18 September - Linda Rudkin Workshop

Following her excellent talk on "Colours from Nature", Linda Rudkin returned in September to teach a class on Flower Pounding. This is not a new technique but Linda felt that it had greater potential than simply producing blobs of colour and has developed a method of producing very realistic renditions of flowers and leaves.

Linda with an example of her own work, courtesy of Linda Rudkin

The supply list for the class was refreshingly short, but a hammer and earplugs are among the more unusual items that I have taken to an EG workshop. With the tables festooned with flowers and leaves gathered from our gardens (and those of our neighbours) and a bunch or two from the supermarket, this was perhaps the prettiest workshop I have attended.

The tables were covered with flowers and leaves, courtesy of Linda Rudkin

After a brief but thorough demonstration we set about pounding our flowers and soon expressions of delight could be heard, even over the hammering, as the colours transferred from the petals to the fabric. During the morning we ‘sampled’ the plant materials we had brought with us, discovering which worked well and how the colours altered by the process.

It's Hammer Time, courtesy of Linda Rudkin

Photograph by Linda Rudkin

After lunch, which was eaten outside in the warm September sunshine, we got more adventurous and created little floral pictures.

Photograph by Linda Rudkin

Before the class ended, Linda found time to teach us ‘flower trapping’ and showed us how this could be used to make our work more dimensional.


Having enjoyed her talk so much, there was high expectation that this class would be as enjoyable and we were not at all disappointed.