Norden Farm's Pinocchio Chill Out space is a wonderful place to relax and play this festive season.

We are working with artist Amelia Pimlott, The Autism Group, Achieving for Children, Care for Calais and local schools; Wessex Primary School, Furze Platt and Cookham Dean Primary School, to create a magical Gallery space at Norden Farm which will bring the story of Pinocchio to life with shadow puppets and animations.  

The exhibition will be open to visit throughout the Christmas holidays, this is a wonderful opportunity to see our local young people's artwork and to explore shadow puppets and animations in this innovative immersive exhibition.

Open Tuesdays - Saturdays

Tues 26 Nov - Sat 28 Dec

Entry is Free

•  21 Dec FREE
•  23 Dec FREE
• 3 more dates...

Led by Mick McNicholas

Learn about the stages of portraiture, drawing with charcoal from a live model.

Suitable for all levels of experience.

Age guidance: 18+ years

Spring
Sat 1 Mar, Sat 19 Apr
11am – 4pm

£34 per session

•  21 Dec from £34
•   1 Mar from £34
• 1 more dates...

Come along to Norden Farm for 45 minutes of Arts and Crafts.

Autumn

Sat 21 Dec 12.30pm
Led by Jess Thompson

Come along and create a beautiful glowing trinket box house using collage and decoupage techniques.

Sat 28 Dec 12.30pm
Led by Kayleigh Robinson

Get creative in our Pinocchio puppet themed arts and crafts workshop.

Hop into creativity with our fun arts and crafts workshops inspired by The Frog and the Princess

Spring

Tues 18 Feb 12pm
Led by Kayleigh Robinson

Create your own frog using paper, lolly sticks and glue.

Thur 20 Feb 1.30pm
Led by Maria Chernyak-Belenky

Create a beautiful 'stained glass' design based on the fairy tale.

Fri 21 Feb 1.30pm
Led by Maria Chernyak-Belenky

Design and make a beautiful marionette puppet using recycled materials.

Sat 22 Feb 11.30am
Led by Maria Chernyak-Belenky

3D papercraft workshop, make a fun free-standing character.

Sessions are 45 minutes | Suitable for ages 5 - 11 years | All materials provided.

£5 per person

Please note that children must be accompanied by a paying adult.

•  21 Dec from £5
•  28 Dec from £5
• 4 more dates...

Led by Emy Mills

Join artist Emy Mills and learn how to use the copper foiling technique to create your own stained glass panel!

You will choose from a selection of designs before you learn to cut, grind, foil, and solder your glass pieces together. By the end of the day you will have something beautiful to take home and display in your window.

No experience is necessary and all materials will be provided. 

Spring
9 Jan, 20 Feb, 6 Mar, 3 Apr
11am - 4pm
£80 per class

•   9 Jan from £80
•  20 Feb from £80
• 2 more dates...

Led by Lauren Hawkins Artist

Indulge your creativity and embrace your inner artist at our paint and sip evenings!

Feel empowered and join Lauren for a series of themed sessions designed to celebrate strength, beauty and bold confidence.

Whether you're a seasoned artist or picking up a paintbrush for the first time, our welcoming atmosphere invites you to explore your creativity in an intimate setting. Come let loose, have a drink and get inspired with us!

All materials provided.

Acrylic paints will be used and can often stain clothes so please wear clothes with this in mind.

Age guidance: 18 + years

Fri 13 Dec - Festive Fauna: Painting Winter Wildlife

Spring

Fri 10 Jan - Beneath the Waves: Dive into Painting Sea Life

Fri 7 Feb - Galentines Day: Celebrating the Female Form

Fri 7 Mar - Wings of Wonder: Beautiful Butterflies and Majestic Moths

Fri 4 Apr - Stand Tall, Stand Out: Expressing Your Inner Flamingo

7pm - 10pm

£39.50 (including 1x 175ml wine or 1x pint of beer)
£37.50 (including 1x soft drink or 1x 0% bottled beer)

To order your drink please show your ticket at the bar when you arrive, ensure you arrive in advance of the class to order your drink as the bar may be busy. Drinks will be served in plastic cups.

