Previous Workshops
calligraphy, painting, pastels, booklet making
Dorien first began teaching calligraphy in 1983 and continued until 2016. She taught in a vast plethora of settings, for varying age groups and abilities, including many Women’s Institutes in England and Scotland, a College for Further Education, at a Steiner School, “Have a Go!” with Visitors on Holy Island of Lindisfarne, after school clubs at Belford Middle School, interactive ‘forms and letters’ groups in the first schools.
Other settings included: Community group at Lowick, Calligraphy with children Berwick upon Tweed Community Centre, Origami with children in the Saturday Club at Berwick upon Tweed Community Centre, Celtic Knot Work at Bedes World with the Northumbrian Scribes in Jarrow, calligraphy with Community groups at Cornhill on Tweed, private tuition at Kelso, Interactive moving, dance, forms, lettering at Ford Castle to young adults with additional needs, Making Christmas cards, gifttags and presents at several village halls in the Borders, Celtic Art “hands on” workshop to American architects at Lady Waterford Hall Gallery, groups of young people and adults with additional needs, Victorian lettering at Manderston House supporting Channel 4’s popular series ‘Upstairs, downstairs’, ‘weekends away calligraphy’ at the Estate House Guesthouse Ford & Etal.
Dorien’s daily motto is: yes it is important to practise, but DO something with it! Create a card, a line, a bookmarker, a Christmas card, a poem, a gift tag ……and it worked, Dorien saw partakers’ skills as well as her own skills continue to improve and develop!
Petal n Paper
2007-2015
Petal n Paper was a calligraphy workshop and shop that thrived for over 7 years in the middle of a quiet sleepy picturesque Victorian village, attracting many repeat visitors. In Petal n Paper Dorien sold the produce of some 35 local crafters and artists, like Mary Ann Rogers, Katriina Marrin, Kate Philp, Robert Turnbull, Jane Jackson, Scott Robertson, Helen Astley, as well as her own works, but the main emphasis was on workshops, that taught:
lettering, calligraphy, Celtic knotwork, bookbinding, Japanese binding, pastel drawing, painting and paper making.
Several guest teachers were regularly invited for photography, origami, bookbinding, machine sewing, quilling and more.
The speciality shone through in that visitors could come into the shop, whilst the workshop sessions were ongoing. It proved an extra attraction to the village, as well as people meeting each other in a relaxed environment and visiting to participate in the wonderful workshops.
Take a look at Dorien’s anecdotal blog to learn more about her time at Petal n Paper.
