Observational Sketchbook Workshop
Observational Sketchbook Workshop
Spend three days slowing down with the coastal landscape, working in earth pigments and hand stitch to fill a small sketchbook with your own observations.
Workshop Information
- Dates: Thurs., October 8 – Sat., October 10, 2026
- Place: LaHave Bakery Gallery, LaHave, NS
- Fee: $290 · $100 deposit to reserve
A practice of noticing
A practice of noticing: walking, gathering and observing until the coastal landscape's rhythms slow to something you can hold in your hands. Over three days of outdoor exploration and studio time, playful and unafraid of mistakes, you'll fill the pages of your own sketchbook with colour, texture and mark.
What you'll experience
- Learn observational sketchbook techniques rooted in the coastal landscape
- Create your own colour studies using earth pigments and found materials
- Experiment with mark making and drawing techniques on paper and cloth
- Receive one-to-one guidance to help focus and develop your work
- Learn directly from textile artist Susie Koren
- Connect with fellow makers over three days of studio and outdoor practice
- Leave with a finished, handmade A6 sketchbook of your own work
How the workshop unfolds
Arrival & welcome
Set up your studio space and prepare materials. A welcome gathering follows, introducing everyone's creative backgrounds, with Susie sharing her studio practice and work with earth pigments.
Outdoors & studio
Morning spent outdoors, finding a quiet space to connect with your surroundings, observe and gather inspiration, followed by studio time and one-to-one sessions.
Studio & closing
Continued studio work and one-to-one sessions to bring your sketchbook pages together, wrapping up the workshop by mid-afternoon.
Susie Koren
Susie's tactile paintings draw inspiration from the muted palette of northern coastal landscape and geology, combining hand stitch, painting and printmaking with earth pigments she binds in a biodegradable soya milk medium of her own making. Walking is fundamental to her creativity, gathering colour, texture and line from the land itself.
Her work has been exhibited in international and UK fibre art shows, including the Royal Academy of Art London Summer Exhibition and the Royal West Academy Open, and has received the Royal Cambrian Selectors Prize and the Fine Art Textile Award.
Fee & Payment
Some supplies are provided. Payment is by e‑transfer to lesley@lahaveweavingstudio.ca, or by credit card with an additional 3.5% charge. Once you've registered below, Lesley will send a receipt along with the schedule, supplies list and other workshop details.
A modest class supper is being organized for Thursday evening at a local cafe; each participant covers their own meal.
Ready to join us?
Let Lesley know you'd like a spot, and she'll follow up personally with your receipt, the full schedule, and everything else you need before October.