Recapture your lost youth and bring along the whole family for an adventurous day of play and making this summer. The inventive explorer Adam Morrigan is on hand to help you make bows, arrows and headdresses, ready for some target practice later on (practice arrows only, no pointy ends – safety first!). Prepare for a rollicking good time in the great outdoors, with lashings of ginger beer. Don’t forget to bring along a picnic lunch or alternatively fill the tanks with scrummy treats from the Prema Arts Café. Swallows and Amazons forever!

Saturday 27 July 10am-4pm
Family price £30 or £28 (Friends)

If you thought crochet was all about making doilies, then think again! This creative workshop with Nina Kirkwood is about looking at crochet from a three-dimensional perspective. It’s not about making a gigantic sculpture (well not yet!!) but if you can do the basic stitches, then come and learn some more complicated ones and transform your wool into creative shapes and make practical containers, beautiful objects or sculptural imaginings. There’ll be shaping and stuffing and maybe even some wire to add a bit of strength. All the yarn provided, just bring along a 4mm crochet hook and you’re away.

£42 or £39(c) Friends £39 or £36(c)

The perfect treat for any budding palaentologist or model maker. With a bit of science, some amazing processes and lots of creativity this fantastic workshop with sculptor and animation model maker Martin Adamson is just the ticket. We will re-create and explain the fossil making process using simple moulding and casting techniques with clay and plaster. You can bring an item with you (small toy, dinosaur) or use some of Martin’s curious collection. You’ll come away with a fossilised version of your object, there should be time for some nifty paint effects too. This is stellar stuff, don’t miss out!

Ages 7+
£32 or £30 (Friends)

A knock-out summer two-day session for those with a passion for sculpture. This weekend workshop is ideal for those with little or no experience but equally suited for folks who know their way around a hammer and chisel and a block of stone. Over the two days you’ll work with sculptor Sam Makumba to create an organic, fluid form by carving from stone but if you have a specific project in mind, bring along some sketches with you. We’ll provide all the materials and tools however if you have a favourite hammer and chisel feel free to bring them along with you.

£98 or £94(c) Friends £96 or £92(c)

An absolute must for all scribblers, wanna-be graffiti-mongers and those with a passion for doodling. Spend a splendid Saturday morning with graffito empress Imogen Harvey-Lewis to discover how to grow your marks and scribbles into an amazing full-page work of genius. We’ll be diddling around with biros, pencils and loads of cool materials, discovering how to bring drawn characters to life, cartooning and how to achieve amazing effects quickly and simply. Sounds tops, innit? Sign up now!

Ages 8-13
£20 or £18 (Friends)

Here’s a real treat as we head towards the summer hols. With wonderful willow sculptor Helen Lomberg discover how to create fantastic structures for indoor or outdoor play using willow and heaps of other interesting materials. Together on this sunny afternoon we’ll make large panels in family groups, learning essential weaving and construction techniques. Then put them all together to make a giant structure to house all the kids in Prema’s garden, just in time for a well-earned cuppa for the grown-ups and some den playing for the little ones. You’ll be taking enough materials home to make your own smaller version later, leaving behind the enormous structure for others to enjoy over the hazy days of summer ahead. Look out for Swallows and Amazons later this month.

Sunday 7 July 2-5pm
Family price £28 or £25 (Friends)

For anyone who’s caught the quilting bug, here’s a chance to stop in every couple of months and spend a day with quilting friends, learn a new cutting technique and piece together two original block designs created by the very lovely Anna Ryan. We will be running six of these sessions over the next year. You can choose to come along to one or two or embark on a year long commitment, it’s totally up to you. The blocks are the perfect size to make great cushion covers, and could be used for all sorts of projects. Should you choose to do all six you will have twelve amazing 20” square blocks that will fit together beautifully to make a large quilt. The patterns will be different each time, so keep an eye out for what’s coming up next. Full materials list available on request and on the website. Machines are provided, but you can bring your own if you prefer.

£38 or £35(c) Friends £36 or £33(c)

Materials:

If you are coming to one workshop only you will need 2 fat quarters* and 2 fat eighths of complementary fabrics – a mixture of patterns and colours to your liking. You also need 1/2 metre of a plain background fabric. This is enough to make two 20 inch square blocks.

If you plan to subscribe to all 6 of the Quliting Bi-monthly sessions you will need, in total, 12 fat quarters of complementing patterns and 3.5 metres of background fabric.

These sessions are about making pieced blocks – therefore no wadding or backing fabric is required at this stage.

You will go away from each workshop with a pdf of Anna’s two original designs to make again at home.

There will be a workshop following the last of the six workshops available to book on for those who would like to put the blocks together and quilt a large quilt.

* A fat quarter is one quarter of a square yard of fabric, cut to about 18 x 22 inches or about 50 x 55 cm. It is ideal for quilters as it gives a larger square piece rather than a long strip.

A brilliant workshop for one parent plus one child over the age of seven to work together with sculptor Val Adamson in creating a 3D portrait of one another. Observe one another and with Val’s encouragement and technical know-how, learn to how translate the head and face of those you know and love into a half-life size piece to cherish back at home. The principles used here are those needed when drawing a portrait – measuring, replicating what you see and trying to capture the essence of the person behind the face. Today’s session is about learning new skills but with plenty of fun into the bargain. All work is made with self-hardening clay so there’s no need to worry about any kiln casualties. Go on, you’ll love it and will create a family heirloom on this summer Sunday session. Price includes all materials and equipment.

Sunday 30 June 10am-4pm
Family price £35 or £33 (Friends)

Prema is delighted to have once again joined forces with Stroud Life and Clifton Cameras. Together we’re setting a challenge to all budding photographers in the Five Valleys and Severn Vale to think creatively with their cameras. Look out in the Stroud Life newspaper for details of how to enter the competition as well as gaining some great ideas from their ‘Stunning Stroud’ feature pages.

The competition runs in the publication throughout the first three weeks in May with competition entries limited to three age categories: Juniors (under 11s) Seniors (ages 11-18) and Adults (18+) who will be invited to respond to the broad theme of ‘Inspiration & Imagination’. Our expert panel of judges will narrow down the photos after which you can cast you own vote via Stroud Life. The finalists’ work will then be exhibited here at Prema from 24 June when you’re warmly invited to take part in voting for your favourite work.

A great opportunity to see some of the very finest photography from happy snappers in our local area – if last year’s entries were anything to go by then we can look forward to some truly stunning images!

John Curtis is a Bristol-based artist who studied art & design at Brunel College followed by creative advertising at Falmouth. In 2001, after a break from Creative Arts, John recommenced his love affair with painting, selling his artwork to friends and family. In 2008 he held his first solo exhibition at SevernShed and since then has exhibited around the region. John’s work ranges from abstract paintings inspired by mood and surroundings through to large illustrations in black and white, created with twisting patterns and intense detailing. He is inspired science, nature and his surroundings. He uses various media (spray paint, acrylics) and loves to experiment to produce his paintings and illustrations that have a distinctive style, strong patterns and detailing.

His Prema exhibition features his “Curious Creations” which are produced using spray paint and inks, on canvas or cardboard. His characters are created via blobs and splashes of paint, some purposely dripped onto the canvas, thus creating characters – each one uniquely different and having their own particular personality.

www.johncurtisart.co.uk