Workshops
What's On
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Prema is a family friendly Arts Centre, promoting performance, live music and art exhibitions as well as accessible workshops, classes and creative experiences for kids and adults.
Prema, near Dursley in the Stroud valleys, offers an affordable day out for all folk in the South West.
Our workshops are one-off events, rarely repeated so snaffle away while we still have places. We try to offer a really broad range of participatory and learning sessions, some over a full day and a handful of half-day happenings. All artists leading Prema workshops are at the forefront of their creative practice as well as seasoned and experienced facilitators.
April
20 Apr -
18 May
10am - 4pm
Green Man Masks
£96/£93(c) • Friends £94/£91(c)
Join us for this two day workshop with ceramic sculptor and artist, Peter Garrard to make a ceramic mask of a Green Man. The green man (aka foliate head) is symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring. With plenty of demonstrations throughout the day and one-to-one support Pete will guide you through each stage of the task of designing, constructing and then adding colour to your mask.
1st workshop day 10am-4pm Saturday 20th April
2nd workshop half-day 10am-1pm Saturday 18th May
Book NowFind Out MoreWed 24
10:30am - 12pm
Sketch Out at Breakheart Quarry
£8 • Friends £6
For the month of April, we’re heading up to the very top of the hill, to the beautiful yet bleak, unforgiving landscape of Breakheart Quarry (atop Stinchcombe Hill).
Following its rich and explosive past, the quarry is now a brilliant community project which focuses on learning, leisure and countryside education. And today, it serves as an uncharacteristic Gloucestershire landscape for us to explore and sketch. Huge skies with dramatic undulations to draw, plenty of perspective to play with and an abundance of natural light. And by just crossing the lane, we can venture into the spectacular woodland, following the paths through the sculpture trails. Oodles of drawing interest and inspo for your sketches!
Our Sketch Out sessions are led by artist Rose-Marie Marsall-Jane, a talented, enthusiastic artist and dedicated sketcher who is keen to impart tips and techniques to help you brush-up your drawing and observational skills. Suitable for all levels of drawing experience.
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Sat 27
10am - 4pm
Needle Felted Garden Birds
£65/£62(c) • Friends £63/£60(c)
Bring the cheeky chirrup of springtime into your home, with this fun and easy needle felted garden birds workshop. All materials are provided to make not one, not two but THREE mini birds from soft sheep’s wool - choose from a robin, chaffinch, blue tit, bullfinch, long tailed tit or goldfinch. Sarah Richards from I Felt Fantastic leads you through the process of building your bird body, adding colour, making the wings and tail, and adding eyes and legs. The completed birds are a fabulous addition to your home decor; as part of a spring wreath, in floral arrangements and potted plants, or even as a bird garland. This class is suitable for felting beginners, with plenty of advice and support from a very experienced and wonderfully inspiring tutor.
Book NowFind Out MoreSat 27
10am - 4pm
Willow Swan
£75/£72(c) • Friends £73/£70(c)
Join willow sculptor Sarah Jayne Edwards to create the most glorious woven willow swan for your garden. In today’s session, you’ll start off with an introduction to your materials; discovering the potential of willow, how to source it, how to prepare it, the different types and what works best for different projects. And then it's time for hands-on design and weaving your splendid cob or pen. You will be given the choice of whether you want your swan to be standing or sitting in a nest. All willow used in today’s session will be locally sourced. We’re providing all the materials but please bring a good pair of secateurs and an apron.
Book NowFind Out MoreMay
Sat 4
10am - 4pm
Hazel & Willow Garden Structures
£68/£65(c) • Friends £66/£63(c)
With the prospect of longer days and promise of warmer temperatures drawing ever-nearer, our minds turn towards balmy afternoons in our gardens and borders full of colour (perhaps a large jug of Pimms too). Today’s workshop is just the ticket for all passionate gardeners and plants-people.
Join aritst and willow expert Helen Lomberg who guides you through the principles and techniques to create a variety of 3D structures; obelisks, plant supports, trellises and decorative hurdles - all created using locally grown willow and hazel. The perfect accessory for every garden and the ideal structure for really showing your architectural specimens at their very best.
