2026 will be the year when Foundry Artists embark on a creative journey along the River Severn, culminating in exhibitions showcasing a wide range of work — including paintings, drawings, etchings, printmaking, ceramics and more.
To support this project, our Thursday and Friday workshops will guide artists through new and exciting media, help hone existing skills and encourage the development of a cohesive body of work inspired by the River Severn and the life it sustains.
In the workshops running up until Easter, we will be exploring the four elements: air, fire, earth and water. We will look closely at artists inspired by these essential elements and learn the techniques and methods they used to convey their powerful influence on how we perceive the world.
So come and join us on this journey — whether for a single workshop or as many as you can attend.
Learn new techniques, develop your creative voice, and be part of our vibrant community of committed artists.
Often when we think of the elements, we think of the weather – usually bad weather. Not surprisingly, the weather and its effects have interested artists for centuries. Mists, especially, present a fabulous opportunity to explore the air and distance in your work in a wide range of media, inspired by artists working in etching and painting.
Winter mists
Drawing depth in tone, texture and colour is a fabulous opportunity to create atmospheric landscapes. Using mixed media, we shall use subtle layering and subdued colours to show the moisture trapped in the wet and sodden air.
Thursday 8th & Friday 9th January
J.M.W. Turner painted weather not just as background, but as a powerful, transformative force, using innovative techniques like scraping, blotting, and vibrant washes to capture its drama, sublime power, and impact, just as we will do in this wild workshop!
15th & 16th January
Ackroyd ‘s distinctive landscapes concentrate upon the interpretation of the effects of changing weather and light in his drawings and etchings. You will draw and make prints full of drama and moving light and weather.
22nd & 23rd January
Fire is an essential element in our lives, yet it is also a powerful and destructive force, capable of dramatic change and transformation. From the life-giving light of the sun to the flicker of candle and firelight, fire creates unique and compelling qualities of light.
Artists throughout history have painted by candlelight and hearth fire and have sought to capture the intensity of blazing sunrises and glowing sunsets. In these workshops, we will explore fiery colours and expressive mark-making inspired by heat, light, and energy.
Making your own holder for candlelight can be a sensuous and organic experience – using clay and hand forming you will design and build your own organic candlestick. You will then use your candlestick as a study for a candlelight artwork next week!
29th & 30th January
Now is your chance to put some fire into your landscape painting and most importantly your River Severn project. We shall research how artists depict sunrise and sunset over water and use wax medium added to oil paint to give texture and contrast. Not to be missed!
12th & 13th February
The Earth provides us with a home but also natural materials ,minerals and pigments, together with chemical reactions that artists have harnessed for all time to attempt to portray the life on this planet. We shall explore natural pigments in drawing and painting, and how chemical exchanges between different materials can alter surface textures and even create printing plates.
Pastels are pigments held together tremulously with gum, paints are pigments held together with different mediums and clay is just rock and water. Experiment with these natural ingredients to create your own unique colour palette and artwork or even sculpture, using clay or mud from the river bank.
19th & 20th February
When aluminium is mixed with sulphate solution, copper is produced – and a printing plate is born! In this workshop you will watch and manipulate this magical exchange to make your own plate from which to make etching prints in a range of colours and textures. Don’t miss this unique class.
26th & 27th Feb
You can make natural art materials by foraging for twigs and “bristle” materials like grasses, leaves, flowers, feathers, or seed heads, then binding them to the stick with string or rubber bands to create unique painting tools for dabbing, swishing, and printing with paint and ink. Fabulous fun with amazing results!
5th & 6th March
Water in art symbolizes purity, rebirth, danger, emotion, and reflection. This is now the time to focus on our River journey and explore the use and depiction of water in a wide variety of media, creating liquid art in form and vision.
Capture the mesmerizing play of light on water in your paintings and drawings and learn essential techniques to evoke reflections and luminosity. This is the time to continue your River Severn focus and play with ideas in the sharp spring sunlight.
12th & 13th March
The River Severn contains a huge amount of varied life forms – otters, crayfish, voles, fish of many varieties and supports a huge range of life on the riverbank and in its flood plains. It’s hard to see under the water so you will need your imagination to create watery river worlds or glimpses of fleeting life on its banks …..
19th & 26th March
The term ‘Kitchen sink painters’ was coined in the UK during the 1950s when artists chose to depict their ordinary lives in their cluttered homes – including everything even the kitchen sink! Domestic use of water played a big part in their artwork especially toilets, sinks and baths. Using photos of our own domestic settings as inspiration we shall celebrate our use and abuse of water in our homes.
4th & 5th April – Easter
Simply select the days and dates you would like to attend. You can also book more than one class at a time
If you'd like to book more than one date, please select a date, click "book your place" then return here and add more dates to your basket
Term 1
To support this project, our Thursday and Friday workshops will guide artists through new and exciting media, help hone existing skills and encourage the development of a cohesive body of work inspired by the River Severn and the life it sustains.
