ARTS & CRAFTS
Art and craft activities at Stanwick Lakes; events and workshops to suit everyone
Art & Crafts Programme
Stanwick Lakes has a wide variety of art and craft events throughout the year, whether you want to learn a new skill, brush up on an old one or be inspired by the talents of others. The Visitor Centre’s diverse spaces accommodate all sorts of arts events and the natural light that streams through the windows is one of the things that attracts regular groups.
The site is run by Rockingham Forest Trust as a social enterprise and any income made from Art and Craft events held at Stanwick Lakes is reinvested into the crafts programme and used for maintaining the site as a nature reserve and countryside attraction. Arts and Crafts events are kept at a low cost, to enable as many people as possible to have a go and be introduced to a new skill.
There is ample parking, and a car pass is included in the course price.
Read on for information about all our arts and craft courses below, or view our traditional courses.
Craft Café
Course Name | Mixed Media Painting – Robins |
Tutor | Catherine Matthews |
Date and time | Monday 4th December 10.am – 12.30pm: 2.5 hour classes |
Numbers | 10 students per class |
Cost | £25.00 per session |
Aimed at: | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials are provided. |
Overview |
In this session we will use a range of wet and dry media to create colourful paintings with festive robins as our subject. Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials are provided.
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About the tutor |
Catherine Matthews is a practicing artist and qualified art teacher with 20 years of Ie in teaching Art in secondary schools, as well as with adults and community groups. With a friendly, enthusiastic approach and fresh ideas, she aims to inspire creativity in others through art as an adventure. Traditional skills with old and new processes. Learning through doing. |
Course Name | Monthly Watercolour Painting |
Tutor | Catherine Matthews |
Date and time | Monday 4th December – 1.30pm – 4pm 2.5 hour classes |
Numbers | 10 students per class |
Cost | £25.00 per session |
Aimed at: | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials are provided. |
Overview |
Each 2.5 hour session will have a different emphasis. Exploring practical skills from surface preparation to application of paint, tools and use of mediums. We will be exploring a range of techniques to create washes, layers, textures and fine details, looking at different subjects for inspiration each month. You could dip in and out of these sessions as each is stand alone or book them in a series. Suitable for beginners and improvers. Old clothes are recommended. |
About the tutor |
Catherine Matthews is a practicing artist and qualified art teacher with 20 years of experience in teaching Art in secondary schools, as well as with adults and community groups. With a friendly, enthusiastic approach and fresh ideas, she aims to inspire creativity in others through art as an adventure. Traditional skills with old and new processes. Learning through doing. |
Course Name | Glass Fusion – Christmas Snowflake Tree Decoration |
Tutor | Sally McRae |
Date and time | Wednesday 6th December 2023 – 10.30am until 1pm |
Numbers | 8 students per class |
Cost | £45.00 per session |
Aimed at | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials and safety equipment are provided. Please do not wear open toed shoes. |
Overview |
In this workshop Sally will guide you through making a snowflake tree decoration. You will have access to a wide choice of colours in both transparent glass to design your own tree ornaments. Sally will teach you how to cut and place the glass to make your beautiful piece(s). You will have access to all the tools and safety equipment necessary to make your beautiful decorations. Everyone works at different speeds but you can typically make 2 pieces at this session. After the workshop your creations will be taken to Sally’s studio where they will be fired in her kiln. They will be ready within 7 days of the workshop and can be collected from Stanwick Lakes or posted out to you for the cost of the postage. |
About the tutor |
Sally has always loved glass, particularly the reflections you get from the sun shining through garden art and after attending some glass fusion courses, she bought her first kiln in 2019. She has since honed her teaching skills and developed a passion for teaching. There are so many things to make, different techniques to learn, firing schedules to understand – the possibilities for experimentation are endless. Sally’s workshops are always relaxed and fun and she encourages everyone to come up with their own designs. She particularly enjoys working with people who say they are not artistic or creative because they always surprise themselves by creating something beautiful. |
Course Name | Glass Fusion – Abstract Tree Christmas Decoration |
Tutor | Sally McRae |
Date and time |
Wednesday 6th December 2023 – 1.30pm until 4pm Saturday 9th December 2023 – 1.30pm until 4pm |
Numbers | 8 students per class |
Cost | £45.00 per session |
Aimed at | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials and safety equipment are provided. Please do not wear open toed shoes. |
Overview |
In this workshop Sally will guide you through making colourful abstract tree decorations. The beauty of these pieces is that they all react differently in the kiln and no two are ever the same. You will have access to a wide choice of colours in both transparent and opaque glass to design your own tree ornaments. You will learn how to cut glass and will have access to all of the tools and safety equipment necessary to make your beautiful decorations. Everyone works at different speeds but you can typically make 2 to 3 pieces at this session. After the workshop your creations will be taken to Sally’s studio where they will be fired twice in her kiln. They will be ready within 7 days of the workshop and can be collected from Stanwick Lakes or posted out to you for the cost of the postage. |
About the tutor |
