Spring Creative Courses

Have you ever fancied taking up a new hobby? Learning a new skill? Satisfying those creative urges now that spring is upon us? A new endeavour for a new season!

We have ceramics courses; for the newbie or the more advanced potter, we have lino printing, silversmithing, photography and photoshop courses. Something for pretty much everyone.

Our 'Introduction: Working With Clay' course starts on Thursday 12th April 2018 from 1pm - 4pm, every Thursday. It is a new and exciting way to introduce adult learners to a broad range of pottery techniques and suitable for both beginners and those looking to improve their skills. With access to our excellent pottery department, you'll be able to use potter's wheels, separate glazing and kiln room; we also have a Raku kiln which will enable you to experience this unique firing technique. 

During your final week of the course, you'll get the opportunity to take part in a small exhibition within a professional gallery space - invite all your family and friends to see how amazing your work is!

If you've already had a spin on a potter's wheel and would like to improve your skills we also have the Advanced Ceramic Techniques course starting on Monday 9th April 2018 at 6pm - 9pm, every Monday.

During these 7 weeks, you'll study in our well-equipped studio with access to a glazing and kiln room, and a Raku kiln which will allow you to practice unique firing techniques. Our experienced tutors will provide individual support to help you develop and refine your hand-built and wheel-thrown creations.

As with the Introduction course, you'll get the opportunity to take part in an exhibition in a professional gallery space. Such an exciting opportunity!

The cost of these 7 week courses are £185. To book your place, email hello@weststudios.co.uk or call 01246 500799.

Silversmithing and Jewellery Making Course

Oooh! Jewellery! If you're anything like me and very picky about how your jewellery should look, why not design and make some of your own? Starting on Tuesday 10th April from 9am - 12pm, every Tuesday, this 10 week course will guide you through the traditional craft of Silversmithing to create wonderful pieces of art and wearable pieces of jewellery. The sessions are suitable for all abilities as one-to-one guidance will be provided throughout.

At college we have some of the best facilities in the area; you'll learn in our specialist workshops, covering units such as silversmithing materials, jewellery techniques and silversmithing processes.

This course also runs on Thursday evenings, 6pm - 9pm, each Thursday, for 10 weeks.

The cost of these 10 week courses are £205. To book your place, email hello@weststudios.co.uk or call 01246 500799.

An introduction to Print: Collagraph & Lino. This course starts on Thursday 12th April, every Thursday.

This is our new 5 week course running on a Thursday evening, 6pm-9pm at a cost of £135. Work with print specialist and explore the print room, focusing on Collagraph and Lino. This intro course will build your confidence and give you experience working with different print techniques. This course is ideal for beginners who are looking to learn new intaglio and stencil techniques. During this course you’ll be guided by our expert tutors who can provide one-to-one support and offer advice.

To book your place email hello@weststudios.co.uk or call us on 01246 500799

We also have Intermediate level Print: Lino, Collagraph & Mono which starts on Thursday 17th May, every Thursday.

For those who have tried printmaking before, work with our print specialist to create more complicated and focused pieces using these 3 techniques. A 5 week course running a Thursday evening, 6pm-9pm. During this course you’ll work closely with our experienced tutors to learn new lino, collograph and mono skills. 

To book your place on the course email us hello@weststudios.co.uk or call 01246 500799

Our Photography course will start on Monday 9th April, every Monday from 6pm - 9pm. This 10 week course is ideal for both beginners and those looking to build on their existing skills. During the sessions you'll develop your photography skills and knowledge through hands-on practical experience using our extensive digital andtraditional phptography facilities, including our very own dark room.

Our industry-experienced tutors will guide you through modules including photography materials, camera techniques, dark room and print processes, didtial editing, studio work, experimenting with light and creative practice.

With access to basic materials and cameras provided, this is a great opportunity. 

The cost of this 10 week course is £190. To book your place, email hello@weststudios.co.uk or call 01246 500799

We also offer a 10 week course on Photoshop. This course is designed to complement your interests and equip you with the skills you'll need to excel in digital design, photo editing and image manipulation. Studying in our specialist editing suite you'll use our state-of-the-art equipment to focus on cloning and stamping, image resolution, retouching, montage, filters and sharpening.

This 10 week course starts on Monday 9th April, every Monday at a cost of £190. To book your place, email hello@weststudios.co.uk or call 01246 500799.

We hope to see you at a new course very soon - new season, new hobby!

Beyond the Lens with Happy World Photography

Over the past few months we have been working with Amanda McConnell, a photographer based in chesterfield, for her upcoming exhibition. We sat down with Amanda to get an insight into her life, her inspirations, and what been creative means to her.

