Click here for a link to my Eventbrite page with more details of upcoming workshops.
Art Outside
My favourite place to be is outside in nature; it inspires many of my paintings. I want to encourage more people to explore their creativity without the constraints of four walls by running outside workshops and art walks.
I will soon be a qualified Hill and Moorland Leader with Mountain Training and I am also a qualified Outdoor First Aider.
Future workshops
31 January 2026, 10:00-12:30
Beautiful Zentangles
A truly relaxing workshop to start the year- just a pen and perhaps some pencil shading- learning to create patterns and inventing your own.
Zentangles were invented in the USA a good while back to help people relax and feel good about being creative.
In our class we won't be purists - I'll show you how to start out, we'll get to practise a few simple patterns and then you can have fun making up your own. I'll show you some good ways to add detail including tails and shading and you'll come away with a beautiful piece. Doodling in meetings or on the phone will take on a whole new creative meaning after today!
All materials provided as well as hot drinks and cake.
Suitable for older children who love being creative (an adult needs to attend as well- and this isn't suitable for young children under the age of 10, as the child needs to be able to concentrate and work quietly) as well as adults, this is a calm peaceful way to commence our year of art!
For more details and to book a place click here (takes you to Eventbrite)
18 February 2026, 13:00-15:00
Gelli printing for adults
Gelli printing is a colourful and fun way of creating monoprints (that is, one off prints) using a rubbery base which we roll acrylic paint onto, and then using stencils, plant matter and other objects, create textures, patterns and images. It’s always experimental, there are really no strict rules, only good ideas, and it’s suitable for all ages. It’s also essential to wear old clothes and bring an apron as acrylic paints stain!
The images you create will be great for making greetings cards, use as collage materials or as pictures in their own right! And they will be fascinating, beautiful and originals!
Cost £14 – online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
19 February 2026, 10:30 -12:00
Mono printing
This workshop is for everyone who likes experimenting! We never quite know what the results will be but by rolling out ink on acetate and then laying paper over it, either after wiping away designs into the ink or by drawing on top of the paper and the pressure picking up the ink, we can create designs we can then add colour to, or beautiful magical and unexpected images.
This workshop is a little messy - bring an apron and expect to get your hands dirty! A pack of baby wipes is essential as well. Bring some photos to inspire your creativity.
Suitable for age 14+ and adults
All other materials provided!
£12 – booking online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
20 February 2026, 10:30 -12:00
Wild horses
Inspired by Der Blaue Reite movement and Kandinsky and Marke in particular, and thinking about DH Lawrence’s short story St Mawr which features a massive stallion, and which he wrote while living in Pontesbury.
There is going to be a talk at Bishop's Castle Arts Festival about his work written while staying in Shropshire and to link with it, I will be running an art workshop where we will create wild horse pictures using the wild colour and expressive techniques of Der Blaue Reiter. No, you don’t need to have ever done art before, no you don’t need to be able to draw horses, the whole point is we’re using our imagination and thinking about wild colour and wild animal power! I’m sure DH Lawrence took inspiration from the Long Mynd and the fabulous animals up there!
So let’s celebrate this unique landscape in an uplifting and creative workshop.
All other materials provided, we will be using watercolours, chalk & oil pastels and acrylic pens.
£13 – booking online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
28 February 2026, 10:00-12:30
Moonlit scenes
Have fun painting and drawing moonlit scenes using photos and your imagination. Produce a beautiful romantic image - bold or pastel shades!
We will look at the way different artists paint moonlit scenes before you explore your own ideas and create a beautiful unique image. Bring photos to inspire you and I'll bring the materials- watercolours, acrylics and soft pastels. Be bold or be pastel shades, be contermpory or more romantic, you decide how you'd like to work and I'll help and support you.
Hot drinks and cake included as well as materials.
Under 18s are welcome, under 14s must have an paying adult attend as well. This workshop is not suitable for under 11s as we will be concentrating and working quietly for the full 2.5 hours!
For more details and to book a place click here (takes you to Eventbrite)
18 February 2026, 10:30-12:00
Gelli printing for young people
Gelli printing is a colourful and fun way of creating monoprints (that is, one off prints) using a rubbery base which we roll acrylic paint onto, and then using stencils, plant matter and other objects, create textures, patterns and images. It’s always experimental, there are really no strict rules, only good ideas, and it’s suitable for all ages. Children under the age of 10 will need to be accompanied by an adult to supervise their child. It’s also essential to wear old clothes and bring an apron as acrylic paints stain!
The images you create will be great for making greetings cards, use as collage materials or as pictures in their own right! And they will be fascinating, beautiful and originals!
Children Free but donations are very welcome – booking is essential, just book in the child booking online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
18 February 2026, 15:15-16:35
Gelli printing for adults
Gelli printing is a colourful and fun way of creating monoprints (that is, one off prints) using a rubbery base which we roll acrylic paint onto, and then using stencils, plant matter and other objects, create textures, patterns and images. It’s always experimental, there are really no strict rules, only good ideas, and it’s suitable for all ages. It’s also essential to wear old clothes and bring an apron as acrylic paints stain!
