Artist-Led Workshops: Messy Play for Grown Ups - selected dates

6-8pm on each date
All equipment provided
Beginners welcome

Unleash your creativity this August at The Box and we’ll do all the cleaning up! Inspired by the abstract works of Gillian Ayres and the artworks on display in the Echoes of Us exhibition we’re running a series of evening workshops where you can relax, paint and have fun, hosted by local artist Jayne Ashenbury. Come to one workshop or the whole series – it’s completely up to you. Each week we’ll create abstract works with different materials including acrylics, charcoal, watercolours, chalk, and pastels. You’ll have your own ‘masterpiece’ to take home! Every ticket includes a glass of Pimm’s or fruit punch. Suitable for all levels: come along after hours and unwind with friends or simply to learn something new.

Abstract Painting with Colour and Shape
Friday 7 August, 6-8pm
MEDIUM: Acrylic Paint on canvas board
Make a vibrant abstract painting for your home, exploring how colour, shape and composition can work together to create expressive, energetic artworks. Using a palette of your favourite colours, you'll layer, combine and arrange simple shapes on the canvas through playful experimentation and spontaneous mark making.

Create a Treasured Keepsake
Friday 14 August, 6-8pm
MEDIUM: Watercolour paint and pens on cartridge paper
Produce your own accordion-style ‘book of belonging’ to keep or gift to a friend or loved one. Fill up your paper with vibrant colour and pattern, using expressive paint splatters, botanical-inspired marks, and handwritten wishes and affirmations. Keeping things abstract allows personal stories, emotions, and hopes to be represented through colour, movement, and mark-making.

Black and White with a Pop of Colour
Friday 21 August, 6-8pm
MEDIUM: Charcoal, chalk, oil pastels, sugar paper and fixing spray
Create a bold black and white abstract artwork for your home. This session will begin with a collaborative mark-making exercise and playful experimentation. From there, build an abstract masterpiece using a simple black-and-white palette and bold, uncomplicated shapes. This is a chance to switch off from overthinking, embrace the unexpected, and immerse yourself in the creative process, discovering how simple marks and gestures can become striking works of art. Let your fingertips guide you, trust your instincts, and enjoy a session that's all about being present, playful and creative.

Figures in the Haze
Friday 28 August, 6-8pm
MEDIUM: Acrylic paint, chalk and canvas board
Bring in a photo of people that has a special memory for you and produce a unique painting using atmospheric layers of colour and abstract figurative imagery. This is a work that will be inspired by treasured memories and summer moments. Create a haze of colour on your canvas using palette knives, brushes and found objects to splosh, splat and print and use it as a background to draw people in chalk and see them appear. This isn’t a life drawing or portrait class – it’s an opportunity to create abstract figures in a unique way to ignite memories of a happy moment in time.