On taking time to watch the leaves turn...

As I sit here in a huge jumper with the rain lashing at the windows I can’t help but allow a little smile to creep across my face. I was pondering why exactly I relish the Autumn season so much this morning in as I taught my Sketchbook Club class and one of my students enlightened me by asking - when were you born? I realised that as a late August baby its perhaps only natural that this is one of my favourite seasons. Gone is the skimpy summer wear and bare (mighty white) legs of summer - time to bring the focus inward, light the fire and as my mum always used to say- if you’re cold, put another jumper on!

If you, like me, are inspired by this bountiful harvest time, you’ll no doubt find plenty of rich pickings in our Autumn menu. If not, I have a few ideas on how to stay bright when it all gets a bit cold and breezy. This has to be the best time of the year for creativity as the weather outside gives us the perfect excuse to take a brisk walk before to popping the kettle on and settling down for some mindful making.

Ready for a slow down? Here’s a few of my tips to help you connect to the beauty of this wonderful season…

Take a Photo-walk..

Last Thursday I was delighted to be invited back to the ‘woods’ for a mindful photography workshop in collaboration with The Salt Box. We used their stunning site on the Priory Farm Estate to inspire us slow down and notice the small things. If you missed it, don’t worry, we’ve got plenty more in store for you this season - but here’s a taste of my photography as meditation workshop:

Close your eyes and focus your mind

If you close your eyes, just for a few moments, in any situation (not whilst driving please!) it gives both eyes and mind a rest and can help you to re-calibrate. Take is as a CTRL ALT DELETE for your brain. Whilst they are closed, give yourself a few creative boundaries for ‘looking’. Use your mind to help you tune into your surroundings before you even reach for the shutter. You can try simply looking for texture, or for pattern, choose one colour and notice where it repeats around you, look for patches of light and the shadows that fall around them. You might also like to try limiting yourself to a small amount of captures. Pick a number - 10 to 20 - that’s probably PLENTY for a photo-walk. Next time you’re taking a tootle in the woods try this and let me know how you get on!

Make a wreath

Wreaths are by no means just for Christmas! There is plenty of inspiration on the hedgerows right now and forage from gardens to be gathered! September offers up a wealth of colour and texture so there’s plenty to adorn your door! This season we’re delighted to have teamed up with Renee aka the Girl Who Gardens to bring this idea to the studio. We’ll be making moss and wire bases for our wreaths (which are so much more planet-friendly than the traditional florist foam) and then filling them to the brim with forage. You might even be able to ‘wreath cycle’ your base for your Christmas one! There’s still time to join us this Sunday 28th September / 10:30 to 12:30 to learn how to make a beautiful Hedgerow Wreath. Click here to get involved, all forage included!

Pop down to Polesden

You may remember that this summer we contributed to a sculpture project at Polesden Lacey. Although it was a fab idea, we realised that it was probably a job for a professional sculptor and so the team there recruited an artist from Devon to create their vision of sculptures that reflected the change in season and could also serve as ‘leaf collecting’ vessels. The idea is that families and kids can get involved with helping the gardeners keep on top of clearing the leaves this season. So get on down there and get involved - its good for the soul to engage in these seasonal activities!

More info here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/polesden-lacey/features/autumn-art-at-polesden-lacey-

Learn to Knit

As a young sprout, I tried countless times to master the basics of knitting - to the tune of many an exasperated sigh from old granny green! Whatever I did, I got my knickers in a right twist and my wool in a terrible tangle and as a result I didn’t touch anything knitting related for well over a decade or lets face it - two! Cue new knitting tutor Sarah North and her Knit Yourself Calm Course. Earlier this year, over 6 sessions (spaced out nicely once a fortnight so we had time to knit in between) square by square, row by row, Sarah FINALLY got me going. And once I started, I did not stop. Every boring netflix series, every sit down (even when I nipped home at lunchtime) I knitted! And every time I sat down to knit, after a few rows, I’d let out a little sigh.

Why?

Well because it turns out you can actually knit yourself calm given right guidance and a good (no offence granny g) teacher! After the initial alarm we all go through when learning something new, it just clicked. And once it clicks it is probably the most relaxing pass-time I’ve ever known. Not only that, I now have a stunning blanket, that has grown steadily, to curl up under during this tricky time when the boys are hawking over the thermo. All I can say is give it a go! Knit Yourself Calm with us!

Learn how to cast on, cast off and knit for calm

If I can knit these squares, I know you can!

Starter kit and loads of helpful resources included

Give something back

They say charity begins at home, but mine’s a bit messy since my dear partner in crime decided to go free-lance too so we’ve decided the studio is probably a better fit for our fundraising coffee morning for Macmillan this Friday 27th September / 10:00 to 11:30! We’ll be offering tea, coffee and cakes plus the chance to catch our Print-making expert Paul Wye sharing some nuggets of insight into the daily life of an artist teacher.

Paul will be bringing along a selection of his sketchbooks and an array of his print and sculpture work for you to peruse. He’ll talk about his journey as both artist and teacher and will be offering a demo on Paper lithography (creating vibrant prints from photo-copied drawings and photographs).

If you’ve never visited the studio before, or you’d like to come along and support this important cause, just drop us an RSVP to booking.surreyartschool@gmail.com. It’s a free event, (although there will be a chance to make a contribution or buy a cake!) so we just let us know if you’re coming so we can save you a seat. We’d love to see you there!

