Art School / Field Days
One-day field retreats by the river.
Abstracting the landscape from a secret river spot. Studio start, river all day. Sketchbook, materials and hot lunch included. Four places only.
What to expect
A working day, not a workshop.
No worksheets. No icebreakers. Just a small group of people who make things, spending a full day looking properly at one stretch of the Waveney — and coming back to the studio with the start of something honest.
10am studio start. Coffee, intentions, a quick crit of any work-in-progress you bring.
Out to the river by mid-morning. Drawing, painting, photographing — whatever the day asks for.
Hot lunch in the field. Materials and sketchbook provided. Honest feedback throughout.
Back to the studio for a final hour. Wrap by 3.30pm with something you didn't have when you arrived.
The day, hour by hour
Loose enough to follow the weather. Tight enough to leave with work.
- 10:00
Arrive at the studio
Coffee, introductions, a look at what you've brought (or come empty-handed — also fine).
- 10:30
Walk down to the river
Five minutes through the meadow. We set up wherever the light is best that morning.
- 11:00
First making session
Drawing, mark-making, photography, paint — whatever you've come for. I move between everyone.
- 13:00
Hot lunch in the field
Soup or stew from the studio kitchen, bread, something sweet. Eat outside if the day allows.
- 14:00
Second session — push it further
This is when the real work tends to happen. We get braver, looser, less precious.
- 15:30
Back to the studio, final crit
Lay everything out. Honest, kind feedback. A clear sense of what to take home and what's next.
- 16:30
Wrap & tea
Stay as long as you want. Most people stay another half hour, talking shop.
The practical bit
Getting here
By car
25 minutes from Norwich, 15 from Bungay. Full address and parking instructions sent the week before.
By train
Diss is the nearest station (45 mins from Norwich). I can pick up one or two people on the way — just ask.
If it rains
We still go. The studio has a covered porch overlooking the field, and rain on a river is a gift for anyone working with mark and tone.
Cancellation
Full refund up to 14 days before. Within 14 days, transferable to another date or another person.
What's included
In the £150
- A full sketchbook to take home
- Paints, inks, pencils, brushes, paper — proper materials, not workshop leftovers
- Hot lunch, snacks and unlimited coffee/tea from the studio kitchen
- Six hours of teaching from Lisa, in a group of four
- A 15-minute follow-up call within two weeks if you want one
What to bring
A short list
- Wellies or walking boots — the riverbank is uneven and often wet
- A waterproof and a warm layer (yes, even in July)
- A camera or phone if you photograph
- Any work-in-progress you'd like a second pair of eyes on
- Nothing else. We mean it.
Who it's for
Anyone who makes — and wants a day to do it properly.
You don't need a portfolio, an art degree, or a clear sense of what you're doing. You need a day, an open afternoon, and a willingness to be slightly uncomfortable for an hour or two.
Most people who come are working in another medium entirely — a poet who wants to draw, a graphic designer who hasn't painted in a decade, a ceramicist who needs to look at colour again. That's the point. Field Days are about looking, not technique.
"I came to take pictures and left with a small painting I'm still proud of a year later. — Anya, June 2024"
Upcoming dates
Book a place
Four places per date. Once they're gone they're gone — we don't squeeze people in. Payment confirms your seat instantly.
South Norfolk · 10:00 – 16:30
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