We are thrilled that the community school gardens are continuing to flourish. The gardens help provide a haven for wildlife and have become an integral part of school life. Sowing, growing and maintaining crops has been going on throughout the year both in our beds as well as in our polytunnel. In the depths of Winter, we eagerly watched onions and garlic grow with students learning that these clever little plants will find a way to grow, even if planted upside down. Students loved watching the tractor in action and enjoyed learning about larger scale farming.

The swede was harvested in autumn and in early spring we made our delicious cawl together. We prepped the veg, talked about texture and flavour, but the best part was the eating, where students got to reap the rewards of their hard work. We’ve also found time to forage, with students learning about the bounties of the natural world around them. It’s a joy to find a hazelnut flower together or flick a catkin and watch the pollen float away. It’s been wonderful to see how students’ confidence has grown and to see the joy they have in working towards a shared goal. They have become bold and excited when talking about food and prepping for the CAWL project.

This project has not only taught them about growing and harvesting food but it has also introduced them to social enterprise, giving students an understanding of the importance of a circular economy. You will be delighted to know that we have some of these delicious Cawl available at the shop on a Wednesday so please come and say hello and have a taste for yourself.

Alongside our work with schools, we have also been visiting residents at Cartref Dyfi. Sowing seeds with our resident gardener Ken from the care home has been great fun and has proved to be a therapeutic outlet. Ken also tried his hand at making apple juice which was thoroughly enjoyable. Next we will be sowing pumpkins seeds with residents. The sown seeds will be taken to the school polytunnel to grow on for a field scale crop. If you would like to leave a small donation for either our CAWL or Cartref Dyfi projects, we now have an option for donations to be made on our website:

Fresco Panel Painting, with Julie Jones. Sunday 18 October, 1pm-4:30pm Approx End Time

£45.00

In stock: 4 available

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Fresco Panel Painting, with Julie Jones. Sunday 18 October, 1pm-4:30pm

You will learn to make a small fresco portable panel by applying fresh lime plaster to hessian on wood. You will also be shown alternative methods of painting on lime plaster, as well as about the materials. You will then be able to learn to paint on this portable panel, in the same method used in ancient frescoes throughout the world.

Whilst the lime plaster remains wet, you will learn different ways of making an image on your panel by painting with raw pigments suspended in water, into the fresh plaster. There are natural earth pigments, as well as a few artificially produced blues to give a full range of colour.

You will learn how to make a ‘cartoon’ from a drawing to transfer onto the plaster, as fresco painters use this because there is only a short amount of time to get the image how you would like. You also have the option to paint more freely.

Julie will help guide you find an image that means something to you, inspired by land and nature. There will be dried flowers available to paint in the workshop. Also you can choose to bring a drawing or natural object to work from along with you. Though there will be plenty of time to do this. There will be images of examples of frescos from around the world to inspire you. The panels are around 20cm square and under.

You will be shown ways to layer the pigments to create new colours and effects, to use texture with the plaster, how to apply the pigment in layers, and also shown examples of different types of fresco techniques.

Julie is a painter based in Machynlleth, who mostly works in oil on canvas. She trained in fresco painting 20 years ago with two fresco tutors who had each trained in Italy. She spent months experimenting with fresco and then undertook an art residency working with fresco with a resulting exhibition and workshops. She has been an art and design tutor at FE level, and has delivered various workshops in painting and drawing. She has more recently taught fresco painting workshops at Green Gathering Crafts field in summer 2026.

Health and Safety.

The Lime putty /Lime mortar used in fresco can burn skin and eyes. You will need to have long sleeved clothing and goggles. You can bring your own or goggles can be provided. You need to wear safety gloves such as nitrile gloves at all times when working with lime. There are nitrile gloves available (non latex). There will be aprons provided or you can bring your own. The raw pigments can also be dusty. We will take care to use these diluted. Please bring a warm layer so we can ventilate the workshop.