Learn something new

We’re ever so happy that the world has caught up with us on the impact of Calligraphy on well-being. We know that our students find a sense of ‘flow’ in our workshops and that time seems to evaporate as they concentrate all their attention on the up and the down-strokes and on remembering to breathe as they do so. As I’ve mentioned many times in this post - learning something new can be the most challenging and yet the most rewarding thing you can do for you. Once you get over the starting blocks, the thrill at building a new skill is second to none. If you’ve yet to dip your toe into the world Calligraphy I’d recommend giving Brush Lettering a go. The pen we provide doubles up as a drawing tool and the starter kit of worksheets we supply gives ample opportunity to continue to practice. With Christmas just around the corner this is the perfect time to brush up on your lettering!

Ok, so its getting dark now - as it will do day by day from here on out, so its probably time for me to wrap up this little post, don my raincoat and attempt the swim home from the studio ;) But I’ll leave you with these thoughts:

1. There’s no such thing as ‘bad weather’ - weather is just weather, we can choose to dance in the rain or see it as a pain, its a choice!

2. Autumn is prime time for cuddles - summer is too sticky for that - and so make sure you find time for lots of these with your nearest and dearest

3. Change your habits, change your life. Make a habit of making time just to be or to do the things that light you up! Bake a cake, take a walk, talk to someone you’ve been missing deep down, join a class, write a diary. Whatever it is, shine a little bit of light back on you as the days darken and you’ll feel a little bit lighter and brighter as a result. Time is our most valuable resource - claim some back!

Wishing you a gentle start to the new season,

Ellie (SAS Founder)

Get your teens away from their screens this Summer!

We're delighted to announce that following the success of our half-term Youth Art Camp in June, we'll be adding further dates this summer to get your teens out and about getting creative at the gorgeous Surrey Hills Yurts site in Dorking.  

Join us on the 10th, 11th, 16th and 17th August for our Youth Camp afternoons for 11-16's. More info here. 

Calm, creative and innovative workshops for 11-16's with fresh air, fun and creativity at the core.

Having held the post of Head of Art at her school and as an experienced teacher, Ellie is very experienced with working with young people, and loves to encourage their creative process.

Our youth workshops were borne out of this, with her wanting to bring a fluidity and hands on approach that you can’t really experience in a school environment. Following extensive planning, Ellie ran her first SAS Youth Workshops in May half term, and the feedback was absolutely fantastic:

" He loved it yesterday Ellie, his photos were fab & his plaster leaf is already up on the mantelpiece! Thanks SO much ☺️ Here is his beautiful leaf ~  G. Mellors 

Thanks Ellie , Ben had a great afternoon. ~ A.West

Thank you Ellie! Julian loved it! ~ M.Montford

The summer holiday workshops on 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th August 2017 promise to bring even more creativity, with a wide range of activities planned from printmaking, yarn bombing, sun-print photography and sculpture.

As at the last sessions, there will be a fire pit and light refreshments. Ellie’s approach encourages confidence and skill, and she is looking forward to getting back to the wonderful environment at Surrey Hills Yurts in order to focus on mindful making in this incredible setting.

You can book online for one or for all sessions. Double up Discount available on 2 day Art Pass with further discounts for booking for all 4 days. All materials are included in the price of the workshop as are light refreshments. Workshop leaders are all experienced artist teachers and are all fully CRB checked. Sessions run from 1:00 - 3:30 pm. Book here.

Surrey Art School Autumn Events

Tis the season for darker days and colder nights!

But rather than hibernate the days away, Get Out this season with Surrey Art School's unique pop-up events, courses and classes for all abilities!

W A T T S  G A L L E R Y  / T H E  U N C A N N Y

Sketch deathly drawings from creepy stone models that could come alive after dark with Art Macabre and Surrey Art School founder Ellie Green.

Hear the Wattses’ gardener George Andrews tell haunting ghost stories in the woodlands.

Become a ghastly goblin, scary skeleton or warty witch for the night with facepainting by Fascinating Faces. 

Explore Limnerslease by candle light on a guided tour.

Warm up your chilled bones with seasonal food and hot drinks on the lawn.

Listen to live music and Make! Halloween Crafts.

Check out the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/563385170516455/

G E T  F I R E D  U P  T H I S  S E A S O N !

Join our blazing masterclass hosted by Surrey Hills Yurts

Saturday 19th November /  12 - 4.30PM

Learn how to carve a relief tile from a sand mould and then watch as your design comes to life through the flames of the forge! You will be able to take away an Aluminium tile at the end of the session. Expert tuition and a chance to watch a mobile forge in action!

More info here: http://www.surreyartschool.com/events/

We hope to see you out and about Surrey!

Free Nature / Craft Workshops / Surrey Art School @ Pippfest 2016

Surrey Art School will be running FREE Nature / Craft workshops for all the family at Pippfest 2016! Join us on the 11th September in Dorking for a free community festival to raise money to keep Pippbrook House in public hands. 

Creativity cannot exist in isolation and we at SAS believe in the power of community and in working together to create the world we want. This wonderful community event brings together artists, musicians and local businesses in a fun day for our local residents to enjoy.

Our workshops are sponsored by Gilliangladrag and the fabulous Fluff-a-torium in Dorking.

Come and meet the team, sit and make with us this Sunday! 

Surrey Art School - Summer School 2016

Our Summer School programme is now live on the website. Click and book classes for our Youth Programme which will take place at Green Lane Farm, Newdigate, Dorking from the 26th July to the 26th August 2016.  

Booking online is easy, just visit out youth classes page. Classes vary from 2- 2.5 hours in length and all materials and light refreshment are included.

We encourage our students to be inspired by the natural beauty of their surroundings and to understand how to unleash their own creativity through a series of focused, skills based workshops. 

Tutors have experience working with the 11-16 age range and can help students to tailor their work to benefit their GCSE or Arts award studies. 

Surrey Art School will also be running a full after school programme from September 2016 and an Adult programme for novices to experienced artists to develop their artistic practice. 

Making Art makes big ideas happen.