If you've ever stood in front of a painting and wanted someone brilliant to help you understand why it moves you, Susan Owens is exactly the person you need in the room. An evening in her company promises to be anything but ordinary. Formerly Curator of Paintings at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Susan Owens...
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....
Make the most of the summer holidays at Gainsborough’s House, where creativity, discovery and family fun come together in the heart of Suffolk. Throughout the school break, families are invited to enjoy Tom’s Tuesdays, a weekly drop-in programme packed with hands-on activities inspired by art, nature and imagination. See the full summer holiday programme here. ...
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...