•  10 Jan from £3750
•   7 Feb from £3750
• 2 more dates...

Led by Jo Hall

This workshop is about colour in the colder months. We will look at mixing colours for winter skies and practise making washes and textural strokes and marks for trees and branches before painting a winter landscape or garden.

Please bring your own materials as outlined below.

Please bring:
Watercolour paper 300gsm or heavier, cold pressed or rough surface about A3 (you will need more than one sheet, preferably three or use heavy weight cartridge paper to test your colours)
Watercolour paints and brushes (to include one large brush for washes and two smaller brushes - if you have one bring one flat brush)
Tape to fix your paper
Drawing board and table easel or wooden block to tilt your board
Water pots, paper towel
Sponge if you have one

Some paper will be available from the tutor at cost.

Spring
Sat 11 Jan
11am - 4pm
£42

•  11 Jan from £42

Led by Amanda Schenk

Amanda Schenk is the visual artist behind Norden Farm's much-loved (and Instagrammed) glass corridor artwork in the school holidays. Join Amanda for this new drawing course, aimed at helping to create a sense of calm and relaxation through drawing patterns.

Suitable for all abilities, the workshops will focus on building confidence in your drawing abilities - concentrating on the soothing journey of the drawing experience, rather than the finished drawing.

In each session you'll explore how to produce different types of patterns in abstract drawings - looking at different designs each week.

You will need: paper (plain, no smaller than A5), lead pencil, eraser, sharpener, black fine liner or a pen. Optional is a black marker.

Autumn
11 Nov, 16 Dec
7.30pm - 8.45pm
£8 per class | £28 for all 4 sessions
Online only

Suitable for ages 18+ years.

•  13 Jan from £8
•   3 Feb from £8
• 2 more dates...

Led by Jo Hall

This drawing course explores the use of wet and dry media for drawing. Suitable for all those interested in drawing, we’ll look at working with ink, charcoal and other dry drawing materials using a variety of tools from pens to sticks and even old decorating brushes to discover how they can be used to draw different forms and textures. We will be drawing from objects supplied by the tutor for the first session and you will be invited to bring your own objects for subsequent weeks.

Please bring your own materials as indicated below.

Please bring
Cartridge paper A3 and A2 (in week 3 we will explore drawing small things at a large scale)
Charcoal
Pencils of various hardness (suggest HB, 2B and 4B or softer)
India ink
Dip pen
Brush
Other tools as available and tutor will bring some of these (twig, old toothbrush, feather, wooden cocktail or kebab stick, straw etc.)
There will be opportunities to try other drawing media (different inks, conté crayon etc.)
Drawing board and table easel or block (to tilt your paper)
Clips or tape
Plastic eraser
Putty eraser
Craft knife
Paper towel
Water jars
2 or 3 small containers with lids for working with dilute ink (mini jam or marmalade jars are ideal)
Sketchbook useful for some sessions (suggest about A4 but smaller or larger is fine)
Some cartridge paper will be available from the tutor at cost

Spring
Tues 14 Jan - Tues 18 Feb
12.30pm - 3.30pm
£126 for 6 sessions

•  14 Jan from £126
•  21 Jan
• 4 more dates...

Led by Creative Eye

Norden Farm's Crafternoons are relaxed crafting sessions for older people.

Get crafty with a range of activities, or bring along your own projects to work on with support from tutor Kayleigh Robinson.

You can learn new skills, meet new people and try something new, a cup of tea is included with the ticket price. Come either Tuesday or Wednesday and join in that week's craft. If you are unable to attend in person you can log on from home to chat and join in the session.

Spring Season
Tues 14 Jan - Charcoal Drawing
Tues 21 Jan - Embroidered Photos
Tues 28 Jan - Decoupage Log Slices
Tues 4 Feb - No Session
Tues 11 Feb - Polymer Clay Octopus
Tues 18 Feb - Pin Board
Tues 25 Feb - Willow Suncatcher
Tues 4 Mar - Wire Flowers
Tues 11 Mar - Felt Keyring / Brooch
Tues 18 Mar - Woven Basket
Tues 25 Mar - Wool Hoop Art
Tues 1 Apr - Book Folded Sheep
Tues 8 Apr - Fabric Flower
Tues 15 Apr - Cube Bunny
Tues 22 Apr - Embossed Foil Decorations
Tues 29 Apr - Iris Paper Folding

Social Arts Crafternoons is a partially funded project run by Norden Farm with support from The Berkshire Community Foundation.