What is your upcoming exhibition’s name?

"My exhibition is called Beyond the Lens with Happy World Photography… ‘it’s not what you look at, but what you see’"

Tell us more about yourself, what careers and jobs did you have before owning your own photography business?

"I've always been a creative person, with art and textiles being my favourite subjects at school. I wanted to be an interior designer when I left school but when this was discouraged as a career choice, I decided to follow a course in Business Studies & Economics at college whilst I worked two part time jobs as a waitress in a tearoom and a checkout assistant in Morrisons.

Going to college opened up a new world of opportunities for me when I saw a poster recruiting au pairs to work in the USA. I was only 18 but the thought of travelling to a different part of the world to work, filled me with excitement and once I get an idea in my idea, that's it! I had the time of my life socialising, meeting new people and travelling around the States. Looking back, having that freedom at 18 is something I'm very thankful for, as the world feels like a different place now. My time in the States helped me realise how much I loved working with children, so after 18 months, I returned home and found myself starting a career in Social Work, working with families whose children were at risk of being taken into care.

Over the following 6 years I worked with a diverse range of people who needed the support of social services, including Adults with Disabilities, before leaving to work in Adult & Community Education where I developed and delivered accessible learning programmes for the long term unemployed, in partnership with private tutors and FE Colleges. Before leaving to start a family nearly 10 years ago, I had moved to Loughborough University where I worked as a Consultant with a group of businesses looking at ways that we could bridge the gap between industry and education, through identifying the higher level skills needs within management teams that could be met through bespoke HE courses Before I left to have my son and subsequently start my own photography business and MOTUS Women Entrepreneurs Network, I had a varied career helping others in the areas they needed support. Nothing has changed there, as I'm still doing this, but now working with businesses who need unique images that positively impact their business through social media and online marketing. Photography will always be in my heart as it makes my soul sing when I know I've created something that others love too! "

How long have you been a practising professional?

"I’ve had my photography business as a professional Commercial Brand Photographer for over 5 years working with clients in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire."

 Where do you draw your inspiration from?

"What inspires me the most with the images I capture as part of my Happy World Photography business, is nature and beautiful parts of our world where there’s breathtaking sunsets, stunning  landscapes, amazing architecture and delightful flora and fauna. All the images I create have something about them that make you smile and they evoke happy, thoughtful feelings when you look at them, which is why I wanted to call my business Happy World Photography!"

What made you decide to peruse your passion and build a business from it?

"When I turned 40, I felt like I’d reached a crossroads in my life after leaving a well paid job as a Consultant at Loughborough University two years previously to be a stay at home mum to my son who is now 8. It was at this point that I started reading lots of personal development books, some of them the inspirational kind, written by women who had either been made redundant or who had voluntarily left their paid employment to start their own business that they’d set up to work around their family commitments, and that was the start of my journey to where I am now. Having had a passion for photography since I studied it at college in the days of film and dark room processing when I was 16, I knew that if I set up my own business, photography is what I would do, but it was the wonderful support and encouragement from my amazing husband that gave me the courage and determination to take that leap of faith. I remember him saying to me ‘you don’t want to die having regrets so go for it’! And I've never looked back... he's my rock, my soul mate and my 3rd ear!"

What made you chose West Studios when deciding where you should exhibit your work?

"You instantly feel like you’re in a warm, friendly and welcoming environment when you walked through the doors to West Studios. Hannah & Joby are always very helpful and nothing is too much trouble. I love the feel, space, natural light and white walls inside West Studios which is a perfect environment for my Happy World Photography Exhibition."

Beyond the Lens with Happy World Photography will be available for the public to view from Friday 9th March until Friday 6th April. Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 1pm

February Room Hire Deal

For room hire in February, March and April you can receive 10% off if booked before February 28th. To receive this discount you need to give the code 'RH10' when booking. More information on our rooms, including sizes and standard room rates, click here.

To enquire about a room call 01246 500 799 or email hello@weststudios.co.uk.

Terms & Condition’s

-This 10% discount cannot be used with any other quotes or discounts

-Discount code 'RH10' must be provided when booking the room, providing this code after booking will not give you the 10% discount.

-The 10% discount only applies to rooms booked in February, March and April and must be booked before February 28th 2018

-Only applies to bookings in our standard booking hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30am-6pm, Saturday's 10am - 1pm). Quotes for Saturday and Sunday bookings, as well as extended hours are available upon request.

-The 10% discount only applies to the cost of the room and refreshments. Other catering, such as lunches, are not included in the 10% discount.