often appear when we stop trying to control them.
We'll layer, scrape, reveal and begin again, finding excitement in the unexpected.
Leave trusting the process a little more.
Delaunay & Apppal

Sonia Delaunay and Karel Appel remind us that colour has a life of its own.
Together we'll play with bold colour, expressive shapes and instinctive mark making, discovering what happens when we stop overthinking and simply let the paint lead the way.
Leave with brighter eyes, bolder marks and the confidence to trust your instincts.
Hima af Klint

Hilma af Klint reminds us that some of our best ideas arrive when we stop trying to control them.
Through intuitive mark making, personal symbols, expressive colour and large-scale painting, we'll quieten the inner critic and discover the freedom of simply responding to what unfolds.
Leave trusting your intuition a little more.
St Ives

The St Ives artists remind us that beauty is often hiding in the simplest of things.
Together we'll slow down, notice colour, shape and light, transforming everyday moments into joyful abstract paintings inspired by the coast.
Leave seeing the ordinary in extraordinary ways.
Julie Mehretu

Julie Mehretu reminds us that every life is made up of layers.
Together we'll build our own personal maps through drawing, collage and expressive marks, weaving together memories, places and moments that matter.
Leave seeing your own story in a whole new way.
Carment Herrera

Carmen Herrera reminds us that simplicity has a quiet strength.
Through bold lines, carefully chosen colour and beautifully balanced composition, we'll discover how less can often say so much more.
Leave seeing the beauty in simplicity.
Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler reminds us that beauty often appears when we stop trying to make everything perfect.
We'll pour, stain and layer colour, allowing the paint to flow freely and reveal unexpected moments of beauty.
Leave seeing perfection in a whole new light.
Lee Krasner

Lee Krasner reminds us that every ending can become a new beginning.
We'll cut, tear, layer and rebuild, transforming forgotten paintings and scraps into bold new creations full of energy and life.
Leave seeing possibility where you once saw mistakes.
Lorna Simpson

Lorna Simpson reminds us that we are all shaped by the layers of our lives.
Through collage, texture, paint and personal imagery, we'll build richly layered artworks that celebrate memories, experiences and the stories that make each of us unique.
Leave seeing yourself with kinder eyes.
Alma Thomas

Alma Thomas reminds us that beauty is all around us, if we take the time to notice it.
Through joyful colour, playful pattern and expressive mark making, we'll celebrate the everyday moments that so often pass us by.
Leave noticing the world a little more brightly.
Gillian Ayres

Gillian Ayres reminds us that colour has the power to lift the spirit.
We'll paint boldly, layer freely and follow our instincts, allowing joyful colour and expressive marks to guide the journey.
Leave believing there's always room for one more splash of colour.
Phyllida Barlow

Phyllida Barlow reminds us that creativity is never finished... it's always becoming.
Together we'll build, layer, wrap and transform everyday materials, discovering how curiosity and play can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary.
Leave seeing possibilities everywhere.
Prunella Clough

Prunella Clough reminds us that curiosity begins with looking twice.
We'll slow down, observe carefully and celebrate the overlooked, discovering how the simplest objects can inspire the most unexpected paintings.
Leave seeing hidden treasures everywhere.
Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin reminds us that there's beauty in slowing down.
Together we'll explore gentle mark making, soft colour and simple rhythms, discovering how less can become more when we take the time to really look.
Leave with a quieter mind and a lighter heart.
Josette Urso

Josette Urso reminds us that beauty is often found in the pieces rather than the whole.
Together we'll explore colour, collage and expressive marks, collecting bright fragments and allowing them to grow into something beautifully unexpected.
Leave seeing possibilities in every little fragment.
Simone Brewster

Simone Brewster reminds us that we all belong.
Through expressive form, colour and pattern, we'll celebrate the beauty of individuality while discovering the threads that quietly connect us all.
Leave feeling more connected through creativity.
Rose Wylie

Rose Wylie reminds us that we don't have to paint perfectly to paint powerfully.
In this playful workshop we'll celebrate bold colour, fearless marks and the freedom to trust our own voice.
Leave with a little more courage than you arrived with.
Etel Adnan

Etel Adnan reminds us that the simplest landscapes can hold the deepest feelings.
Together we'll explore colour, shape and memory, creating expressive paintings that celebrate the quiet beauty we carry within us.
Leave seeing beauty with both your eyes and your heart.
Nikki de Saint Phalle

Niki de Saint Phalle reminds us that joy is something we can create.
We'll gather colours, patterns and unexpected fragments, transforming them into playful collages full of energy, personality and possibility.
Leave seeing your world in glorious colour.
Elizabeth Sweetheart

Elizabeth Sweetheart reminds us that when we let go of the unnecessary, the beautiful has room to shine.
Together we'll simplify, play with colour and celebrate the quiet confidence of thoughtful choices.
Leave with lighter hands and clearer eyes.
Wook-Kyung Choi

Wook-Kyung Choi reminds us that when we stop overthinking, creativity has room to breathe.
We'll paint with freedom, movement and joyful colour, allowing each mark to grow naturally into the next.
Leave feeling lighter, freer and wonderfully present.
Anna Hymas

Anna Hyams reminds us that even the quietest objects have something to say.
We'll arrange, observe and paint, discovering how colour, composition and a little imagination can transform the everyday into something wonderfully unexpected.
Leave hearing the stories hidden in ordinary things.
Vanessa Bell & Bloomsbury

Vanessa Bell and the Bloomsbury Group remind us that creativity is richer when it's shared.
Together we'll explore muted colour, playful pattern and expressive painting, discovering how one idea can spark another in the most unexpected ways.
Leave wondering where your next idea might take you.
Sarah Campbell & Susan Collier

Sarah Campbell and Susan Collier remind us that curiosity has a wonderful habit of leading us somewhere unexpected.
Together we'll explore pattern, colour and playful experimentation, following one idea after another until something beautifully surprising begins to unfold.
Leave ready to follow your curiosity wherever it leads.
Winifred Nicholson

Winifred Nicholson reminds us that wonder begins with noticing.
Inspired by Winifred Nicholson, Seeing for the First Time celebrates curiosity, colour and the simple act of paying attention. Together we'll explore ways of looking beyond what we expect to see, discovering beauty in the familiar.
Leave noticing the extraordinary in the everyday.
Margaret Mellis

Margaret Mellis reminds us that the most ordinary things often hold the greatest beauty.
What if the things we walk past every day are the very things waiting to inspire us? Inspired by Margaret Mellis, FOUND is a joyful workshop about noticing more, collecting and discovering beauty in the overlooked.
Leave noticing beauty everywhere.