Found and Ground: Making Natural Art Materials Level One - 5 Days With Caroline Ross
Dates: 23rd – 27th June 2025 Times: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday
Location: Brentor Village Hall, Brentor, Tavistock, Devon PL19 0LW
Course Fee: £495 (includes all raw materials, lunches, and refreshments)
Capacity: 16 participants
Join Caroline's signature five-day workshop, Found and Ground, nestled in the scenic surroundings of Dartmoor. This course, that has been running successfully for over three years in Devon, UK has found a new venue after the sudden closure of Schumacher College. This immersive course will teach you the essential skills to create your own art materials from natural resources. You'll leave equipped with a personal art kit and the confidence to gather and process pigments, make paints, pastels, inks, and more—anywhere your creative journey may take you.
What You Will Learn
Ethical earth pigment gathering and preparation techniques
How to forage for natural materials such as gums, fibers, and fixatives
Creating your own paints: watercolour, gouache, egg tempera, and veglair
Making pastels and natural fixatives
Crafting charcoal and sketchbooks from scratch
Simple techniques like reverse-wrap cordage (making string)
Insights from Caroline’s books, Found and Ground and her upcoming release Drawn From the Wild
This course offers hands-on experience, with each day dedicated to a different aspect of natural art materials. Caroline will guide you through each step of the process, encouraging creativity and experimentation. By the end of the week, you will be able to confidently source and make your own art materials from natural and urban environments.
What's Included
All raw materials needed for the course
Vegetarian lunches and refreshments each day
A week or two after the course, you will receive a tailored PDF resource file with all recipes, methods, and additional learning materials to take home.
Who Is This For?
This course is ideal for artists, art teachers, and anyone interested in sustainable art practices. Whether you’re an experienced artist or new to natural materials, you’ll gain valuable skills and knowledge.
Priority is given to those affected by the closure of Schumacher College, where this course was originally programmed to be run.Refreshments:
Vegetarian lunches, teas, coffees, and biscuits will be provided.
Accessibility:
Car: There is plenty of car parking at the hall.
Train: The nearest train station is Okehampton with an hourly service from Exeter. This is a half hour drive from the hall.
Bus: 118 hourly service will take you from Okehampton, Tavistock, or Gunnislake to Brentor.
There are likely to be some local field trips during the week which will involve driving to one or two different places, we will porganise some car-sharing within the group for these excursions.
Local accommodation:
There are many options locally for accommodation. From Airbnbs and hotels to campsites. Here are some of the most affordable options for those on a budget.
Camping & Shephard’s Huts: https://harfordbridge.co.uk/
Camping: https://www.lydfordsite.co.uk/
