Autumn News
Sep 17, 2025 3:17 pm
Hello good people,
Well Autumn is well & truly here isn't it! Time to enjoy looking at those beautiful raging seas rather than being in them.
In this newsletter:
- 2 cyanotype workshop events this last month
- How to book your own 1-1 & group workshop at Phoenix
- In the studio
- Exhibition news
Workshop events
GuildCare charity event
Well what a wet & windy event that was at Summer Showtime event for the social care charity GuildCare. Despite the high wind & rain we managed to have two successful workshops before it got rained off... see pics above. Here Val & Amelia made lots of prints using all kinds of methods to create theses beautiful blue & white artworks. We worked through wet on wet with objects, painting, poems, chemical reactions and photographic processes to great effect! All around the theme of connection to the sea.
"They absolutely loved it! I think for Nanna who use to paint and the gift for her and Amelia has made such a great memory for them.
I loved the pieces of artwork they did was still drying so need to take some photos and give you a fantastic review as you and your work is truly unique and inspiring Nina!
The amount of work and detail put into this together was unbelievable as Nanna was explaining with how much happiness and amazing painting." Grace
1-1 photographic cyanotype workshop
Neil a photographer wanted to learn how to create cyanotypes from his own photographs. So I personalised a four hour session for him running through the whole process from beginning to end. From preparing images in photoshop to printing large negatives of his work, preparing the paper, to exposure and developing. He took home a range of finished pieces on high quality paper, the negatives produced, the knowledge to recreate more at home and the confidence to experiment with this beautiful medium.
"I really enjoyed the workshop so much. It’s given me some great new ideas to try and renewed my interest in alternative printing processes. Thank you so much for your clear instruction, detail and insight in making cyanotypes from negatives, the time flew & I feel confident & inspired to work with it on my own now" Neil
Forthcoming workshops
1-1 & small group - explore how to make cyanotypes for yourself...
If you would like to learn how to make your own cyanotypes photographic or object based I can personalise a session for you...get in touch. 1-1's from £35 per hour or small groups from £50 per hour. All from my studio here in Portslade. No artistic skills needed just the desire to explore this magical process.
or email: [email protected]
phone/text: 07900 683972
1 day workshop at Phoenix Art Space
About this event
Cyanotype printing is a painterly, low-toxic way to produce unique photographic prints using light-sensitive cyanotype fluid, light, and water.
This one-day workshop includes an introduction to the history and science of cyanotypes, along with a hands-on exploration of the materials and techniques involved. Learn how to prepare paper or fabric, expose and develop images using both objects and photographic negatives, and experiment with methods such as wet-on-wet application and layered compositions.
Most materials and equipment will be provided including a range of materials and negatives to experiment with. Students are welcome to bring their own objects to use in the exposure process, e.g. flowers, leaves, utensils, semi-transparent materials, as well as any fabric to print onto.
At the end of the day everyone will have a series of prints to take home.
This course is suitable for all levels.
Costs: £75
Times: 10.30 - 16.30
Date: Saturday 15 November
Location: White Room
Maximum: 8
In the studio
Over the summer, while writing various proposals for exhibitions and funding, I found myself returning again and again to the immediacy of gelli plate printing. I began creating a new series using mainly man-made objects—particularly plastics—**that I had collected from the seafront. Pressing these into paint on the plate, I transferred their impressions onto paper, using this satisfying and painterly process to work quickly through ideas.
What started with objects like a fisherman’s discarded rubber glove gradually shifted. I eventually began using my bare hand—a return to something more raw, honest, and powerful. It reminded me that while our hands are capable of destruction, they also hold immense potential for good—environmentally and societally—through strength, compassion, and healing.
These latest pieces were made after a transformative Reiki session with a powerful healer. (Some of you will know that I am a holistic therapist myself.) I hadn’t realised how far I’d slipped from my own inner power until she helped guide me back. After the session, she noted how my hands fluctuated between cold and hot. During the treatment, I saw bursts of purple light behind my closed eyes—explosions of colour that swept away the brown clouds surrounding me.
Whenever I receive Reiki, I see purple. It is the colour of the crown chakra—a symbol of spiritual power, connection, and balance. I left that session and immediately made these prints, channelling what I had just experienced.
Exhibition news
Absolutely delighted to be asked to show work in this group exhibition at Bond Street Gallery in Brighton this autumn. 15th November - 14th December.
We have been asked to respond this beautiful poem by Brian Patten. I thought you would appreciate these words:
The Stolen Orange
When I left I stole an orange
I kept it in my pocket
It felt like a warm planet
Everywhere I went smelt of oranges
Whenever I got into an awkward situation
I’d take out the orange and smell it
And immediately on even dead branches I saw
The lovely and fierce orange blossom
That smells so much of joy
When I went out I stole an orange
It was a safeguard against imagining
There was nothing bright or special in the world
BP
I have been asked to participate in another group show coming up at the end of October. I can't share this with you as yet as its not general knowledge yet but as ever you will be the first to know.
Wishing you a great week.
Lots of love
Nina
07900683972