Local transport can be provided as part of the ticket price for those attending on a Wednesday.

If you need transport to Norden Farm for the Wednesday sessions please contact Jess Thompson at jess.thompson@nordenfarm.org / 01628 682563 to talk through your requirements.

Suitable for ages 60+ years.

2pm - 3pm
£6.50 per session, including a cup of tea

•  14 Jan from £650
•  21 Jan from £650
• 13 more dates...

Artist and producer Abhi Arumbakkam attempts to take the sting out of rejections by repurposing them as poetry.

Since 2013 Berkshire-based creative Abhi has been keeping hold of every rejection email she’s received. These range from funding bid denials to job application rejections, amounting to an impressive 258 knock-backs so far.

Drawing inspiration from American artist Austin Kleon's redacted poetry, Abhi has worked alongside local artist Grace Derriman. This exhibition is Abhi's attempt to find hidden poetry amidst all the rejections. It is Abhi’s way of turning lemons into lemonade — or, as she puts it, making manure from waste.

The exhibition is also an invitation to the audience to turn their hand at redacting email texts to discover poetry within them. Abhi firmly believes that rejection is inherent in any creative process, and that it should be embraced with both courage and vulnerability. For her, rejection isn’t a mark of shame but a badge of honour, a pertinent reminder to celebrate the inevitable fallout of daring to try.

Visitors to the exhibition will have a chance to create their own poems by redacting Abhi’s rejections emails. They can share their creations using #rejectionredacted.

Open Tuesdays - Saturdays

Tues 14 Jan - Sat 8 Feb

Entry is Free

•  14 Jan FREE
•  15 Jan FREE
• 18 more dates...

Led by Sue Bridge

These sessions are suitable for those with some prior experience of drawing and painting (either previous study or art course participation).

As with the preceding course 'Transform your Sketchpad' these 3 hour studio sessions will be wide ranging both in terms of media and subject matter. Over the duration of the course you will gain experience in a range of media, acrylic/watercolour, pen and ink and collage. Some sessions will be one off activities other topics may spread over a couple of weeks.

Students to provide their own materials.

Spring
Wed 15 Jan - 12 Feb (5 weeks)
Wed 26 Feb - 26 Mar (5 weeks)
Wed 30 Apr - Wed 21 May (4 weeks)

£125 per 5 week course
£100 per 4 week course

Age guidance: 18+ years

•  15 Jan from £125
•  22 Jan
• 12 more dates...

Led by Creative Eye

Norden Farm's Crafternoons are relaxed crafting sessions for older people.

Get crafty with a range of activities, or bring along your own projects to work on with support from tutor Kayleigh Robinson.

You can learn new skills, meet new people and try something new, a cup of tea is included with the ticket price. Come either Tuesday or Wednesday and join in that week's craft. If you are unable to attend in person you can log on from home to chat and join in the session.

Spring Season
Wed 15 Jan - Charcoal Drawing
Wed 22 Jan - Embroidered Photos
Wed 29 Jan - Decoupage Log Slices
Wed 5 Feb - No Session
Wed 12 Feb - Polymer Clay Octopus
Wed 19 Feb - Pin Board
Wed 26 Feb - Willow Suncatcher
Wed 5 Mar - Wire Flowers
Wed 12 Mar - Felt Keyring / Brooch
Wed 19 Mar - Woven Basket
Wed 26 Mar - Wool Hoop Art
Wed 2 Apr - Book Folded Sheep
Wed 9 Apr - Fabric Flower
Wed 16 Apr - Cube Bunny
Wed 23 Apr - Embossed Foil Decorations
Wed 30 Apr - Iris Paper Folding

Social Arts Crafternoons is a partially funded project run by Norden Farm with support from The Berkshire Community Foundation.