In the workshops running up until Easter, we will be exploring the four elements: air, fire, earth and water. We will look closely at artists inspired by these essential elements and learn the techniques and methods they used to convey their powerful influence on how we perceive the world.
So come and join us on this journey — whether for a single workshop or as many as you can attend.
Learn new techniques, develop your creative voice, and be part of our vibrant community of committed artists.
Often when we think of the elements, we think of the weather – usually bad weather. Not surprisingly, the weather and its effects have interested artists for centuries. Mists, especially, present a fabulous opportunity to explore the air and distance in your work in a wide range of media, inspired by artists working in etching and painting.
Winter mists
Drawing depth in tone, texture and colour is a fabulous opportunity to create atmospheric landscapes. Using mixed media, we shall use subtle layering and subdued colours to show the moisture trapped in the wet and sodden air.
Thursday 8th & Friday 9th January
J.M.W. Turner painted weather not just as background, but as a powerful, transformative force, using innovative techniques like scraping, blotting, and vibrant washes to capture its drama, sublime power, and impact, just as we will do in this wild workshop!
15th & 16th January
Ackroyd ‘s distinctive landscapes concentrate upon the interpretation of the effects of changing weather and light in his drawings and etchings. You will draw and make prints full of drama and moving light and weather.
22nd & 23rd January
BOOK YOUR PLACE
Term 2
Fire is an essential element in our lives, yet it is also a powerful and destructive force, capable of dramatic change and transformation. From the life-giving light of the sun to the flicker of candle and firelight, fire creates unique and compelling qualities of light.
Artists throughout history have painted by candlelight and hearth fire and have sought to capture the intensity of blazing sunrises and glowing sunsets. In these workshops, we will explore fiery colours and expressive mark-making inspired by heat, light, and energy.
Making your own holder for candlelight can be a sensuous and organic experience – using clay and hand forming you will design and build your own organic candlestick. You will then use your candlestick as a study for a candlelight artwork next week!
29th & 30th January
Now is your chance to put some fire into your landscape painting and most importantly your River Severn project. We shall research how artists depict sunrise and sunset over water and use wax medium added to oil paint to give texture and contrast. Not to be missed!
12th & 13th February
BOOK YOUR PLACE
Term 3
The Earth provides us with a home but also natural materials ,minerals and pigments, together with chemical reactions that artists have harnessed for all time to attempt to portray the life on this planet. We shall explore natural pigments in drawing and painting, and how chemical exchanges between different materials can alter surface textures and even create printing plates.
Pastels are pigments held together tremulously with gum, paints are pigments held together with different mediums and clay is just rock and water. Experiment with these natural ingredients to create your own unique colour palette and artwork or even sculpture, using clay or mud from the river bank.
19th & 20th February
When aluminium is mixed with sulphate solution, copper is produced – and a printing plate is born! In this workshop you will watch and manipulate this magical exchange to make your own plate from which to make etching prints in a range of colours and textures. Don’t miss this unique class.
26th & 27th Feb
You can make natural art materials by foraging for twigs and “bristle” materials like grasses, leaves, flowers, feathers, or seed heads, then binding them to the stick with string or rubber bands to create unique painting tools for dabbing, swishing, and printing with paint and ink. Fabulous fun with amazing results!
5th & 6th March
BOOK YOUR PLACE
Term 4
Water in art symbolizes purity, rebirth, danger, emotion, and reflection. This is now the time to focus on our River journey and explore the use and depiction of water in a wide variety of media, creating liquid art in form and vision.
Capture the mesmerizing play of light on water in your paintings and drawings and learn essential techniques to evoke reflections and luminosity. This is the time to continue your River Severn focus and play with ideas in the sharp spring sunlight.
12th & 13th March
The River Severn contains a huge amount of varied life forms – otters, crayfish, voles, fish of many varieties and supports a huge range of life on the riverbank and in its flood plains. It’s hard to see under the water so you will need your imagination to create watery river worlds or glimpses of fleeting life on its banks …..
19th & 26th March
The term ‘Kitchen sink painters’ was coined in the UK during the 1950s when artists chose to depict their ordinary lives in their cluttered homes – including everything even the kitchen sink! Domestic use of water played a big part in their artwork especially toilets, sinks and baths. Using photos of our own domestic settings as inspiration we shall celebrate our use and abuse of water in our homes.
4th & 5th April – Easter
| Class Booking | Block Of 3 Classes (Save £15), 1 Class (£35) |
|---|
Our Foundry Studio Workshops are held at Hilary’s historic 250 year old Brass Foundry Studio, within Bewdley Museum, Worcestershire.
The Old Foundry Studio
Bewdley Museum, Bewdley,
Worcestershire,
DY12 2AE.
For any queries contact Hilary at: hjbarts@aol.com or via our Contact page.
