Latest reviews

18 Jan 17'

Antonia Jenkionson reviewed: Holiday ceramic sculpture workshop for children 8+ (and adults)

"My child enjoyed the sculpture workshop immediately - it was a sociable and informal atmosphere and he achieved real success in a very short time. I would strongly recommend this course"

18 Jan 17'

Ros Caffyn reviewed: Holiday ceramic sculpture workshop for children 8+ (and adults)

"Izzy really enjoyed your sculpture workshop. She really liked the fact that she could be freely expressive but with lots of technical and moral support from you. She found you to be friendly and approachable and the class atmosphere both relaxed and fun. She also liked the fact that you had so many resources in the room that she could call on for inspiration."

18 Jan 17'

Sue Blenkinsop reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"I have been a student under the tutelage of Beatrice Hoffman for some years. She is a rigorous and empathetic teacher, bringing out the best in students with encouragement and vision. I have learnt so much and value her criticism and wide knowledge of her subject and art history."

18 Jan 17'

Claire Havey reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"Beatrice is an excellent teacher, incredibly patient, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I came to her class as a complete beginner after visiting her studio during Art Weeks. Beatrice was so friendly and welcoming I just wanted to give sculpture and clay modelling a go. As a complete beginner I’ve found the classes to be really friendly and supportive. Beatrice is an excellent teacher: she sees things in your work which you weren’t aware of, and she helps you develop your skills so you end up with a really nice piece of work - something which you can be proud of. Doing the actual sculpture / clay modelling is very therapeutic and relaxing - I would recommend it to everyone as a great way to alleviate stress."

17 Jan 17'

Clare Billany reviewed: Upholstery weekly classes

"A fantastic flexible and friendly course which I can not recommend enough. I called Karen out of the blue for a chat about my project and the type of fabric I should buy, she was so friendly and helpful I enrolled straight onto the course. It's been fantastic to take along my own project, karen's very knowledgeable and tailored the sessions to what I wanted to achieve, even gave me little tasks to do before the next session, which was just what I wanted. 4/5 sessions down and I'm coming to the end of my project, I'm really going to miss it and can't wait to find the next project to move onto."

17 Jan 17'

Richard Morgan reviewed: Weekend upholstery courses - Oxfordshire & Berkshire Borders

"I really enjoyed the two day course with Philip. He is knowledgeable, informative and very patient. He really encourages you to ask questions and explains things to ensure you get the most of your time. I will definitely be hoping to move onto a bigger project and maybe attend a couple of weekends."

17 Jan 17'

Sarah Gent reviewed: Felt slippers - felt-making workshop with Debra Esterhuizen

"I loved this course... Debra is a very friendly, helpful, calm and wonderfully creative teacher. Her beautiful studio offers a wonderfully colourful and nourishing space in which time enjoy hours of crafting, with lots of materials and felts to choose from and explore. The Appleby Hub is a lovely community centre to discover, with delicious cake and lots of books to mull over in the lunch break. I highlight recommend this class, not only for the slippers but for the pleasure of sharing time and ideas with a wonderful teacher in a creative studio. I'm now seeking further opportunities to felt and also go back for another course!"

17 Jan 17'

Rikita Patel reviewed: Mindful Mosaic workshops with Dionne Ible - Bedfordshire

"This is an excellent course, highly recommend it to all you creatives out there. We booked this course for our mums birthday and she absolutely loved every minute of it. Dio"

17 Jan 17'

Louise Green reviewed: Felt slippers - felt-making workshop with Debra Esterhuizen

"Thank you for a wonderful day all round, my felt slippers that i made are beautiful and have been admired and commented on lots, Debra's tuition was very good and well explained, and the friendliness of the whole day was excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend it to others and would love to go on another course. Louise Green"

17 Jan 17'

Athena and Huon reviewed: Blacksmithing Experience Day

"I booked this as a 21st birthday present for my son. What a brilliant day. My son was beaming non stop and had a fabulous time. He was also great at it. Myself, not so good but not awful either. I too had a great day and our bounty was shown to all at the actual birthday party the following weekend with great comments received. The magic fairies were also brilliant at giving my steel an extra hit or 2 to improve the finished article! (Thanks Colin). The experience truly lived up to all the rave reviews and we took home loads. I would recommend this day to anyone and everyone."

17 Jan 17'

Ann Wilder reviewed: Copper courses run in a Blacksmiths forge - basic sheet copper skills including foldforming

"What a fantastic experience. As a group of four family members we enjoyed a wonderful fun-filled day. We learned so much from Lucille who is brilliant at teaching and encouraged us to explore the joys of making something out of copper. She helped us all individually and nothing was too much trouble. We are all delighted with our copper pieces of work and would highly recommend this course. We would love to do this again - or even the blacksmithing course as Lucille is an expert blacksmith. Her sense of humour and easy going approach made it all the more enjoyable. Loved the forge."

17 Jan 17'

Johnny Hawkes reviewed: Steam-Bending Courses in Cumbria

"it was an amazing course, intense, imaginative and very inspirational. Steam bending is the opposite to fine dovetails. Its Art + science + bodging & Charlie makes it viceral. He is a great teacher, happy to share his knowledge and considerable skills. He also likes aiming seriously downhill on a longboard. If you Feel the need for Speed and want to bend it, Charlie is ya'man"

17 Jan 17'

Hildegard Baker reviewed: Steam-Bending Courses in Cumbria

"Charlie's "Make-a-chair-in-a-day" course in June 2016 appealed to me for a number of reasons although I had some doubts whether I would actually go home with a chair which would stand up and support me. To my amazement I did! I am a practical kind of personal but without any woodworking skills so initially I felt a bit out of my depth among more experienced participants. Charlie and his assistants were always there if I needed them in order to move on to the next stage but I really appreciated the freedom to experiment and find out things for myself. There was a good, friendly atmosphere on the course which gave me the confidence to slowly but steadily complete my chair. I also really enjoyed the work environment, a massive old stone barn, overlooking the beautiful countryside of the Lake District. How better to spend a day?"

