In this one-day workshop, participants will paint a medium sized still life oil painting based on a selection of genuine archaeological artefacts dating from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. These objects come from teaching collections used in excavations and will be available for close observation throughout the day.

The focus of the workshop is on careful analysis, painting from life and adding a creative flair that further describes the historical object. Rather than producing strict archaeological illustration, the aim is to create an expressive still life that responds to the form, surface and history. Participants will choose an artefact that interests them and develop a painting to take home.

Madaline Harris-Schober (PhD) is an archaeologist who has worked on excavations in the Middle East and Europe, and research relating to ancient material culture of the Eastern Mediterranean. She will demonstrate a tonal approach to painting, focusing on value, structure and atmosphere, while encouraging students to bring their own interpretation to the subject.

The day will include a discussion about the archaeological objects, a short demonstration, guided work time and individual feedback. Participants will leave with a finished still life painting and a new way of looking at objects from the ancient world.

Suitable for painters with some basic experience working in oil paint.

Presented as part of Imprint: What Remains, this workshop complements Madaline Harris-Schober's exhibition Ancient Nostalgia: Mourning Paintings That Could Have Been.