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Sat 11
10am - 4pm
Head in the Clouds
£55/£52(c) • Friends £53/£50(c)
Join artist Charlotte Aiken for today’s workshop which focuses on all things sky high! You may have recently seen Charlotte’s breathtaking works in her exhibition “Elysian” over at Studio 18 in Brimscombe? If you caught the show, you’ll know for sure that you're in for a treat today!
During today’s course, Charlotte will take you through her cloud-scaping process, where you’ll learn about the materials you will be using throughout the day and how to use them to optimum effect. And then it’s time to work on the composition of your painting, creating watercolour studies to start with before moving on to the main feature - an acrylic painted cloudscape on a wooden tondo. This is going to be the most exquisite day; full of celestial cirrus and cumulus clouds with mackerel skies.
All materials are provided.
Book NowFind Out MoreSat 18
10am - 4pm
Spring Wreath Making
£62/£59(c) • Friends £60/£57(c)
Spring is finally here and it’s time to celebrate all the vibrancy of the season by creating an exquisite wreath using a feast of plants and flowers foraged from the countryside surrounding Prema. Join artist and forager Ella Daniel-Lowe (aka @lunalotusuk) for today’s mindful workshop that will leave you feeling connected to the Earth.
Book NowFind Out MoreFri 24
10am - 4pm
Still Life Flowers
£75/£72(c) • Friends £73/£70(c)
Join exhibiting artist Helen Tarr for today’s wonderful Still Life Flowers painting workshop. Throughout today’s session you will develop the portfolio of skills required to create a beautiful acrylic painting. Learn how to prepare the paper for using acrylics, observe a short demonstration of ‘notan’ painting. Using a tonal guide paint a small ‘notan’ study identifying different tonal groupings, learning about the ratio of dark to medium and light tonal areas and discover how to achieve the optimum composition for your painting. By the end of the day you will have created your own beautiful, still life floral painting to proudly hang on your wall at home.
Book NowFind Out MoreJune
Sat 8
10am - 4pm
Get to know your Sewing Machine
£52/£49(c) • Friends £50/£47(c)
Calling all wannabe sewing bees! Today’s workshop is just the tickets for those who have an old sewing machine gathering dust. Maybe you’ve inherited a sewing machine and want to learn to use it? Or perhaps you simply want to get started on your sewing journey, to brush up on a few skills. Claire Parry leads today’s session, during which we’ll be working with simple pattern cutting skills; our end goal is a fabulous, lined make-up bag with zip. All those brilliant skills executed by you on your machine!
Book NowFind Out MoreFri 14
10am - 4pm
A Day of Weaving
£70/£67(c) • Friends £68/£65(c)
Enjoy a mindful and richly rewarding day of working in “slow textiles” with the ever-brilliant textile artist Rebecca Connolly.
As you learn the key skills of weaving, design and use of colour in weave, you’ll create a handful of pieces of woven fabric; the outcome being an experimental sampler, some ‘conventional’ cloth or a decorative hanging to adorn your home.
Book NowFind Out MoreSat 15
10am - 4pm
Glass Bouquet
£72/£69(c) • Friends £70/£67(c)
In today’s mixed media workshop led by glass artist Caroline Lambert, you will be using wire, copper and glass to learn a variety of great techniques. Learn how to hand-shape wire and all about copper-foiling, soldering and the use of patina as you create your bouquet of flowers and foliage. We’ll be taking our inspiration from the natural forms found in UK hedgerows, flower gardens and the landscape. By the end of the session, you will have created a wonderful display of beautiful everlasting flowers.
Book NowFind Out MoreSat 15
11am - 4pm
Summer Botanical Watercolours
£55/£52(c) • Friends £53/£50(c)
Taking inspiration from seasonal summer flowers, botanical artist Karen Green guides you through observational drawing, pen work and watercolour techniques to create a finished illustration that reflects a botanical understanding of your subject and captures the beauty of the plant.
Book NowFind Out MoreWhat's On
Search the Prema website:
Prema is a family friendly Arts Centre, promoting performance, live music and art exhibitions as well as accessible workshops, classes and creative experiences for kids and adults.
Prema, near Dursley in the Stroud valleys, offers an affordable day out for all folk in the South West.