A Little Bit About Us…
Beth Morris Workshops began back in 2017 and has become a place where many adults come to learn new skills but also to meet new people. Even in a busy city like Cardiff, people can still feel isolated. When the business was founded, I was determined to do more than just teach. I wanted to create a real community, where people felt a part of something. Combining creativity with genuine friendships is so important to improving mental wellbeing and reducing loneliness. Beth Morris Workshops offers affordable workshops but also embraces the need for a balance of chat, relaxation and enjoyment in the sessions. There are no exams, moderators, homework etc that you will encounter in an academic situation - so stress levels are non-existent (for both students and tutors!)
One of the passions of Beth Morris Workshops is to make sure children of all ages foster a love of art! It is amazing to see so many young Picasso’s taking part in the art clubs after school or in the holidays. It’s especially rewarding to see the teens committed to drawing, fashion, textiles and journalling. Yes, we know maths and science are important, but hats off to these kids engaging in their own time. They’ve created their own community here at Beth Morris Workshops and we love that we are allowed to be part of it!
Beth Morris: Founder and Director
Beth Morris Workshops is clearly named after myself, Beth Morris, the founder of a little community art school based at Insole Court in Cardiff. I am an educator, creator and motivator in all things art and craft.
One of the things that makes Beth Morris Workshop stand apart from other places that offer art workshops is the true essence behind the business which is to help people and promote a positive attitude through creativity. The basis of this comes from my own story.
I took ten years off work to be a ‘stay at home mum’ to my three children. Before this I was a senior fashion lecturer and successful author of two fashion illustration books published world-wide. When my girls started school, I found it difficult to find employment as I’d been off work for so long. It was a low time for me. I lost confidence and self-belief. But I was still me. I still had the same skills (if not more!) So making a decision to create my own job was a big thing! I thank my lucky stars for every job interview that didn’t go my way....because the interview I gave myself to start a community art school was indeed the most important one, and guess what? I got the job!
Basically, I combined my creative knowledge and life skills to teach others to enjoy art and all the therapeutic qualities it possesses. Beth Morris Workshops has become a hub for wellbeing, creativity and socialising. Its a simple business, but it works. The community I have built has become a positive place for us all. The opportunities like exhibitions, commissions, tv and radio programmes that come our way have been exciting.
My favourite quote is from Albert Einstein and states “Creativity is contagious....pass it on” This sums me up really. I was made to pass on the creativity to others.
I am available to teach away from my studio too. My film Activity Days at Chapter Arts Centre are loads of fun with fantastic film inspired arts and crafts. I often teach in schools and colleges as I am PGCE qualified and trained to Masters level in art and design. I can design any workshop to suit your learning and training needs.
If you would like to attend a workshop or you would like me to run a workshop for you please email me directly info@bethmorrisworkshops.co.uk
Beth x
We’ve worked with:
Scott Euden
A Cardiffian and lover of Insole Court, Scott lives in the Vale of Glamorgan. He trained in Fine Art & Visual Culture in UWE - Bower Ashton, graduating in 1997.
Scott is an accomplished artist with his main inspiration coming from the natural landscape and his work is focuses on memory and experience - walking, hiking and camping within the natural environment of Wales and UK. A recurring motif of trees is prevalent in Scott’s body of work. However, Scott is versatile with his subject matter including portraiture, highly detailed monochrome studies and painting landscapes, seascapes and townscapes.
For his day job, Scott manages a beautiful little small-holding farm affiliated to a SEN School in Cardiff. Daily animal husbandry and organising/delivering activities onsite to develop the learning of children/ young adults with complex needs and challenging behaviour. He also has twenty years experience as a youth worker for Prince’s Trust Cymru and as an Educational Visits/Behaviour Coordinator for a local SEN school. Scott delivered personal development programmes to support young adults and children with challenging behaviour and learning/special educational needs. Scott is a natural teacher whose love of art is infectious.
Sally Durham
Sally is an experienced art educator and former Head of Art at a secondary school in Barry. She has a BA(Hons) in Textile Design from the University of Leeds and PGCE in Art and Design from Manchester.
