• Introduction to Screen Printing with Photo Emulsion Stencils

    with Patsy Rathbone Screen printing is sometimes called serigraphy or silk screen printing but all these names refer to the same basic method of creating an image on paper or fabric by pushing ink through a screen mesh with areas blocked off by stencils. Photo emulsion is a light sensitive coating used to create accurate...

  • Tom’s Tuesday – Shapes and Silhouettes

    Join us for a fun-filled Tom's Tuesday event where your family gets creative with the magic of silhouettes! Once a popular way to tell stories in Thomas Gainsborough's time, this craft transforms simple cut-out shapes into playful, backlit tales using light and shadow. Let your child's imagination lead the way, cutting shapes, creating stories, and...

  • Masterpieces from Kenwood: The Splendour of British & French Painting

    This exhibition represents a unique opportunity to see masterpieces from Kenwood House featuring six by Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88), including two of his most iconic paintings, Mary, Countess Howe (c. 1764) and Lady Brisco (c. 1776). This exciting exhibition also includes work by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–92), George Romney (1734–1802), Angelica Kauffman (1741–1807), Jean-Baptiste Pater (1695–1736)...

  • Katherine Jones RA: Fine Ladies and Gentle Men

    Katherine Jones is a contemporary printmaker and painter who brings together complex narratives based on literary influences and natural forms. Using a wide range of techniques, her rich and layered surfaces often reflect ideas about safety and danger, with archetypal motifs of domesticity and nature. Elected as an RA in 2022, Jones is a widely...

  • Life Drawing with Sue Marsdon – 3 May 2025

    Join Sue Marsdon with the life drawing group on the first Saturday of every month. Enjoy a full day of life drawing at Gainsborough's House with lots of different poses throughout the day. While Sue will suggest some poses and techniques, this session is untutored, and therefore best suited to those with some drawing experience....

  • Dusting off the Eighteenth Century with Ian Griffiths, Max Mara

    Join us to celebrate the opening of our new season including the launch of our exhibition, Masterpieces from Kenwood: the Splendour of British & French Painting. There have been various revivals, but in the early 1980s, the eighteenth century was the height of fashion. On the post-punk scene, young people, including Ian Griffiths, posed and...

  • Masterpieces from Kenwood Breakfast Tour – 14 May 2025

    We're thrilled to welcome back our Keeper of Art and Place, Emma Boyd for a very special Breakfast Tour... Join us to discover the story behind our exhibition, Masterpieces from Kenwood: the Splendour of British & French Painting. We will be exploring the Timothy & Mary Clode Gallery containing British artworks of the eighteenth century,...

  • Portrait of Jewels: Following Missing Treasures through Canvas

    This lecture unravels the extraordinary journeys of lost and rediscovered treasures, offering a captivating glimpse into the shifting tides of power, fashion, and fortune throughout history. What inspired Andrew to create this talk was a visit to the National Portrait Gallery. Seeing all the Tudor, Stuart and Hanoverian monarchs dressed in their finery, he wondered...

  • Tom’s Tuesday – Nature Makers: Print & Photo Fun for Families – 27 May

    Join us for a day of creativity inspired by nature! Celebrate the beauty of the natural world with fun photography and printmaking activities for all ages – perfect for families.  Taking inspiration from our stunning garden and the organic forms featured in our newly displayed exhibitions, including: Masterpieces from Kenwood, Katherine Jones: Fine Ladies and...

  • Solarplate Introductory Print Workshop with Susie Turner

    10am–4pm This two-day workshop will introduce participants to an innovative and versatile method of fine art printmaking using sunlight and water. Solarplate describes the process of printmaking from light sensitive plates that have been exposed to daylight or an artificial source of UV light. The plates are developed in tap water and can be used...

  • Life Drawing with Sue Marsdon – 7 June 2025

    Join Sue Marsdon with the life drawing group on the first Saturday of every month. Enjoy a full day of life drawing at Gainsborough's House with lots of different poses throughout the day. While Sue will suggest some poses and techniques, this session is untutored, and therefore best suited to those with some drawing experience....

  • The Watering Place café – A Taste of England with Toppesfield Vineyard

    Join us for an evening of pure indulgence... We are thrilled to announce The Watering Place café's upcoming event, A Taste of England in collaboration with Jane and Peter from Toppesfield Vineyard, Halstead. They will be showcasing and sharing stories of their award-winning wine made from Bacchus grapes; kissed under the East Anglian sun. You'll...