I sung the praises of Evolution Arts Courses and their papier mache roses last week, but to be fair Brighton Friends Centre also has some wonderful courses that will chase the winter blues away.
‘Buttons, Beads & Brooches’ with tutor Emma Sutherland was a longer course. five sessions but introduced students to a range of techniques including one based on Japanese porcelain.
Each week something new to do, first the buttons, then the beads and finally the brooches. As well as work with white clay, there was slip and glazes.
Emma is another well organised tutor who brings in just about everything one needs, piles of clay, rolling pins, tools etc. She gives demos, encourages individuals and takes students’ work back to her studio twice during the term to fire the finished items.
What is great about these courses is that not only do they attract people from all walks of life but everyone is keen to explore their own creativity. No one is competitive, everyone happy to work at their own pace.
Lovely course, enthusiastic tutor, plenty to drive away the winter blues. Emma also demonstrated making beads and brooches with Fymo or Sculpty which can be hardened in domestic oven.
Emma does courses in her own studio and teaches art and illustration.
Continue to believe that adult education should still be available to all. However learned that one of the students meets up once a month with other women and they take it in turns to teach the others a new skill.
I started to do that with one friend of mine last year. She taught me printing with acrylics and I taught her how to crochet a square without a pattern. The only kind of crochet I can do!
An old lady who lived next door when I lived in London, taught me how make these squares. Later she made each of my toddlers a bedspread, unpicking old jumpers to re-use the wool. Fifty years ago but I will never forget that lady, she looked like the Duchess from Alice in Wonderland, but was the kindest person imaginable. She also lived in the only house in the tiny row with gas lighting! Two years later the whole area was torn down and re-developed.
Once a skill is learned, it is seldom forgotten, over the years I have used the same crochet technique to make a hat, a bag, a cushion cover etc. How about you? Could you share a skill with a friend?
Ann Perrin 