Plein Air Drawing and Printmaking Workshop with Catherine Farish, May 2026

This workshop combines plein air drawing and printmaking. We will go out into
the beautiful Mayo landscape to draw or paint, using different materials and
experimenting freely on washi, a very thin handmade paper. Then we’ll bring the
drawings indoors to the print shop and learn how to make and etch plates which
we will use in combination with the drawings and paintings. Lastly, we’ll learn the
traditional printmaking technique of Chine collé and layer the drawings onto the
etched plates.
The combination of the painterly marks and graphic marks from the plates result
in a rich, varied and expressive surface.
The workshop is open to people at all levels of experience.
Based on an interactive approach, instruction is offered in both English and
French. The emphasis will be on experimentation pushing individual boundaries.
Throughout the week and in the company of other artists from different
countries, the work in the studio is enhanced by local field trips. The countryside
around Ballinglen is steeped in history and natural beauty. The rolling farmland,
the pre-historic Céide Fields, the majestic Atlantic and dramatic skies will
transform the way you see, think and work.