This blog is an attempt to explain the importance I attach to anything that allows people to express themselves creatively. It also tries to explain my passion for nature and the world that surrounds us and my conviction that specific activities can be taught that will help people increase their creativity and help improve their environment.
We should start with our children. Primary school pupils, for example, are quite capable of learning a wide range of simple indoor and outdoor skills which will allow them to express themselves and enable them to relate more fully to their surroundings and to their community.
It is these ideas which have led to my enthusiasm - and availability as an artist and a therapist - for working within a community. I enjoy teaching pupils gardening and food growing skills, organising outdoor Forest Schools and carrying out workshops on several traditional crafts.
As for qualifications, I am a Heriot-Watt’s graduate in Art and Design and I finished my post graduate work in Poland. I have since obtained a diploma in Art Therapy and I am a qualified Forest School leader. I am also a member of the Forest Education Initiative in East Lothian.
At present I work for the Edinburgh Bridgend Allotment Community Health Project – BACHIP - as an outreach worker for schools and the community.
I also work for the East Lothian Art Services and am at present involved in a series of projects with them including workshops on mask and puppet making as well as prop designing for school plays.
I have also enjoyed annual felt-making workshops for the Four Winds and at festivals such as the Traquair Fair.
Other projects include garden design workshops for Blue Triangle and felt making with the Pennypit Women’s Group. I have been a leader in the Active Arts at the Brunton for the past three years. I also work as a practitioner and on a consultancy basis for Grounds for Learning in many schools in Edinburgh and in both West and East Lothian.
My recent work for Roots and Fruits was the transformation of a derelict piece of land into a productive garden. This project came to the attention of BBC Scotland and was filmed by the Beechgrove Garden team. The project won me a Fellowship with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust which allowed me to travel to Cuba to study their unique system of sustainable urban agriculture.
I have also written articles on related subjects which were published in the Reforesting Scotland Journal, the Diet Project Newsletter and the Sustainable Education Newsletter.
If you wish for further information on any of the topics mentioned above please follow the appropriate LINKS shown on the right.
You can also contact me directly at: karin@karin28.wanadoo.co.uk
We should start with our children. Primary school pupils, for example, are quite capable of learning a wide range of simple indoor and outdoor skills which will allow them to express themselves and enable them to relate more fully to their surroundings and to their community.
It is these ideas which have led to my enthusiasm - and availability as an artist and a therapist - for working within a community. I enjoy teaching pupils gardening and food growing skills, organising outdoor Forest Schools and carrying out workshops on several traditional crafts.
As for qualifications, I am a Heriot-Watt’s graduate in Art and Design and I finished my post graduate work in Poland. I have since obtained a diploma in Art Therapy and I am a qualified Forest School leader. I am also a member of the Forest Education Initiative in East Lothian.
At present I work for the Edinburgh Bridgend Allotment Community Health Project – BACHIP - as an outreach worker for schools and the community.
I also work for the East Lothian Art Services and am at present involved in a series of projects with them including workshops on mask and puppet making as well as prop designing for school plays.
I have also enjoyed annual felt-making workshops for the Four Winds and at festivals such as the Traquair Fair.
Other projects include garden design workshops for Blue Triangle and felt making with the Pennypit Women’s Group. I have been a leader in the Active Arts at the Brunton for the past three years. I also work as a practitioner and on a consultancy basis for Grounds for Learning in many schools in Edinburgh and in both West and East Lothian.
My recent work for Roots and Fruits was the transformation of a derelict piece of land into a productive garden. This project came to the attention of BBC Scotland and was filmed by the Beechgrove Garden team. The project won me a Fellowship with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust which allowed me to travel to Cuba to study their unique system of sustainable urban agriculture.
I have also written articles on related subjects which were published in the Reforesting Scotland Journal, the Diet Project Newsletter and the Sustainable Education Newsletter.
If you wish for further information on any of the topics mentioned above please follow the appropriate LINKS shown on the right.
You can also contact me directly at: karin@karin28.wanadoo.co.uk