Sally often takes a multimedia approach to her own work, using various techniques and simple stitch to explore themes. She is inspired by whatever catches her eye, be it nature, decay, photos, the urban environment or objects from the past.
Sally has a particularly good eye for colour and texture. Her own textile art explores illustration, mixed media pattern and nostalgia. She keeps experimental sketchbooks and is great at inspiring others to explore the world through art.
Following a break from teaching to bring up her two children, Sally enjoys life as a textile artist . She is excited to be back in the studio working with young people developing their creative practice as well as her own.
Kate Broadhurst
Kate is a professional artist who loves to share the joy of creativity with others. She has been teaching art both in person and online for 7 years, previously leading her own art school, Cardiff Artspace where she helped hundreds of students discover their inner artist. She has developed a calm and mindful teaching style which helps every student relax into the creative process no matter what your level of experience. In her classes you’ll find a warm welcome and lots of gentle guidance to help you gain confidence and create art you can be proud of.
Kate has been drawing and painting all her life and completed her Foundation course in Art and Design before studying Animation at University. She now works as a painter from her Cardiff studio and sells her original artworks to collectors worldwide. As well as selling her paintings directly to collectors, Kate has also exhibited her art across the UK including in the Senedd (National Assembly for Wales), The Riverfront Arts Centre, The Gate Arts Centre, Whitworth Gallery in Manchester and Barnabus Arts House. Her work has previously been shortlisted for the prestigious Jackson's Painting Prize. Kate is deeply inspired by the natural world and you can often find her sitting with a sketchbook in the woods or on a mountain! See more of her work on her website here https://www.katebroadhurst.com/
Amanda Turner
Amanda is an oil painter based in Cardiff, but she’s also an exhibiting artist, Mum, and teacher. Amanda packs a lot into her day, and that’s why she fits in perfectly as out newest valued tutor at Beth Morris Workshops. She’s got all the qualifications though…Amanda studied Philosophy and Anthropology at Swansea University and is particularly interested in the Philosophy of Art. Amanda’s paintings have explored various themes and her style continues to evolve. Last year she focused on the theme of childhood. Her collection of portraits of her own children were exhibited in multiple locations, including The Senedd, with one of the portraits being awarded first prize in the Cowbridge Open Arts competition. Her artwork is part of the permanent collection at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery.
Amanda is a natural at motivating children to explore their creativity. She has completed a huge mural project filling the corridors of a primary school. Amanda has also been a member of The Criw Celf team supporting young people for a number of years.
Amanda is exploring a more botanical theme in her painting based on mindful walks in the Welsh countryside. She has been playing with ideas of abstraction, negative spaces, memories, reflections and shadows. Amanda is so passionate about her own artistic journey and she knows how important it is to share her skills and knowledge and infectious enthusiasm, to help others find their artistic voices. There are going to be some exciting arty conversations happening!!
Emma Prentice - Holiday Tutor
Emma has been a community, visual artist for 15 years. She has run art workshops with a variety of groups for both children and adults across South Wales, within a number of settings including, schools, art clubs, youth centres, care homes, hospitals, theatres, and many other community groups. She is also trained as a Graphic Designer at Cardiff Met (BA Hons) following an Art & Design Foundation course, which she brings into some of her creative sessions combining both art and design. She also enjoys illustrating digitally and some of her illustrations have been turned into animations.
In her own art practise, she enjoys rescuing abandoned objects and giving them a new life by turning them into sculptural pieces. She collects objects from nature, skips and charity shops (and the odd thing left at the side of the road!). She is always keen to work with new materials and enjoys experimenting with a variety of approaches, always allowing her work to grow in new avenues.
Emma encourages, inspires and makes art exciting for people, whilst also promoting art and creativity as an important part of improving a personʼs well-being. Her sessions are open, fun and relaxed allowing students to find their own way, with a friendly, guiding and motivating approach.
Emma is excited by the variety of creative work she has been involved with and feels she has the best job in the world! We are so lucky to have Emma running many of our dedicated holiday workshops for children 7-16.