Paentio Panel Fresco, gyda Julie Jones. Dydd Sul 18 Hydref, 1yp–4.30yp

Byddwch yn dysgu sut i greu panel fresco bach y gellir ei gludo drwy roi plastr calch ffres ar gynfas bras (hessian) sydd wedi’i osod ar bren. Dangosir dulliau amgen o beintio ar blastr calch i chi, yn ogystal â gwybodaeth am y deunyddiau. Yna, byddwch yn dysgu paentio ar y panel hwn gan ddefnyddio’r un dull ag a ddefnyddiwyd mewn frescoau hynafol ledled y byd.

Tra bod y plastr calch yn dal yn wlyb, byddwch yn dysgu ffyrdd gwahanol o greu delwedd ar eich panel drwy beintio â pigmentau naturiol (heb eu cymysgu â rhwymwr) wedi’u hydoddi mewn dŵr, yn uniongyrchol ar y plastr ffres. Bydd pigmentau pridd naturiol ar gael, yn ogystal â rhai lliwiau glas synthetig, er mwyn darparu ystod lawn o liwiau.

Byddwch yn dysgu sut i greu ‘cartŵn’ (drafft maint llawn) o luniad i’w drosglwyddo i’r plastr; mae peintwyr fresco yn defnyddio’r dull hwn oherwydd bod cyfnod byr yn unig ar gael i greu’r ddelwedd yn ôl eich dymuniad. Mae gennych hefyd yr opsiwn i beintio’n fwy rhydd.

Bydd Julie yn eich helpu i ddod o hyd i ddelwedd sy’n ystyrlon i chi, wedi’i hysbrydoli gan y dirwedd a byd natur. Bydd blodau sych ar gael i’w paentio yn y gweithdy. Gallwch hefyd ddewis dod â lluniad neu wrthrych naturiol gyda chi i weithio ohono, ac fe fydd digon o amser i wneud hynny. Bydd delweddau o enghreifftiau o frescoau o bob cwr o’r byd ar gael i’ch ysbrydoli. Mae’r paneli tua 20cm sgwâr neu lai.

Dangosir ffyrdd i chi o osod haenau o bigmentau i greu lliwiau ac effeithiau newydd, sut i ddefnyddio gwead gyda’r plastr a sut i gymhwyso’r pigment mewn haenau; dangosir enghreifftiau o wahanol fathau o dechnegau fresco hefyd.

Mae Julie yn beintiwr sy’n gweithio ym Machynlleth, ac mae hi’n gweithio’n bennaf gydag olew ar gynfas. Hyfforddodd ym maes paentio fresco ugain mlynedd yn ôl gyda dau diwtor fresco a oedd wedi hyfforddi yn yr Eidal. Treuliodd fisoedd yn arbrofi gyda fresco ac yna ymgymryd â chyfnod preswyl artistig yn gweithio gyda’r dechneg, gan arwain at arddangosfa a gweithdai. Mae hi wedi gweithio fel tiwtor celf a dylunio ar lefel addysg bellach, ac wedi cynnal amrywiol weithdai paentio a lluniadu. Yn fwy diweddar, mae hi wedi cynnal gweithdai paentio ffresgo ym maes crefftau’r ‘Green Gathering’ yn ystod haf 2026.

Iechyd a Diogelwch.

Gall y past calch neu’r morter calch a ddefnyddir mewn ffresgo achosi llosgiadau i’r croen a’r llygaid. Bydd angen i chi wisgo dillad â llewys hir a gwisgo gogls. Gallwch ddod â’ch rhai eich hun, neu gellir darparu gogls. Mae angen gwisgo menig diogelwch, fel menig nitril, drwy’r amser wrth weithio gyda chalch. Mae menig nitril ar gael (heb latecs). Darperir ffedogau, neu gallwch ddod â’ch un eich hun. Gall y pigmentau crai fod yn llychlyd hefyd; byddwn yn cymryd gofal i’w defnyddio ar ffurf wwanedig. Dewch â haen gynnes o ddillad fel y gallwn awyru’r gweithdy.

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Fresco Panel Painting, with Julie Jones. Sunday 18 October, 1pm-4:30pm Approx End Time

Sowing Seeds in the Community

Fresco Panel Painting, with Julie Jones. Sunday 18 October, 1pm-4:30pm Approx End Time