Courses

Learn the basics of composting to turn waste into a valuable resource for your garden! Participants will gather at the St. Mary’s Community Food Forest where together they will learn to build a bin and a compost pile. Get experience turning a finished pile and learn how to spread compost in a garden and on existing fruit shrubs and plants. Take part in the entire composting process and leave with the confidence to create compost in your own garden.

1-DAY WORKSHOP Learn the basics of this mesmerizing water marbling technique. Textile Artist Renata Britez will walk participants through the recipes, materials and demonstrate how to use the various tools to produce dynamic patterns on the surface of a water bath. This workshop will allow participants to work on learned techniques and create their own […]

Develop your figure drawing skills, by broadening your knowledge of human anatomy and understanding how it can inform your drawings. You will learn through a combination of anatomy lectures, drawing demonstrations, analysis of photographic reference, drawing practice from a live model, and receiving feedback on your work.

In this intro course, you’ll learn all the steps required to create your solar prints of found materials. From an introduction to tools and materials, to creating images on transparent media or photo film using exposure to natural light. Discover how to apply your prints onto different surfaces such as paper, fabric, and wood, with the use of photos, plants, flowers, and even objects to create unique patterns and designs.
Solar printing is one of the oldest photographic printing processes which uses photosensitive solutions and exposure to ultraviolet light (the sun). The result is a monoprint with distinctive brilliant blue, pink, purple, and orange hues.

A delightfully creative overlap between photography and textile arts. Learn how to stitch on printed photographs to add texture and colour. Liven up those old misprints in the bottom of the old family photo box or let your imagination run wild by turning magazine and book pages into one-of-a-kind artwork.

Once you discover the vast array of plant life around you, every afternoon stroll is an adventure! Weather depending, we will explore the plantscape around us with an herb walk to discover the plants that grow in our area. We will discuss identification, wildcrafting, preserving, and using the plants in our remedies. Please dress accordingly (sunscreen, comfortable clothing and shoes are advised).

Ever wanted to create your own jewellery? Join Mackenzie Russell and learn how to properly use hammers and stamps to leave intentional imprints on metal. We will begin by practicing on copper or brass. Each participant will design and complete a small textured sterling silver pendant by the end of the day.

Get to know the colourful bounty of Maritimes flora by working with fresh plants foraged by Natural Dyer Renata Britez. Natural dyeing can be fun, but the experience of using seasonal and regionally relevant plants, as opposed to pre-extracted and imported powders, provides a real connection to this age-old process. Participants will come away with an understanding of natural dyeing with fresh raw dye surface design techniques. Each participant will have sample swatches in various sustainable fibres, a finished silk scarf dyed with local colour, as well as informational handouts on how to repeat the process at home with local plants.