Led by Julia Blaker, Folk Artist and Painter specialising in cut-out and sculptural painted forms, with historical insights on the practice from Asterion & Co..
Spend Thursday 16th July 2026 creating in our reimagined 16th-century Somerset farmhouse, where tradition and creativity meet, with a seated three-course lunch included.
During this one-day workshop, you’ll explore fruit as a still-life subject rich with symbolism, pleasure and rhythm. Guided first through historical context and creative confidence-building, you’ll then work closely with Julia to design and paint three distinct yet connected fruit forms, conceived from the outset as one coherent sculptural composition.
Working on pre-gessoed wooden boards, you’ll be encouraged to move between pieces, allowing colour, pattern and form to echo across the set. The focus is not realism, but character: bold silhouettes, confident colour choices, and a sense of dialogue between the three elements. After the workshop, your painted forms will be laser-cut and framed together as a single box-frame triptych.
This workshop on Thursday 16th July 2026 includes:
Expert tuition and guidance throughout the day
Heritage-Inspired Learning™ context led by Neil Crump
A four-hour masterclass with Julia Blaker
All materials prepared in advance
Laser cutting and box-frame presentation of your finished triptych
Morning refreshments, a seated three-course lunch, and afternoon tea
All abilities are warmly welcome.
Workshop Details
Date: Thursday 16th July 2026
Time: 10:00am – 14:30pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset
Pricing: £295.00 per person, (a 10% discount is available for two or more guests booking together with code TWOTOGETHER2026)
Includes: Tuition, materials, framing, lunch and refreshments
Spaces are limited to eight guests.
About Julia Blaker
Julia Blaker is a painter and folk artist known for her distinctive cut-out works that sit between painting, sculpture and illustration. Her practice is rooted in simplicity of form, strong colour relationships and a playful yet considered approach to subject matter. Julia’s work draws on traditions of folk art, modernist abstraction and narrative still life, encouraging intuitive decision-making and confident expression.
Read more about Julia in The Asterion Journal.
Your Hosts at Asterion & Co.
This course is hosted by the Asterion & Co. team at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip — a beautifully reimagined 16th-century Somerset farmhouse and working studio where heritage, making and shared learning shape the rhythm of the day.
This workshop forms part of Asterion & Co.’s Heritage-Inspired Learning™ — an approach developed by founder Neil Crump that places contemporary practice within its wider historical, cultural and material context. Rather than separating making from meaning, the framework weaves lineage, research and hands-on learning into a single, grounded experience.
Asterion & Co. brings together artists, growers and craftspeople to explore traditional skills through contemporary practice, supported by research-led context and thoughtful hospitality.
Throughout the day, the team will be on hand to offer guidance, care and insight, ensuring the experience reflects Asterion & Co.’s commitment to craftsmanship, regeneration and doing things well.
Led by Julia Blaker, Folk Artist and Painter specialising in cut-out and sculptural painted forms, with historical insights on the practice from Asterion & Co..
Spend Thursday 16th July 2026 creating in our reimagined 16th-century Somerset farmhouse, where tradition and creativity meet, with a seated three-course lunch included.
During this one-day workshop, you’ll explore fruit as a still-life subject rich with symbolism, pleasure and rhythm. Guided first through historical context and creative confidence-building, you’ll then work closely with Julia to design and paint three distinct yet connected fruit forms, conceived from the outset as one coherent sculptural composition.
Working on pre-gessoed wooden boards, you’ll be encouraged to move between pieces, allowing colour, pattern and form to echo across the set. The focus is not realism, but character: bold silhouettes, confident colour choices, and a sense of dialogue between the three elements. After the workshop, your painted forms will be laser-cut and framed together as a single box-frame triptych.
This workshop on Thursday 16th July 2026 includes:
Expert tuition and guidance throughout the day
Heritage-Inspired Learning™ context led by Neil Crump
A four-hour masterclass with Julia Blaker
All materials prepared in advance
Laser cutting and box-frame presentation of your finished triptych
Morning refreshments, a seated three-course lunch, and afternoon tea
All abilities are warmly welcome.
Workshop Details
Date: Thursday 16th July 2026
Time: 10:00am – 14:30pm
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset
Pricing: £295.00 per person, (a 10% discount is available for two or more guests booking together with code TWOTOGETHER2026)
Includes: Tuition, materials, framing, lunch and refreshments
Spaces are limited to eight guests.
About Julia Blaker
Julia Blaker is a painter and folk artist known for her distinctive cut-out works that sit between painting, sculpture and illustration. Her practice is rooted in simplicity of form, strong colour relationships and a playful yet considered approach to subject matter. Julia’s work draws on traditions of folk art, modernist abstraction and narrative still life, encouraging intuitive decision-making and confident expression.
Read more about Julia in The Asterion Journal.
Your Hosts at Asterion & Co.
This course is hosted by the Asterion & Co. team at The Old Vicarage in Leigh-on-Mendip — a beautifully reimagined 16th-century Somerset farmhouse and working studio where heritage, making and shared learning shape the rhythm of the day.
This workshop forms part of Asterion & Co.’s Heritage-Inspired Learning™ — an approach developed by founder Neil Crump that places contemporary practice within its wider historical, cultural and material context. Rather than separating making from meaning, the framework weaves lineage, research and hands-on learning into a single, grounded experience.
Asterion & Co. brings together artists, growers and craftspeople to explore traditional skills through contemporary practice, supported by research-led context and thoughtful hospitality.
Throughout the day, the team will be on hand to offer guidance, care and insight, ensuring the experience reflects Asterion & Co.’s commitment to craftsmanship, regeneration and doing things well.
