Welcome to the Wooden House

It's taken a lot of work but we've gone from this...

via this...

to this...

Our Wooden House is finally finished.
(I'm not quite sure why it looks purple in this photo, it's actually the steely blue grey of the photo below!).


The 'wooden house' is actually a former cricket pavilion in our garden. Over the years it had become very tired and ever so slightly sideways, well actually, quite a bit sideways! When we bought the house in 2013 it was in desperate need of saving.

Jamie, with help from Eugene and our two carpenters Paul and Dave, worked so hard to carefully take it apart bit by bit, repair what could be saved and replace what couldn't, before putting it all back together. We've added insulation so we can be cosy in there even in the winter months, lovely lighting and new flooring.













The Wooden House will be the home for my workshops. As you can imagine, I'm very proud of what they've done with what was a falling down building.  Come on in and I'll show you round.

There's one large space which we've painted white, and added design walls on three sides so there's plenty of space to pin up work in progress.

There is a large adjustable table for every student which can be tilted for comfy working all day long. We have air conditioning so if it's baking hot outside, we should still be cool as cucumbers indoors.

There's a mini kitchen with the all important coffee machine and teapot! When you come to a workshop we'll provide refreshments throughout the day including a homemade lunch.

The Wooden House can accommodate 8 students but most classes will be limited to 6 so that there's plenty of space to spread out. During workshops you'll have access to lots of materials and resources including art media, print blocks, tools and equipment and reference books. In fact, for most of the workshops the only thing you'll need to bring is yourself.

My own studio will be open for students to visit on workshop days (I'll tidy up) and you will also be able to see the digital printer, and print fabrics. We'll have those for sale as well as a small selection of some carefully chosen art materials. On warmer days I hope we'll be able to eat our lunch in the garden and maybe even work outside too.

We're located in the beautiful Shropshire countryside in the heart of England. Our nearest town, Bridgnorth, an historic market town, is 3 miles away, with other attractions well worth visiting nearby such as Ironbridge, Much Wenlock, Shrewsbury and Ludlow. I can help with info on where to stay and what else to do should you want to make a weekend or even a week of it!

Today I've been getting ready for the first class 'Drawing with Rubbings' that takes place next week.
A list of other workshops can be found here. I also welcome enquiries from small groups looking for a tailor-made workshop/retreat. Just drop me a line anytime.

I look forward to welcoming you to the Wooden House Studio!
Love Laura
x

P.S. I've just re-read this before I post it, and I'm so excited to look at all these photos, to remind myself of where we started and that it's finally finished. It's such a beautiful space, thank you Jamie, Eugene, Paul, Dave, Tony, Maureen, G-G'ma, Mom and Dad and everyone else who's mucked in and helped to save the building. To be honest, I never dreamed it would be quite so lovely as this. I think I might burst with happiness!