Hawkwood CFT

Take inspiration from fruit, birds and the beautiful Hawkwood surroundings during a weekend of creative experimentation. Explore different ways to loosen up your illustrations, and how to move away from the pressures that can stifle creativity. Discover real techniques for overcoming the fear of the blank page and experiment with a whole range of materials and unusual tools. This weekend workshop will be full of practical ideas to enrich your drawings, taking inspiration from nature to create images that are full of energy, character and life. In this Illustrating Nature...

This unique art form originated in Buddhist temples and is used for the elaborate decoration of Kimonos. This rarely taught skill has been based at Hawkwood for over twenty years. Using traditional methods and techniques you will produce truly stunning works of art and learn about Japanese culture. All levels are welcome. Japanese Embroidery (shishu in Japanese) is a hand-embroidery technique that is over 1000 years old. The exquisite designs are based on seasons and celebrations. You can find these primarily on the traditional dress of kimono and obi. This...

With both hands moving in clay, charcoal, natural pigments and ink, discover how to relinquish control upon the quiet meeting ground of the page. Anchored in presence and gentle compassion, the intimacy we experience in drawing from life is an invitation to open and enliven our senses. Creating art in any form with freedom and non-judgement is inherently health giving. It brings us into the present moment and restoring our sense of belonging. In this unique workshop, live and recorded music lifts our spirits, encourages us to move as we...

Mindful Drawing is an exploration of drawing as meditation. We will experiment with different exercises involving the senses and mark-making. There will also be short periods of guided meditation. No prior meditation or drawing experience is needed. In this weekend workshop we will explore the drawing experience paying particular attention to the body and how we perceive ourselves and others through the senses, as well as noticing how we relate to the experience. We will not be learning how to draw but rather how to pay attention and let go...

A hands-on sculpture workshop We begin with a short introduction to each other, to Sebastian’s approach and to the tools, with a demonstration of stone carving. Then it’s time to dive in and get into three dimensions using a practice block of stone. After the morning coffee break, you will start working on your own block of stone. It’s ideal if you come with a fairly simple idea of what you might want to create: what shape, whether abstract, geometrical or taken from life. A figure, face, an animal, bird,...

A one day workshop that introduces participants to the art and craft of soap making through an exploration of the history of soap, the use of herbs and essential oils in the making of Victorian washballs and the steps undertaken in creating individually designed cold-process soaps. The grounds and gardens of Hawkwood provide a fantastic context for this journey into the many gifts the plant world offers to the home soap maker. Learning how to make our own soap gives us the opportunity to tailor soap to our own preferences...

A practical fibre arts retreat. Develop the confidence to take risks with your ideas and nurture your own creative voice. This course is suitable for those new to drawing or making, or for experienced artists wanting to revisit or refresh their practice. In observing the line through drawn marks, we will experiment with different interpretive techniques to find our own linear language. We will explore our artistic process through material play; manipulating yarns, threads, cloth and paper into woven samples. This is an opportunity to explore and experiment to expand...

Wild nature writing offers a unique creative writing journey into deeper Nature connection. Assisting participants to develop a ‘co-creative writing practice’ inspired by the natural world and our ‘wild self’. Helen offers guidelines and themed assignments to inspire your outdoor writing adventures, followed by online feedback. Our journey is an opportunity to enhance authentic self-expression, and nourish resilience & wellbeing in the face of collective planetary crises. Would you like to develop a co-creative ‘wild writing’ practice inspired by deeper connection with the natural world and your ‘wild self’? Exploring...

Over this weekend together, we’ll open to wildness, decay and compost within and without, as we explore the beautiful land of Hawkwood. In developing our response to place, we will read writers from around the world and from different eras who are similarly inspired. We will explore what it is to co-create with others. This could include the wild beings we might encounter on our guided forays outdoors, and our ancestors stretching back into evolutionary time. With skilled guidance from Helen, we will attune our observations of the microcosmic, such...