THINKING WITH YOUR HANDS
Sample Schedule
DAY ONE
9:30 am: Welcome/ Herbal tea and coffee
Demonstration of two ink-making methods: grinding with lye and boiling.
10:00 am to 11:00 am: Foraging walk: plants for pigments and inks. Collect herbs for tea. Walking meditation.
11:00 am to 11:30 am: Herbal tea around the fire.
Inspiration from John O’Donoghue
11:30 am to 12:30 pm: Making ink with foraged plants
12:30 to 1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Sit/rest
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Cordage. Using fibres collected and dried prior to the course.
3:00 pm to 3.45 pm: Gentle movement and breathing with Ylva
3:45 pm to 4.30 pm: Binding and wrapping skills
DAY TWO
9:00 am: Meet to travel to willow beds
9:30 am to 11:00 am: Learning about growing and harvesting willow. Stripping bark, splitting rods. Bring rolls of bark and pairs of split rods home. Foraging walk for plants to manipulate and use for mark-making.
11:00 am to 11:3 0am: Tea of foraged herbs at the willow bed.
11:30 am to 12:00 pm: Optional swim
12:00 pm to 12:30 pm: Travel back to Isfield.
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Sit/rest
2:00 pm to 3:30 pm: Making brushes and mark-making tools from foraged materials using the skills learnt on day one.
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm: Sketchbooks
DAY THREE
9:30 am: Introduction to the Craft Banquet
10:00 am to 11:30 am: Drawing, painting and mark-making with self-made tools and inks. Paper and fabric.
11:30 am to 12:00 pm: Herbal tea around the fire. Poem
12:00 pm to 12:30 pm: Decorating the tablecloth
Free afternoon
DAY FOUR
9:30 am to 10:30 am: Folk walk and foraging with Sandra
Sussex folk songs
10:30 am to 11:15 am: Utensils. Willow bark spoons
11:15 am to 11:45 am: Herbal tea around the fire.
Inspiration from Mary Oliver
11:45 am to 12:30 pm: Utensils. Making split willow tongs using materials prepared on willow bed.
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Sit/rest
2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: Sketchbooks
2:30 pm to 4:30 pm: Trivets, place mats.
Placemaking for the banquet/ Decorating the table
5.00 pm: Optional Sauna
6:00 pm: Group Banquet
DAY FIVE
Optional early morning sea swim
9:30 am to 10:15 am: Gentle movement with Ylva
10:15 am to 11:00 am: Decorating a cotton tote bag with plant inks
11:00 am to 11:30 am: Herbal tea around the fire
11:30 am to 12:30 am: Sketchbooks - cropping and arranging
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Sit/rest
2:00 pm to 2:30 pm: Demo of making Lye Solution and use of modifiers and binders
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm: Mini exhibition and photographing work
3.00 pm to 4:00 pm: Walking meditation. Poems under the trees.
4.00 pm to 4:30 pm: Farewell tea around the fire
*schedule subject to slight changes