Calligraphy Masterclass at Hawthorn Arts

Usually, I take my children along to Diddy Art at Hawthorn Arts.

But last Saturday I was there to take over the classroom for a calligraphy workshop.

I was invited to run the three-hour session as part of Hawthorn Arts’ masterclass series.

And I’m delighted to say it was fully booked.

We rattled through the foundational hand alphabet after quickly getting to grips with the use of a calligraphy pen.

Everyone who came along was very enthusiastic and keen to develop their use of the script outside the workshops.

I definitely heard Christmas cards being mentioned!

There was also demand for more workshops, so watch this space in the new year.

Hawthorn Arts was once an arts and crafts shop, but is now a visual arts company delivering classes, workshops, creative projects and events to people of all ages and abilities.

I have known the owners, Graham and Anne Hodgson, for several years and they are passionate about what they do.

Graham is an award-winning artist, illustrator and tutor with more than 25 years of experience as a commercial artist. Some of his work is pictured below.

He runs several painting and drawing classes a week at Hawthorn Arts, which also has gallery space available for local artists to display their work.

The current exhibition is a series of watercolours by Bill Richardson, a former pitman at Westoe Colliery, who took up art as a hobby and therapy after a mining accident.

It will run at the gallery, in Westoe Road, South Shields, until November 26.

The next Hawthorn Arts masterclass is Paint a Winter Watercolour.

It will be held on Saturday, November 19, from 10.30am to 1.30pm and the cost is £20 per person.

Hawthorn Arts can be contacted on 07498 502 409, via e-mail at info@hawthornarts.com, or find them on Facebook and Twitter.