Plant, Mineral, Animal
Three Year Long Learning Groups Starting in January 2027
Join a community of artists and makers exploring working with naturally available materials, to learn, share ideas, explorations, and questions.
Each Group Will Have 12 Monthly Meet-Ups
January: Opening Session Group member introductions
February - November: 10 Sessions with a talk and discussion group
Guest Artist Talks (60 minutes) Each talk will shed light on a different aspect of working with natural materials.
A 10 minute Break
Discussion Group (60-90 minutes) An informal open space for emergent discussion and conversation. Connect with a global community of artists making natural art materials with minerals. Members are invited to share questions, explorations, and artwork in process or completed, offering feedback and responses to each-other’s work. This is supported by ongoing conversation and photo sharing online.
December: Closing Session: Group sharing and reflections
Join live or watch the recordings
Plants For Artists
Facilitated by Natalie Stopka and Isobel Denton
Alder - David Begley
Privet - Carolyn Sweeney
Cotinus - Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw
Weld - Natalie Stopka
Dyer's Chamomile - Isobel Denton
Turnsole - Annie Hogg
Japanese Indigo - Sarah Grace Dye
Yarrow - Greta Facchinato
Madder - Lucy Mayes
Cherry - Caroline Ross
Guest Artist Talks
Minerals For Artists
Facilitated by Lucy Mayes
Gathering and Working With Ochres - Ethics & Values - Pete Ward
The Evolution of a Mineral Pigment Collection - Caroline Ross
The Mineral Colour Spectrum - Lucy Mayes
Reading Rocks - Lucy Mayes
Clay - Carolyn Sweeney
Bideford Black - Pete Ward
Graphite - Carolyn Sweeney
Chalk - Natalie Stopka
Lime - limestone, quicklime, slaked lime, their uses and the lime cycle - Natalie Stopka
Place, Material and Object - The importance of place relative to cultural practices, materials and objects in Indigenous traditions - Melonie Ancheta
Animal Materials For Artists
Facilitated by Annie Hogg
Bones & Snail Shells - Annie Hogg
Hair - Annie Hogg
Insects - Lucy Mayes
Marine Animals & Crustaceans - Lucy Mayes
Fish - Lucy Mayes
Skin - Theresa Emmerich
Chicken - Caroline Ross
Milk - Caroline Ross
Whole Animal - Theresa Emmerich
INCLUDING
A Foraging Companion
A Comprehensive Guide To Collecting Raw Materials For Natural Colour & Surface
A Downloadable PDF Guide written and compiled by Lucy Mayes
This guide brings together practical tips for collecting, poetic reflections, foraging philosophies, and ways to cultivate, give back, and share an ecological and reflective practice. At the end of this guide, you'll find an extensive reading list of online sources, articles, and books ranging from practical foraging manuals to ecological studies. It includes works grounded in Western science as well as writings from Indigenous knowledge holders, all of which have helped shape and inform this guide.