The images you create will be great for making greetings cards, use as collage materials or as pictures in their own right! And they will be fascinating, beautiful and originals!
Cost £14 – online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
19 February 2026, 14:00 -15:45
Lino cut printing
Lino cut printing is a method of relief printing, so it’s the opposite of tetrapak printing. You carve into lino, your design and everything you carve will be white, everything you leave will be inked up. The benefit of lino printing is you can reuse the block many many times. You use special carving tools that have different cutters so you can make fine and wider lines and cut larger areas away. The carving is a little bit dangerous in that you can really hurt yourself if you don’t use the tools correctly so I will only offer this at the festival for adults and it will just be a small group so I can help and supervise carefully. You’ll have the opportunity to print at least 3 of 4 images and take home your block so you can print some more in the future. If there’s time you may be able to create a second design.
£35 per person – booking online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
21 February 2026, 10:30 -12:00
Abstract watercolours
Spend some time out from the busyness of the arts festival, doodling with watercolour and add some embellishments with some marker pens to create a beautiful, unique, tranquil, arty doodle.
Suitable for everyone who wants to have a go at playing with watercolours and finding out what effects you can create. No pressure no realism just colour, pattern and being kind to ourselves in a supportive and relaxed environment.
£13 – booking online at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/BCTH or at BC Town Hall
26 September 2026, 10:00-12:30
Experiment with charcoal
More details to follow
2025 - photos from various workshops
2023 - photos from Claymills and Bog Centre workshops; Bishop's Castle Charter Celebrations
Summer Bushmoot 2022:
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"Meditative botanical drawing"
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"Creating 'Green Man'/Found Natural Art"
Summer Nature Escapes 2022
"My review would be: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I loved my workshops with Catherine! She is wonderfully engaging, enthusiastic and welcoming. I enjoyed every minute and will definitely be returning for future workshops!"
Lauren (Monoprinting workshop)
"Thank you for all your hard work over the weekend running the art workshops. A lot of people had a really great time. We’d be really pleased to welcome you back to Claymills for further similar events. Great to meet you and see the work that you do, you really helped our steaming go well"
Andrew (Claymills)
"I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and would love to get stuck into another one! Catherine is so lovely and really encouraging but also dished out help whenever I needed it and a push in the right direction when I didn’t. I felt comfortable enough to just go wild and see where I ended up as well as focusing on making my art look as technical as I could. Being outdoors was a lovely change of pace, we never were stretched for something to sketch and the location was beautiful"
Maya
"Thank you for the workshop at Bushmoot. I enjoyed it all so much"
Sofia (age 7)
"A wonderful workshop! Such a great way to spend an hour, allowing the kids to explore different methods. Highly recommended. Thank you"
Participant at children's art workshop
"I would like to say a big thank you for holding your workshops at Claymills - they were certainly a huge success. I trust you enjoyed them as much as the participants did"
Jan (Claymills)
"The variety of media we were able to experience was great and your attitude to let us relax into trying new things.We honed down some actual pencil shading technique that I had never known. More importantly we reinforced how it's not important for the art we make to be perfect, since to improve my art, I need to be prepared to make more art, good or bad".
Ewein
"Your workshop was a very good experience, that I would find much pleasure in repeating"
Henri (age 11)
"Catherine came to the Bushcraft UK Summer BushMoot to share her amazing art skills with everyone there, and once again she knocked it out the park, everyone loved it.
She facilitated a variety of workshops on different aspects of art, doodles, printing, nature, painting and so much more, this allowed anyone no matter their experience or confidence to jump in and feel welcome, she’s an absolute legend"
Tony (Bushmoot)
"Excellent workshops"
"Stayed in the workshop and missed the tour of Clay Mills"
"Catherine was lovely, very helpful and encouraging"
"I am so proud of myself"
"Thoroughly enjoyed picking up a paint brush again, Catherine was very supportive"
Participants at Claymills Workshop
"A beautiful creative and inspired nature themed workshop that our participants thoroughly enjoyed. Catherine’s greatest skill is encouraging the hidden artist in everyone no matter what your experience.
Thank you Catherine, what an absolute joy!"
Fleur (Nature Escapes)
"I've never considered myself an artist but Catherine convinced me that everyone has the ability to make art. I let myself go wild with colours in a beautiful, pine-smelling woodland along with a varied group from toddlers to teens and adults. I loved the encouraging, accepting atmosphere!"
Saara (Bushmoot)
"The energy you give off is inspiring"
"We all got to paint a canvas today!"
"Great to have permission to go outside the box"
"Great to by inspired by art outside. And to now have a notebook and to have tried out notebook techniques"
Participants at the Bog Centre Workshop
"Catherine joined us for the second time on our recent retreat to deliver a beautiful bespoke art workshop! She curated an amazing session allowing our guests to find both their confidence and creative flow. I’d highly recommend booking her for your day or weekend retreat to add in some art magic! Her passion is infectious!"
Fleur (Nature Escapes)
"It was great having Catherine at the Summer BushMoot running a mix of Art workshops, the feedback has been amazing and she's welcome back any time!"
Tony (Bushmoot)
