‘Exploring Charcoal’ with artist Michael Joseph - Wednesday 19th August
‘Exploring Charcoal’ with artist Michael Joseph - Wednesday 19th August
Did you know there are 14 different ways to draw with charcoal? No - nor did we! Sculpture Garden exhibiting artist Michael Joseph knows each one - and will guide you on a fun, and experimental afternoon capturing light, shade, textures - culminating in creating studies of the sculptures within the Sculpture Garden. This workshop is perfect for all abilities - just don’t be precious about keeping your fingers clean.
Exploring Charcoal with artist Michael Joseph
Wednesday 19th August 2026
Start: 2.00pm
Finish: 5.00pm
We will begin with learning the fundamental techniques - exploring mark-making, shading and textures. Quick exercises experimenting with charcoal on paper will build your confidence with this ancient practice. The afternoon will be broken into two elements, with a break for tea, French-press coffee and scrumptious homemade cakes midway through.*
Michael will then guide you on a journey through the Sculpture Garden, suggesting fun and innovative ways in which to capture the flora and sculpture that inhabit this unique space. Along the way, prepare to be swept up in Michael’s stories - he is truly a fascinating chap!
All materials will be provided, but we would suggest either to bring an apron, or wear something that you don’t mind the odd charcoal smudge.
Perfect for all ages and abilities, but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
*vegan and gluten free options available, please select dietary requirements at check-out
Michael Joseph’s abstract work challenges our perception of normality so we see the landscape or our feelings portrayed differently. He fractures, fragments, scrambles and surprises.
“I normally work from one piece to the next, not following any set direction or expectation. The work falls out of the process of response, exploration and experimentation.”
His interest in art began less than a mile away at Wallis Wood Primary School in the 1950s. It was right here where he painted, created models, and developed a strong sense of spatial awareness, which can be seen in this sculptural work. These skills were later used in his career as a mechanical engineer and then as an airline pilot. This soon led to exhibitions in London with the Guild of Aviation Artists, where he won several awards including the Aviation Painting of the Year Award in 1987.
Today Joseph enjoys the creative process by switching between drawing, painting and sculpture, responding and editing from one work to the next.
At The Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden we of course celebrate Joseph’s sculptural work, and his latest installation engages at close range as an abstract reflecting the local surroundings and from a distance, life itself in the form of a human face.