In this workshop, Ashley blended art and nature – a perfect fit for the location. The students toured the art galleries to look for and discuss examples of nature represented in visual art (e.g. the symbolism in Dutch still life painting). They then had a behind-the-scenes tour of Natural History’s section of birds. There, the students had access to thousands of bird specimens from around the world. Each student selected a few birds to study in detail and draw from. Back in the art studio, students learned how to make a repeating pattern, inspired by Ashley’s own signature style for representing flora and fauna, and very much inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement.
