Category: Classes
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Art & Environment Saturdays 2012 : Marine Biology in Castlerock
We had a wonderful afternoon on Saturday the 29th of September in Castlerock Northern Ireland with the kids participating the Art & Environment Marine Biology workshop. We were joined at low tide by Marine Biologist David Erwin and Maxime Siseret from the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust.
kids explore with Marine Biologist David Erwin at low tide on Castlerock Beach Northern Ireland during the Art & Environment class Saturday 
kids with biologist David Erwin on Castlerock beach during Saturday's art & environment workshop After an introductory chat about ocean life and familiarization with mollusks and other marine life frequently found in the nearby rock pools the kids were given digital cameras and launched into a scavenger hunt armed with laminated photo sheets of life forms and geological features of the North Coast beaches.
Marine Biologist David Erwin exploring with children from the Art & Environment workshop on the Castlerock Beach, Northern Ireland 
Using digital cameras in a beach scavenger hunt on Castlerock beach during the kids art & environment days 2012 David Erwin and artist McCall Gilfillan ( yes, me) kept the kids observation skills in high gear as they explored the rock pools and exposed intertidal zones on the west end of the strand. After making a circle through the dune system back towards Castlerock’s Main Street we looked together at our goal sheets to see how many of the 20 items we had documented.
kids with artwork based on environment exploration on Castlerock beach Northern Ireland
Then back to Christchurch Hall for snacks and a fantastic session of artistic interpretation using brilliantly coloured tissue and 1ft x 4ft sheets of laminated card to create big brilliant landscapes of intertidal zones and the lifeforms within them.Many many thanks to all the kids, parents, David Erwin, Maxime Siseret and Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust who have sponsored this workshop series.
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Creative Retreat Weekend with Brian Ballard and Kate Fletcher
‘A Brush with Song’
May 25th-27th 2012
Come and take part in a creative blend of singing and painting, in the stunning setting of the North Antrim coast. As well as facilitated sessions each day, there will be free time to explore the stunning surroundings, walk by the sea, or just relax! Gourmet food provided by Crusoe’s of Castlerock. Special diets catered for.
Brian Ballard
is a leading Irish Artist, who will lead the group in painting with oils and/or acrylics. He will encourage everyone to express themselves, either outside, inspired by the beautiful landscape, or inside painting still life. He is an inspiring teacher, who would welcome those with or without experience of painting.
Kate Fletcher
has been running regular singing workshops for over twenty years. She believes not only that anyone can sing, but that everyone has a right to give voice. With a range of songs from around the world in harmony and by ear, the singing is accessible to those with lots of experience or none.
Both Kate and Brian are experienced teachers in their field, and are committed to opening up their sphere to all. So if you are an experienced singer new to painting, an expert artist new to singing, or just like the sound of a weekend of creativity and enjoyment, then this is for you!
Location:
The weekend will based in Downhill where accommodation will be provided at the Victorian residence ‘Glenhassan Hall’, now known as the Downhill Hostel, a beautiful self-catering guesthouse on the Downhill beach.
Accommodation
will be in shared rooms, mostly shared in twos, but to a maximum of three.
Cost
per person sharing:
£250 residential including meals
£160 non-residential including afternoon and evening mealsArrive 7pm Friday 25th
Depart 2pm Sunday 27th
What to bring:
Enthusiasm!
Outdoor clothing and shoes for painting outside
Your own painting materials if you have them –or materials can be ordered ahead of the weekend (see below). Additional canvasses will also be available for sale.
Please contact Kate and Brian or print and complete the form below, and send with a £50 deposit (payable to Brian Ballard) to
Brian Ballard and Kate Fletcher
53 Kensington Road
Belfast BT5 6NL
For more information or queries, tel 028 90 796697 or email ballardfletcher@btinternet.com
Booking Form A Brush with Song, Glenhassan Hall. 25-27 May 2012
Please reserve me a place on the Glenhassan Hall weekend, 25th – 27th May. I enclose a cheque for £ 50 deposit
Name:
Address:
Contact telephone numbers:
Email:
Special Dietary needs:
Residential / Non-residential (circle one)
I will bring my own materials,/ including sketching easel-please bring if you have one
or: I would like to purchase paints and canvas, and borrow easel (circle one)
Other relevant information or special circumstances which we should know about in order to make your weekend as enjoyable as possible:
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Kids classes in traditional paper-making
I am now 3 weeks in to a paper-making course with some of the P3, P4, and P5 kids from Ballyhackett Primary school and we are all having great fun, just have a look!
The kids know all the equipment they need and how to set out their tables to be ready to work. Mostly they work in pairs taking turns drawing out each sheet of paper, turning them onto the couching cloths and then absorbing excess moisture with a sponge before removing the mold.
This week the kids coordinated with their partners as they choose what colour paper they made. After making a couple of sheets with recycled shredded office paper and coloured napkins, they started to add textures to their vats from an assortment of things I brought along. The glittery stars were very popular. We also had wool, dryer lint, dried artichoke fibre. The children experimented with the materials and saw how they effected the texture of each sheet as they drew sheets from the vat.
Paper-making is such a tactile process and changing the makeup of the vat after each sheet allows the kids to get a feel for what textures they like as well as observing the changes in colour and thickness of the sheets as the makeup of the vat changes. A further stage is learning how much pulp to add after each sheet is drawn to maintain a desired consistency, and then documenting favourite recipes by proportion so they can be repeated.
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Papermaking
Tomorrow I start a paper-making course at my son’s school. It has been a little while since I have taught it so I am giving myself a little refresher tonight. I went through all my mold and deckle sets and tightened up the mesh on the small molds. I checked the blenders to see that they still run after being in storage, and found lots of squeezys of paper pulp fro previous sessions to help us start off. The school is in its final year of application for the green flag eco-schools credenitals. We will be recycling the shredded paper from the office (with colourful additions of course) then I plan to move on to incorporating vegetable matter. I find banana skins and broccoli stocks work nicely but anything fibrous can be used, artichoke hearts are beautiful, but rather a lot of work to prepare. Looking forward to working with the kids and getting my hands in lovely paper pulp.
