Look up and let your imagination soar! ☁️ Just like Constable, you'll study the ever-changing sky... but what shapes can you see? Turn fluffy clouds into animals, fruit, fantastical creatures—anything you can imagine. Begin with playful sketching exercises, then collect leaves and plants from Gainsborough's Garden to create magical cyanotype prints using the power of...
This year Suffolk Archives are working with Ipswich Museums on their Constable 250 project, celebrating the 250th anniversary of John Constable. They are delivering a community outreach programme across the county using our Archives on Tour trailer which is making its way to Sudbury! The trailer is fitted out with a display about Constable, his...
Take part in an immersive playscape inspired by John Constable. Brought to you by Make Play and Colchester + Ipswich Museums. Make Play invites children aged 0-5 and their families to explore Constable’s Garden, a brand new, hands-on and immersive playscape inspired by the artwork of John Constable. Children can wander, crawl, climb, and play in a...
Explore our garden and discover the inspiring sculptures of Helaine Blumenfeld. Paint colourful pebbles, create your own nature-inspired artworks, and leave your creative mark in the garden. Experiment with shape, texture and sculpture as you discover how artists use the natural world as their canvas. Browse all our Tom's Tuesday Summer Holiday Programme 2026 sessions: 21...
This workshop will explore the creative potential of the cyanotype process. Over the course of the day you will create a series of handmade artist concertina books inspired by the beautiful Gainsborough’s House garden. Cyanotype printmaking is an early photographic process that uses sunlight to create richly detailed blue prints without a camera. You will...
Meet the fascinating characters behind Thomas Gainsborough's famous portraits. Explore the gallery before creating your own royal-inspired masterpiece using collage and collagraph printing techniques. Layer recycled textures, experiment with ink, and enjoy plenty of messy, creative fun as you print a collection of bold and beautiful portraits to take home. Browse all our Tom's Tuesday...
Discover the beautiful silk patterns hidden within Gainsborough's House! Explore the Sudbury Silk Room, learn about pattern making, and enjoy a guided tour of Thomas Gainsborough's original home and gallery. Inspired by the stunning fabrics on display, head to the Landscape Studio to experiment with the magical art of marbling and create your own colourful...
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....
Join us for a relaxed one day workshop that’s perfect for beginners and anyone eager to explore a freer, more spontaneous way of making art. Monotype printmaking is a very immediate and intuitive process in which unique prints are produced by adding and/or subtracting ink from a plate which is then printed onto paper. In...
Step into the world of one of Britain's greatest artists at Gainsborough's House this Heritage Open Weekend. Enjoy free entry to the historic house and garden, where you can explore the very rooms in which Thomas Gainsborough lived. Discover the story of his life and art in beautifully restored eighteenth-century surroundings. Nestled among the greenery,...
On this two–day course, you will learn the art of wood engraving from recognised expert, Anne Desmet RA. As well as fine-line engraving on a variety of end-grain woods using a wide range of bespoke tools, Anne will teach hand burnishing on Japanese papers, printing with a press, and will introduce the creative possibilities of...
Inspired by Thomas Gainsborough's lifelong love of nature, Gainsborough's House continues its Art and Landscape programme this season with a celebration of Constable 250. The event coincides with the solo exhibition, Land, Sky, Light: New Landscapes by David Dawson, currently on display at Gainsborough's House. This special panel discussion explores themes at the heart of...