Local transport can be provided as part of the ticket price for those attending on a Wednesday.

If you need transport to Norden Farm for the Wednesday sessions please contact Jess Thompson at jess.thompson@nordenfarm.org / 01628 682563 to talk through your requirements.

Suitable for ages 60+ years.

2pm - 3pm
£6.50 per session, including a cup of tea

•  15 Jan from £650
•  22 Jan from £650
• 13 more dates...

Led by David Beattie

Explore the fun and relaxing craft of macramé with these informal half day courses. 

Starting off with the basics, David from But One String will introduce the principles of macramé, the basics knots, workspace, techniques, and piece design.

Then building on these basics David will guide you through the production of a beautiful and practical macramé creation.

Choose from a range of designs / dates on offer or come to them all and make the complete set.

Suitable for the complete beginner or those with some experience, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels.

We provide all the necessary materials, so just bring your creativity and eagerness to learn!

Spring
Thur 16 Jan
11am - 3pm
£45

•  16 Jan from £45

Led by Mick McNicholas

Explore the complexities of the human form by working from a professional life model. With a variety of short and long poses. Learn both traditional charcoal drawing methods and new experimental techniques.

Half day sessions comprise of a variety of short and long poses.

Any mediums can be used in these sessions. Materials will be provided, although participants are very welcome to bring their own if you have something you like to work with.

Spring
Sat 25 Jan, 15 Mar
11am - 2pm

£25 per session

Age guidance: 18+ years

•  25 Jan from £25
•  15 Mar from £25

Led by Jo Hall

Paint the warm colours of North Africa, mixing sand, pink and earth colours and contrasting these with bright blue skies. Start by making irregular grids of colour evoking the landscape, spices or towns of North Africa in a similar way to Paul Klee when he visited Tunisia. Then choose to experiment further or to compose a more traditional landscape using similar colour mixes.

See detailed info on materials and equipment below.

Please bring:
Watercolour paper 300gsm or heavier (cold pressed or rough surface about A3)
You will need more than one sheet, preferably three or use heavy weight cartridge paper to test your colours
Watercolour paints and brushes (to include one large brush for washes and two smaller brushes)
Tape to fix your paper
Drawing board and table easel or wooden block (to tilt your board)
Water pots
Paper towel
Sponge if you have one

Some paper will be available from the tutor at cost.

Spring
Sat 8 Feb
11am - 4pm
£42

•   8 Feb from £42

Led by David Beattie

Explore the fun and relaxing craft of macramé with these informal half day courses. 

Starting off with the basics, David from But One String will introduce the principles of macramé, the basics knots, workspace, techniques, and piece design.

Then building on these basics David will guide you through the production of a beautiful and practical macramé creation.

Choose from a range of designs / dates on offer or come to them all and make the complete set.

Suitable for the complete beginner or those with some experience, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels.

We provide all the necessary materials, so just bring your creativity and eagerness to learn!

Spring
Thur 13 Feb
11am - 3pm
£45

•  13 Feb from £45

Led by Bombina Glass

Craft your own stunning lantern adorned with four fused glass panels in just a single day!

In this immersive one-day class, you'll delve into the fundamentals of glass fusing as you fashion your very own 28cm tall, coloured lantern.

Your journey begins with a comprehensive overview of glass fusing, covering techniques and materials. Whether you arrive with design ideas in mind or seek guidance, you'll have ample resources at your disposal.

Explore a diverse selection of glass frit, noodles, and glass paints to bring your vision to life.

During the workshop, you'll craft four intricately decorated glass panels to replace the plain ones provided with the lantern. These panels will undergo fusion at approximately 750°C, preserving the unique textures of your chosen materials.

As your lantern panels require kiln-firing and gradual cooling overnight, the tutor will notify you upon completion for convenient pickup. Your finished lantern is compatible with various light sources, including block candles, tealights, or battery-operated nightlights.

All materials are provided. No experience necessary, this fused glass course is suitable for beginners and improvers alike.

