FULLY BOOKED
Hardy’s Wessex: Drawing on the ancient past
17 June - 11 July 2022, 10:00am - 1:00pm
A six-week creative course with Helen Garrett
This six-week course led by artist Helen Garrett will take you on a creative journey through Thomas Hardy’s work, inspirations and Dorset Museum’s collections.
Tickets: £140 for 6 weeks, includes tea and coffee and an opportunity to look around the Museum before or after the course sessions. Places are limited.
Programme
- Week 1: 17 June – Material Earth – Geology
Exploring the unique qualities of rocks and fossils from both the artists and the museum’s collection using raw pigments, chalk and pastel techniques with handmade and cotton papers – with a reference to Hardy’s A Pair of Blue Eyes description of a character meeting face to face a fossilized creature. - Week 2: 24 June – The Nature of Trees – with excerpts from The Woodlanders and other writings
A dynamic session with observational studies from branches, bark and leaves, experimental drawing techniques, working with texture, surface pattern, frottage, subtractive techniques, Graphite blocks and pencil. - Week 3: 1 July – The Poetic Imagination – A Journey Through Natural Form
Using the natural form as our starting place and inspiration we will work in an intuitive way allowing our writing to emerge naturally from our sense of connection with the material and the power of the imagination. Materials will include goose feather quills, Chinese ink for writing and illustrations. - Week 4: 8 July – Romantic Landscapes in Art
Hardy’s descriptions have inspired artists to convey scenes from his stories. We will look at those displayed in the Hardy’s Dorset Gallery and touch on the Romantic Art movement creating atmospheric landscapes. We will draw and paint onto colour grounds using sepia inks, red Conte crayons and pencil. - Week 5: 15 July – Drama and The Elements in Hardy’s Writing
Using a wonderfully exciting ink and bleach technique and inspired by the drama of Hardy’s writing, we will play with scale, contrast, tempest and power in our ink paintings. We will draw imagery from Tess of the d’Urbervilles, The Return of the Native and some of Hardy’s best-loved poetry. - Week 6: 22 July – Exploring the Hardy Exhibition
Our last week will offer the opportunity to spend some quality reflective time in the Hardy’s Wessex exhibition; sketching from his personal possessions and other artefacts in the Dorset Museum collection. Using sepia/coloured pencils and our sketchbooks, developing a further study – group reflection time/feedback.
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Opening hours:
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
Daily: 10.00am - 5.00pm
TASTE Café
Daily: 9.00am - 4.00pm
Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
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What's On
2 December 2023 - 21 April 2024
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Find out more2 December 2023 - 21 April 2024
Awakened by Frink
Awakened by Frink is a community exhibition of artwork by members of the Deaf community created during a series of workshops at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery.
Find out more3 February - 30 May 2024
John Brown in Dorchester: Rebuilding a Life after slavery
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Find out more24 April 2024, 7:30pm
Yuanfan Yang, Pianist
Pianist and composer Yuanfan Yang, born in Edinburgh, is a First-Class Graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. He has won numerous prizes at international piano competitions and has performed with prestigious orchestras worldwide. Yuanfan is also an accomplished composer, winning awards for his compositions. His debut album "Watercolour" received critical acclaim.
Find out more2 May 2024, 10:00am- 10:30am
Storytime at the Museum
Come and join us for fun-filled Storytime where you can listen to some amazing tales in our Community Space at the Museum.
Find out more16 May 2024, 10:00am- 10:30am
Storytime at the Museum
Come and join us for fun-filled Storytime where you can listen to some amazing tales in our Community Space at the Museum.
Find out more16 May 2024, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Paul Nash in Dorset | Professor Paul Gough
This richly illustrated lecture explores over 80 Paul Nash artworks created from the mid-1930s until his death in 1946. They range from ancient places such as Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings to the limestone promontories and fossilised forests on the Purbeck coast.
Find out more22 May 2024, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Collections Discovery Centre Tour
Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in the Museum’s Collections Discovery Centre.
Find out more22 May 2024, 7:30pm