Past Events

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO COLOUR

What is colour? What does it mean? And how has it shaped our art and history? In this talk, Cambridge art historian and BBC broadcaster James Fox explores the extraordinary history of colour, from cave paintings all the way through to contemporary art.

Diving deep into the colours of black, red, yellow, blue, white, purple and green, he'll range across the world and through time, to reveal the meanings that have been attached to the colours we see around us and the ways these have influenced our culture and imagination.

BOOK NOW TO AVOID MISSING THIS OPPORTUNITY

This day is designed as a masterclass in the morning and an afternoon workshop. You will have the opportunity to learn about being a printmaker and to develop your lino skills with artist and illustrator Hannah Firmin.

The day will begin with a talk by Hannah about her life as an artist and illustrator.

Hannah trained at Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art and was tutored by such people as Susan Einzig, Quentin Blake and Sheila Robinson amongst others. For many years she has worked as a freelance Illustrator working for publishers, magazines and design groups all over the world. Hannah always used a ‘hand printed’ technique for the artwork, developing a specific style using woodcuts, linocuts and collage.

We will then have a short masterclass with discussion and the ability to look through Hannah's work in her portfolios.

After lunch there will be a lino-printing workshop with places limited to 10 people.

The lunch break is a great opportunity to go and see our exhibition The Printed Line in our gallery on the 2nd floor which features over 40 printed works from the Arts Council Collection.

Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong, Hay-on-Wye's most infamous citizen and the only solicitor ever to be hanged in Britain, was executed 100 years ago for murdering his wife Katherine and attempting to kill Hay's other solicitor Oswald Martin. People certainly seemed to become ill after falling out with Armstrong. But did he do it and did he receive a fair trial? The Poisonous Solicitor uncovers new evidence about the dapper little major whose case absorbed newspaper readers across the world and intrigued writers including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.

Stephen Bates is a former journalist who worked for the BBC, Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and latterly the Guardian for more than 30 years and now writes books instead at his home in Kent.

Stephen will be signing books after the event.

THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT

Please enter the Castle from Oxford Road or through the ancient gates from the Market carpark as the Honesty Bookshop door will be locked.