Photo Credit: Naomi Peel.
Last weekend I went to Sisterhood Camp at Fforest in Wales. I had gone the previous summer as well and had enjoyed every minute. This year I was going and running a workshop with clay and could not have felt more excited. Sisterhood Camp is a gathering of women from all over the world, sharing creative space and ideas. It's a place to stop and breathe. You can get involved as much, or as little, as you wish. There are no rules but there is a lot of love and support. I was so proud to be taking a workshop here and really wanted everyone to enjoy it. You can find out more about Sisterhood here.... https://www.sisterhoodcamp.org/
The workshop was going to be be mug making using screen printing, the same workshop I run in my studio at home but what would it be like with twice as many people, outside and 500 miles from my studio. I was going to have to pack carefully......
So armed with my slab roller, cardboard tubes, paper, clay, screens, sponges, knives, underglaze, kidneys, rulers and tins I jumped in my trusty Landrover with my friend Ali and off we went.......
9 hours later after a little detour around Birmingham and West Wales we arrived. It was like coming home, meeting old friends from last year and feeling immediate connections with new Sisters. My workshop was on Friday afternoon and I felt so nervous all through Friday morning I can hardly remember what I did.....
Photo Credit: Flora Jamieson.
I had two groups of on average 20 ladies in each group back to back with a slurp of tea and a slice of cake in between. If I am asked to do it next year I will take roller skates for extra speed to get from one end of the barn to the other....... At this point I would like to say a special thank you to Sarah for helping me prepare the clay for my second workshop.
Photo Credit: Naomi Peel.
Lots of people screenprinted on to their mugs. The countryside around us was a beautiful influence.......
Photo Credit: Juliet Tzabar.
It was so beautiful to see the different materials people used, pressed flowers were popular.
I was also interested in how many people said they had always wanted to give pottery a go.... I felt so privileged to be giving people there first time.
Photo Credit: Naomi Peel.
Everyones pots looked so fantastic.
On Saturday afternoon to say Thank You to Sarah who had helped me with the workshops she and I and Sian Tucker who owns Fforest had a little small houses workshop.... I think these might be a fun thing to make next year...... I can see it now..... The Sisterhood Village.......