Sketch into Spring

About

Enjoy a guided walk around Mote Park with renowned local artist and author, Cas Holmes, and experienced forager and ‘wild crafter’, Becca Spain.

You’ll explore the wide variety of natural habitats in the park and learn the basics of foraging. Using some simple drawing tools you’ll make marks on paper with things you’ve foraged as you walk.

You’ll then head into the Learning Space for a tutored sketching session, led by Cas, where you’ll create a unique artwork with your foraged items.

You’re welcome to bring your own sketching materials to use on the walk, if you have them, but all materials will be provided.

 

Max 12 people. Suitable for ages 16+

Please wear suitable footwear and appropriate clothing for the weather conditions on the day.

 

About Cas Holmes

Cas Holmes at work

Cas is an artist and writer of Romani descent and is interested in the liminal, ‘in between’ spaces connecting land, people and place. Trained in fine art, her work combines mixed media with found materials and stitch, and is best described as ‘painting with cloth’.

After receiving a fine arts degree at Maidstone College of Art (UCA) further studies in textile and paper arts in Japan followed by research in India, have led to her adaptation of techniques and distinctive layering of found paper and cloth with paste, paint, and stitch as a means to process her ideas.

Cas’s publications include ‘Soulful Stitch’, co-authored with Deena Beverley, ‘Embroidering the Everyday’ and ‘Textile Landscape’.

Cas is a commissioned artist and has exhibited her work around the country.

 

About Becca Spain

Becca Spain with some of her foraged finds

​​Becca grew up on the Kentish North Downs, where her love for spending time outdoors led her to pursue an Honours degree in Natural Sciences, focusing on plant life, soils, geology, and seasonality. She is currently studying a short course in herbal medicine to further expand her knowledge.

 

During the week, Becca works as a researcher in the commercial fishing industry, focusing on responsible sourcing and sustainability—principles that reflect her own approach to harvesting and utilising natural resources.

 

Raised in a household of artists, Becca has always had a love for art, which she now incorporates into her foraging practice. She enjoys documenting her foraged finds, highlighting key identification features, and blending her artistic eye with her naturalist work.