SWLA Projects

Summer Festivals, workshops and Events

/ August Craft Month, craft fairs, Creative Peninsula, Events, News, SWLA Projects, Workshops

Reporting back from my April trip to Massingham Heath

Oil and Tiger Beetles

In late April I had the opportunity to travel to Norfolk for a second residency at Massingham Heath.This project has been especially helpful to me as a new SWLA member as it has given me the opportunity to meet so many of the other artists.

The Heath in April was very different from August. The wildflowers were just starting to emerge, and birds were nesting, or passing through on their migrations north.

I was fortunate on the first day to have naturalist Nick Acheson take me to find these lovely oil beetles in the top picture, and there I stayed for the next 3 days. The tiger beetles were a much more challenging subject being fast moving predators. This mating pair stayed still for a while, though remained apparently ferocious and furious throughout!

I have written more on my projects page about the heath here. The work from the residency will once again be showcased at the annual exhibition in the Mall Galleries, when the book of the project, with text by Nick Acheson, will be launched. You can see more information at the links below:

Society of Wildlife Artists website

Massingham Heath Website

Nick Acheson’s website

Massingham on Radio 4

During the April Residency Martha Kearny from Radio 4 visited the heath to record an episode of Open Country, which gives a great flavour of the heath and the project. This will be available on BBC sounds for a year

Listen on BBC Sounds

There is also an article by Johnnie Fokker, SWLA Secretary recently published on the Countryside Jobs website:

Read Article

The Creative Peninsula 2026

Now in its 25th year, and with some exciting new collaborations, this thriving annual event features exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations and the annual outdoor Twilight Craft Market, all taking place in the picturesque Borough of Ards and North Down.

I will be delivering a paper bird workshop on 4th and taking part in the Twilight Market on 7th August. The festival program will be launched on 25 June, when website will also go live for workshop booking and the full list of events.

Workshop – Tuesday 4th August 11am – 1 pm

Twilight Market – Friday 7th August 3 – 8pm

Visit the Creative Peninsula Website and Book Workshops

North Down Craft Collective Summer Festival at Castle Espie

Join us for the North Down Craft Collective Summer Festival, a vibrant two-day celebration of creativity taking place on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August 2026 at WWT Castle Espie.

Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August, 10am – 4pm

Workshop Sunday 16th 10am – 12.30pm

The festival will showcase the work of more than 30 talented artists and makers from the collective. Visitors will have the opportunity to browse and purchase unique handmade work, as well as take part in a range of hands-on craft workshops, which can be booked in advance through our website

Find out more and Book workshops

Dragonfly Festival at Castle Espie

As part of Castle Espie’s Dragonfly Festival, Boom Studios will be providing craft activities throughout the summer.

I will be there on 22 August. Drop in to make a paper dragonfly with some fiendish folds and a bit of glue! Choose your colour and follow along to create your dragonfly. Use some drawing to add your own touches. Dragonfly reference on hand for inspiration.

Saturday 22 August 10am – 2pm

Find out more..

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Reporting back from Massingham Heath

/ Drawing, Exhibitions, Late Night Art Bangor, News, Projects, Society of Wildlife Artists, SWLA Projects, Workshops

I am just back from a marvellous trip to Massingham Heath wilderness in Norfolk. I was taking part in a year long project by the Society of Wildlife Artists to document and celebrate the biodiversity of the heath through art.

The estate is owned and run by Olly Birbeck who has been restoring over 1000 acres of heath since 2017. I can report it is teeming with wildflowers and invertebrates which in turn are supporting an array birdlife from stonechats and skylarks to green woodpecker, hobby, goshawk and kestrel. It was also very hot and quite challenging conditions for creating work!

As well as restoring the heath, Olly is using regenerative farming practices and collaborating with surrounding landowners to create wildlife corridors at landscape scale. Olly is well worth a follow on instagram – check him out @massingham_heath.

Olly was more than generous in allowing us access, not only to the whole estate, but also the use of his very luxurious glamping tents and kitchen facilities. Tim Baldwin and a wonderful team of local volunteers kept us well fed and watered, solved problem with showers and generators and identified plants and insects for us.

A good friend in Norwich also went above and beyond, taking in parcels of art equipment and driving me all over the county!

One of the most valuable aspects of residencies like this is meeting other artists. I was working alongside fellow artists Liz Myhill, Ben Woodhams, Paul Henery, Nye Hughes, Lisa Hooper, Laura Andrew, Julia Manning, and Dafila Scott. During the week we were also joined by Amie Haslan, Chris Wallbank, Wynona Legg, Carry Ackroyd, Bruce Pearson, and SWLA president, Harriet Mead. We engaged with the local community, with an exhibition, moth trapping, pond dipping a meadow safari, and an art trail on the heath.

It was also lovely to meet Norfolk naturalist and writer Nick Acheson, who will be supplying text for the publication that will be the final result of the Massingham project. An enormous and hugely varied amount of work has been produced already, some of which will be showcased in the out of the frame room in London this October.

More about the Heath
More about the SWLA Project

Now I am back home, here are afew things coming up soon, starting with the opening of the Ulster Watercolour Society annual exhibition

Ulster Watercolour Society 48th Annual Exhibition

29 August – 14 September 2025.

This year’s exhibition will be the largest ever in the history of the society and we have a full program of events during the two week run. The exhibition and all events are free for the public to attend. 

Why not join us at the official opening on 29 August at 7pm The exhibition will be opened by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly.

There will be free live watercolour demonstrations almost daily where you can watch a painting being created from start to finish or come along to an artist’s studio session to watch them at work. I will be doing mine on 10 September at 2pm.

See all the events

Workshops move to Haptik

September 9th 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Although the Craft Room is now closed, the popular series of workshops are continuing. We are relocating just a few doors up to the lovely Haptik coffee shop in NewtownardsFor my first one in the new venue, we are going to celebrate two of our tiniest birds, goldcrest and wren.

All materials will be supplied and refreshments are included. The workshop area at Haptik is located on the first floor accessed via a short flight of stairs.

Book A place

Boom studios Sketchbook library

Some of us have been beavering away in our sketch books since April for this. I have managed to fill 2 small sketchbooks to contribute. The Sketchbooks will available to view be in the gallery space in Boom 1 from 19 September until 6 October. There will be a small exhibition of wall art to compliment the library.

Look out for our celebration night for Late Night Art in September! (Thursday 25th!)

19th September – 6th October 2025

• Monday – Thursday: 10am – 2pm

• Saturday: 10am – 4pm

• Or by arrangement

Celebration Event Thursday 25th September 2025 6.30pm Late Night Art, Bangor. 

Check out the Boom Studios website

Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition

I am happy so say that, for the first time in many years,  I have had a piece accepted into this year’s exhibition which will be held, as usual, in the Ulster Museum in Belfast

I will post again with more information nearer the time, but, for now, the exhibition dates are:

19 October 25 – until 4 January 26 

RUA Website

Still Ongoing from my last Post!

Meanwhile, here is a recap of some exhibitions I told you about last time, that you still have time to catch:

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