The Workshop

Join artist and maker Clare Dales for a creative weekend exploring two beautiful, hands-on crafts. Across these two days, you’ll discover the meditative art of Japanese marbling (suminagashi) and learn traditional bookbinding techniques - leaving with a collection of handmade papers and books. Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned maker, this workshop offers a chance to slow down, experiment and create something new.

Saturday 4th October – Japanese Marbling (Suminagashi) Spend the day immersed in the ancient Japanese art of suminagashi, meaning “floating ink.” Using natural inks made from wood and vegetable ash, you’ll learn to drop, blow and swirl pigments across water to create delicate, fluid designs. Each piece is lifted onto paper, resulting in unique prints that can be used as artworks in their own right - or transformed into cards, collages or book covers.

Sunday 5th October – Bookbinding On Sunday, we turn to the craft of bookbinding. Clare will guide you step by step as you create two handmade books: a softback stitched notebook and a hardbound concertina book, perfect for filling with poems, sketches, photographs or mementos. You’re welcome to incorporate your hand-marbled papers - but everything you need will be provided on the day.

Tickets include lunch and all materials.

The Artist

Clare is a freelance designer and printmaker, a member of Lewes Printmakers, creating collaborative books and exhibitions. Clare has published several books, including Ponds Pools and Lidos, A Swim through Time, Eastbourne an Alphabet and Limited-Edition Artists Books, including Pier to Pier, The Egrets Way and Flow. Currently working on a Limited-Edition book on food and cooking, expected late 2023, Clare's work is sought by private Reserve Collections in the UK and abroad.

Clare’s background in architecture inspires pieces from the built and natural form, drawing parallels between the two, to design unique works. Clare loves to create repeat patterns, used in illustrative work, home furnishings and bookbinding. With a desire to evolve and create, Clare’s more recent additions are printed greenhouses, with drawn natural forms. Using dipping pens and coloured pencils allows lustre and individuality. Inspiration is everywhere. Learning to swim aged 40 resulted in the most recent book, Ponds Pools & Lidos, richly illustrated with lino prints. She is now working on a limited-edition book on food and dining.