Sally has always loved glass, particularly the reflections you get from the sun shining through garden art and after attending some glass fusion courses, she bought her first kiln in 2019. She has since honed her teaching skills and developed a passion for teaching. There are so many things to make, different techniques to learn, firing schedules to understand – the possibilities for experimentation are endless. Sally’s workshops are always relaxed and fun and she encourages everyone to come up with their own designs. She particularly enjoys working with people who say they are not artistic or creative because they always surprise themselves by creating something beautiful. |
Course Name | Glass Fusion – Christmas Wreath Tree Decoration |
Tutor | Sally McRae |
Date and time |
Saturday 9th December 23 – 10.30am until 1pm |
Numbers | 8 students per class |
Cost | £45.00 per session |
Aimed at | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials and safety equipment are provided. Please do not wear open toed shoes. |
Overview |
In this workshop Sally will guide you through making a colourful wreath abstract tree decorations. You will have access to a wide choice of colours in both transparent and opaque glass to design your own tree ornaments. Sally will teach you how to chop the glass with mosaic cutters to make the individual pieces for the wreath. You will have access to all the tools and safety equipment necessary to make your beautiful decorations. Everyone works at different speeds but you can typically make 2 pieces at this session. After the workshop your creations will be taken to Sally’s studio where they will be fired twice in her kiln. They will be ready within 7 days of the workshop and can be collected from Stanwick Lakes or posted out to you for the cost of the postage. |
About the tutor |
Sally has always loved glass, particularly the reflections you get from the sun shining through garden art and after attending some glass fusion courses, she bought her first kiln in 2019. She has since honed her teaching skills and developed a passion for teaching. There are so many things to make, different techniques to learn, firing schedules to understand – the possibilities for experimentation are endless. Sally’s workshops are always relaxed and fun and she encourages everyone to come up with their own designs. She particularly enjoys working with people who say they are not artistic or creative because they always surprise themselves by creating something beautiful. |
Course Name | Monthly Pottery classes |
Tutor | Catherine Matthews |
Date and time | Monday 11th December 10am – 12.30: 2.5 hour classes |
Numbers | 10 students per class |
Cost | £30.00 per session |
Aimed at: | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials are provided. |
Overview |
Each 2.5 hour session will be different. We will create decorative and/ or functional ceramic pieces using a range of hand building techniques whilst learning about safety and preparation of clays, tools and decoration methods. We will explore all 3 of the main hand building methods: Coiling, pinch pots and slab construction to create a number of small ceramic objects before looking at glazing and other methods of decorating. You will be able to collect these once they have had their final firing. You could dip in and out of these sessions as each is stand alone or book them in a series. |
About the tutor |
Catherine Matthews is a practicing artist and qualified art teacher with 20 years of experience in teaching Art in secondary schools, as well as with adults and community groups. With a friendly, enthusiastic approach and fresh ideas, she aims to inspire creativity in others through art as an adventure. Traditional skills with old and new processes. Learning through doing. |
Course Name | Glass Fusion – Glass Wave or Curve Workshop |
Tutor | Sally McRae |
Date and time |
Saturday 27th January 2024 – 11am until 4pm |
Numbers | 8 students per class |
Cost | £100.00 per session |
Aimed at | Suitable for all abilities. Old clothes are recommended. All materials and safety equipment are provided. Please do not wear open toed shoes. |
Overview |
In this workshop you will have the choice of making a stand-up wave sculpture, or a curved sculpture. You will have access to a wide choice of coloured transparent glass and pre-fused cabochons which you can use to design your own piece of art. During the session you will learn how to cut glass and have access to all of the tools and safety equipment to make your beautiful pieces. After the workshop your creations will be taken to Sally’s studio where they will be fired twice in her kiln. They will be ready within 10 days of the workshop and can be collected from Stanwick Lakes or posted out to you for the cost of the postage. |
About the tutor |
Sally has always loved glass, particularly the reflections you get from the sun shining through garden art and after attending some glass fusion courses, she bought her first kiln in 2019. She has since honed her teaching skills and developed a passion for teaching. There are so many things to make, different techniques to learn, firing schedules to understand – the possibilities for experimentation are endless. Sally’s workshops are always relaxed and fun and she encourages everyone to come up with their own designs. She particularly enjoys working with people who say they are not artistic or creative because they always surprise themselves by creating something beautiful. |
Our Tutor Biographies:
Catherine Matthews
With a friendly, enthusiastic approach and fresh ideas, she aims to inspire creativity in others through art as an adventure. Traditional skills with old and new processes. Learning through doing.
Paul Berryman
Judith Allnatt
Judith Allnatt is a fiction writer, poet and experienced tutor. Her novels have been featured as a Radio 5 Book of the Month and shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award and the Portico Prize for Literature. Her short fiction and poetry has been listed for many awards including the Commonwealth Short Story Award, Bridport Prize, Radio 4 Showcase and the National Poetry Competition. She has worked widely as a Writer in Residence and has most recently served as a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. www.judithallnatt.com
Pauline Procter
Once she left full-time employment she began teaching crafts, she also went to several different ‘Art Tutors’ to improve her own drawing skills and confidence. She has taught a whole variety of crafts including crochet, cross-stitch, button art and textile art.
Since the pandemic, she has continued to crochet for family and friends and has become very interested in textile art – mainly as gifts but she also works on commissions.