Just a few days now until the first Isle of Arts Festival takes place in Ventnor, as well as the comedy, music, poetry and film there are plenty of workshops for all ages to get involved in. Ed
Alongside the amazing line-up of artistic talent assembled for Isle of Arts, we have a host of other events such as workshops running throughout the weekend to encourage visitors young and old to immerse themselves in the creative process. Here are some of the sessions.
Puppet making workshops
Themed around “barnacled sailors and Victorian bathers”, there are puppet-making workshops run by Island artist Theresa Grimaldi will make rod puppets from recycled materials and flotsam and jetsam from the beach.
On both Saturday 16 April and Sunday 17 April children aged eight years and over can create their own local seaside characters to amuse and tell their seaside tales.
Free Easter Tree workshop with Quay Arts
In another workshop, Newport art centre, Quay Arts is bringing its free family drop-in workshop to Ventnor on Saturday 16 April.
Parents and children are invited to work with artist Jo Hummel-Newell to create from scratch and decorate an Easter tree. Families of all ages and abilities can join in the fun and help Jo decorate the tree with paper leaves, blossom, eggs and animals.
Make and learn to fly kites
Solent kite flyers will be running back-to-back kite-making workshops for children on Sunday 17 April.
Sponsored by Pabulum, the sessions will give youngsters a chance to let their imaginations go sky high when it comes to decorating their kites, before taking them out to fly.
Shore Women writers’ group
You can have fun playing with words, narrative and rhythm at the creative writing workshop run by the Island’s Shore Women writers’ group on Saturday 16 April.
Suitable for both beginners and experienced writer, Memory and Imagination: approaches to writing will begin with the Shore Women performing a short reading from their own work and then they will help you develop your ideas and style.
Painting masterclass
Russ Calver is a member of the Society of Equestrian Artists who specialises in portraits of both people and animals and will be providing an insight into his work and techniques in a master class on Sunday 17 April.
The artist, whose patrons include the Duke and Duchess of Bedford and one of Britainʼs most successful event riders of all time, William Fox-Pitt, will demonstrate some of the techniques he uses in his portraits.
Workshop tickets cost £3 each. Quay Arts drop-in session is free