Children over the age of 14 are welcome on the course. A child (under 18) must be
accompanied by an adult who is also undertaking the workshop.

Spring
Sat 15 Feb
10.30am - 4.30pm
£140

•  15 Feb from £140

A vibrant and dramatic collection of works exploring themes of fragmenting light though collage, pattern and assemblage.

Norden Farm’s Art tutor, Lucy Wright brings together this eclectic collective of artists in a new exhibition with Stacey Donnelly, Jess Thompson and Andrew Thompson.

Open Tuesdays - Saturdays

Tues 25 Feb - Sat 22 Mar

Entry is Free

•  25 Feb FREE
•  26 Feb FREE
• 18 more dates...

Led by Bombina Glass

Fusing glass is the process of melting pieces of glass together in a kiln to create a solid, single piece of glass. This process can be used to create various objects such as bowls, vases, and sculptures.

Fused glass can be created using different techniques, including adding colour, texture, and design using materials like glass stringers.

The fusing process involves controlling the temperature and time in the kiln to achieve the desired result.

Glass optics fusing with stringers is a technique in which thin threads of fusible
glass known as stringers are fused together to create unique patterns in fused glass creations. This technique uses volume control and displacement to physically change the shape of lines, creating an appearance like a graph of harmonic waves.

The class teaches how to distort a linear pattern of stringers into a repeatable and intentional pattern, and how the chemicals in glass can react together to add interest and patterns in the final fused creation. The class aims to expand the knowledge of fusing enthusiasts and beginners a like and allows for the creation of a 15cm x 15cm glass bowl using a variety of colours of glass and stringers.

All materials and equipment are provided, and the workshop lasts for three hours.

During the workshop, we will look at some samples of work that can be produced and discuss patterns, colour combinations, and the effects of glass reactions. After, we will cut the stringers and arrange them on the tile to go into the kiln for an overnight firing.

The pieces will be ready and posted to you after the class.

Spring
Thur 27 Feb
11.30am - 2.30pm
£80

•  27 Feb from £80

Led by Jo Hall

Transparent and metal objects can seem difficult to represent, this practical art course will show you how other artists have tackled these subjects and give you strategies for painting metallic, glass and other reflective surfaces as well as transparent packaging materials.

Bring your own materials; pastel or wet media; acrylic or gouache. Watercolour is possible but would be more of a challenge. See detailed info below.

Please bring:
Painting medium of your choice, brushes and appropriate support
You will also need a drawing board and table easel or small block to tilt your board (an easel is best for working in pastel as it is best to work with your support as upright as possible)
If using wet media please bring water pots and paper towel
Make sure you have tape to fix your paper securely
A small sketchbook for making notes, composition sketches and trying out colours is useful
If possible bring a piece of fruit and a glass tumbler to the first session

Spring
Tues 4 Mar - Tues 8 Apr
12.30pm - 3.30pm
£126 for 6 sessions

•   4 Mar from £126
•  11 Mar
• 4 more dates...

Led by Jo Hall

A light hearted look at the surreal works of Magritte. You are invited to use your imagination to create an extraordinary composition where an ordinary object is taken out of context or where the scale of objects is altered. Jo will bring a box of little objects for inspiration. Bring your choice of materials and your imagination. A sketchbook or paper to work out ideas would be useful; see information on materials and equipment below.

Please bring:
Medium of your choice and appropriate paper / support plus a table easel and drawing board
If you don’t have a table easel a small block of wood is useful to tilt the board
Clips or tape to attach paper to board
Cartridge paper or a sketchbook and pencil (to work out ideas)
Suitable media
Dry; pastels (oil pastel or chalk pastel) charcoal, pencil, plus fixative
Wet; acrylic, gouache or watercolour
If using wet media please bring water pots and paper towel

Spring
Sat 8 Mar
11am - 4pm
£42

•   8 Mar from £42

Led by David Beattie

Explore the fun and relaxing craft of macramé with these informal half day courses. 

Starting off with the basics, David from But One String will introduce the principles of macramé, the basics knots, workspace, techniques, and piece design.

Then building on these basics David will guide you through the production of a beautiful and practical macramé creation.