17 Jan 17'

Sandra Hopes reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"I have really enjoyed your Sculpture Workshops, I have learnt such a lot. I know I have mainly made heads, but the wealth of knowledge you have is tremendous. You have put me right many times. It all goes in though and I remember it all. The time goes really fast when we are in sessions. I look forward to making many more heads all a bit better than the last one, I look forward to the next term."

17 Jan 17'

Sally Newton reviewed: Upholstery and upcycling furniture and interiors

"Another excellent course with Lucy. Really enjoyed learning how to decoupage and Lucy's artistic eye really helped me to produce a great tray which I'm really proud of. Her knowledge is extensive and she is always so warm and helpful. Great teaching, great environment and great food!!"

17 Jan 17'

Georgina reviewed: Glass fusing class - powders and enamels

"I have just completed a glass fusing day course with Sarah and thoroughly enjoyed it. The day was well structured, there was enough information to get us up and running without being overwhelming. Sarah gave clear demonstrations of techniques and was on hand to help everyone throughout the day. I am hoping to book on to another course in the future."

17 Jan 17'

Marie Gruenewald reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"Thank you for your inspirational, excellent tuitition, Beatrice! My daughters (13 and 10) love your Sunday morning workshops! The created sculptures are amazing! Highly recommended! Best, Marie"

17 Jan 17'

Sue Sherrington reviewed: Introduction to Frame Loom Weaving

"I've just had a wonderful day weaving with Alice. There were 4 of us on the course and Alice was very attentive, which meant that we had individual help as soon as we needed it. Her instructions were very clear and I was really pleased to come home with my tapestry, and excited to do more and finish it. I have just booked onto the next course and am looking forward very much to another creative day."

17 Jan 17'

Jennie Hopkins reviewed: Clay sculpture workshops - Monday evening

"My son (13yrs) and I attended a couple of sculpture workshops last summer, and we both had a lovely time. Beatrice is brilliant at encouraging children of all ages, to really consider what they are doing, and getting the best out of them. I would recommend the workshops to anyone, they are such fun, and such an enjoyable experience."

17 Jan 17'

Linda Foster reviewed: Weekend upholstery courses - Oxfordshire & Berkshire Borders

"Really enjoyed this course and managed to get my project completed within the 2 days. Philip has great knowledge and is patient throughout the entire course. Great to see what other people are working on as well. Would definitely go back."

17 Jan 17'

Jan reviewed: Machine embroidery - stitch doodling with Julie Brand at Tigley Textiles in Worcester

"We spent a super afternoon with Julie creating a machine embroidered sampler. Julie was endlessly patient and an excellent teacher. The environment is very cosy and welcoming with beautiful examples of work everywhere you look. I would recommend this to anyone."

17 Jan 17'

Veronique Olvervfolver@gmail.com reviewed: Glass fusing class - powders and enamels

"Went to Sarah's Saturday workshop and really enjoyed it. Sarah is a great teacher and even when talking to another student saw when we needed help and was very patience with all of us. She managed to sense how proficient we each were, the class was relaxed and we all had time to make our masterpieces. The equipment was excellent and we had an abundance of paints and colours."

17 Jan 17'

Sophie Bell reviewed: Holiday ceramic sculpture workshop for children 8+ (and adults)

"Beatrice has taught my daughter Emily , and has also taught many of her friends. I can speak for them all in saying that they love doing sculpture with Beatrice, and are incredibly proud of what they produce.Although the sessions are 3 hours in length I am always amazed by how enrapt they are in what they are doing when I arrive to collect them, I have been very impressed by Emily’s progressing she’s started, I know from Emily that Beatrice is very good at teaching them the basic skills at the outset, and at encouraging them to develop their own ideas, and to have the confidence with their imagination and ways of expressing themselves. She is a very kind and patient teacher who is passionate about what she dosed I would not hesitate to recommend her."

17 Jan 17'

Rosemary Johson reviewed: Holiday ceramic sculpture workshop for children 8+ (and adults)

"Olly (18) and I SO enjoyed our morning with you yesterday and wanted to thank you very much! It was a wonderfully relaxed, happy environment with just the right amount of help and supervision. Bringing your gifts and knowledge of sculpting and teaching together meant that we benefitted greatly!"

17 Jan 17'

Sarah Guthrie reviewed: Holiday ceramic sculpture workshop for children 8+ (and adults)

"At our Home Ed group in Suffolk we organised all sorts of workshops, one of which was sculpture.Beatrice led a relaxing and enabling workshop with a group of about 20 children which managed to span all ages and abilities. She had the knack of giving non-intrusive pointers, suggestions, advice – a little tweak here and there which made the child feel as though they had come to this by themselves, An important aspect of her workshops is that she provides inspiration, a range of sources and illustrations, and without laying down a programme leaves the child to ponder and experiment with background support. However, she is also realistic and will explain what is involved in aspiring to an ambitious idea! Not afraid to point out what is going wrong and how to correct it. We all had an inspiring time and I still have a beautiful little camel made by one of the youngsters (who has gone onto be an artist – not that it is about end goals). She’s a natural teacher, patient and with a sense of humour. And – important, such a good sculptor. I envy you! wish she was still in our area,”"