Choose from a range of designs / dates on offer or come to them all and make the complete set.

Suitable for the complete beginner or those with some experience, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels.

We provide all the necessary materials, so just bring your creativity and eagerness to learn!

Spring
Thur 20 Mar
11am - 3pm
£45

•  20 Mar from £45

Led by Berkshire Printmakers

Have fun with screen printing and printing on paper this Spring!

Spring
Sat 22 Mar
11am - 4pm
£45

•  22 Mar from £45

Led by Bombina Glass

Welcome to the world of fused glass art! Bombina Glass invites you to join us for an exciting workshop where you'll learn how to create a beautiful, fused glass picture.

During this workshop, you'll discover the process of fusing small pieces of glass together to create larger, cohesive pieces of art. With no experience necessary, you'll learn how to cut and shape glass safely and assemble it for fusing.

Caroline will guide you every step of the way, and all materials are provided.

This workshop is a fantastic opportunity to experiment with different colours, textures, and techniques to create a unique and personalized piece of art. We'll discuss the properties of glass and its compatibility, exploring the different effects that can be achieved using glass frits, powders, and stringers.

At the end of the course, you'll have created a 15cm squared glass tile picture that can be placed in a picture framed for your home. We'll show you how to use glass paint to achieve a strong design and how each colour will affect the one underneath.

Our workshop is suitable for beginners and improvers alike.

This is a great introduction to the world of fused glass art, and we can't wait to share this exciting experience with you.

Spring
Thur 27 Mar
11.30am - 2.30pm
£80

•  27 Mar from £80

Led by David Beattie

Explore the fun and relaxing craft of macramé with these informal half day courses. 

Starting off with the basics, David from But One String will introduce the principles of macramé, the basics knots, workspace, techniques, and piece design.

Then building on these basics David will guide you through the production of a beautiful and practical macramé creation.

Choose from a range of designs / dates on offer or come to them all and make the complete set.

Suitable for the complete beginner or those with some experience, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels.

We provide all the necessary materials, so just bring your creativity and eagerness to learn!

Spring
Thur 10 Apr
11am - 3pm
£45

•  10 Apr from £45

Led by Jo Hall

Invent your own symbols for the universe or a farm with line and bold flat colours. We’ll look at Miro’s very abstract version of surrealism which was rooted in his Catalan heritage, before creating our own paintings. Bring your own materials: acrylic or Gouache would work well; see detailed information below.

Please bring:
Acrylic, gouache or watercolour paints and appropriate paper / support plus a table easel and drawing board
If you don’t have a table easel a small block of wood is useful (to tilt the board)
Clips or tape (to attach paper to board)
Black pen and / or a white pen could be useful to add lines to your painting
Cartridge paper or a sketchbook and pencil to work out ideas
Water pots and paper towel
Paper: heavy watercolour paper 300gsm or more with a cold pressed surface
If you are working in acrylic, a multimedia paper or canvas board would work well, or you can work on watercolour paper

Some paper will be available from the tutor at cost.

Spring
Sat 12 Apr
11am - 4pm
£42

•  12 Apr from £42

Led by Fiona Dowling

At this workshop you will learn how to saw, solder, file, hammer, hand-stamp and finish your own sterling silver jewellery.

Everyone will leave with one pair of hoops or dangly earrings and a pair of studs. No previous experience is necessary. You will be shown options of designs and then helped to tweak them to suit your own personal style.

About Jewellery Moves:
Taught by Fiona Dowling, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, Jewellery Moves workshops aim to teach traditional craftsmanship, jewellery skills and techniques in small groups with a relaxed atmosphere.

This workshop is suitable for beginners. Minimum age is 14+, children 16 years and under must be accompanied by a participating adult who has booked a place.

Excludes material costs.
Materials: The cost of the silver is not included in the course fees. The approximate cost of these materials is £40/£50 and payable to the tutor on the day (card or cash).

Please: make sure that hair is tied back and bring your glasses if you wear them.

Thur 24 Apr
11am - 4pm

£80 (plus materials cost to tutor - details above)

•  24 Apr from £80