Learning to See (with Ruskin) online sessions 2025/6

6th September 2025, 4th October 2025, 1st November 2025, 6th December 2025, 3rd January 2026, 7th February 2026, 7th March 2026, 4th April 2026, 2nd May 2026
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Introduction

What happens when we pause long enough to truly see the world around us?

This gentle, monthly workshop series, at 2pm (UK time) on the first Saturday of every month, from September 2025 to May 2026, invites you to slow down and look closely—at leaf and lichen, cloud and stone, light and shadow. Guided by the spirit of John Ruskin and his belief that learning to draw is above all a way of learning to see, Learning to See offers a welcoming space for anyone, regardless of skill level, to deepen their connection to the natural world through careful observation and creative practice.

Inspired loosely by Ruskin’s The Elements of Drawing, the series will blend drawing with a wide range of creative responses, which might include walking, watercolour and colour mixing, photography, mapping, and reading.

SESSION LEADERS

Sessions run on the first Saturday of each month; artist, writer and Companion Kateri Ewing opened the series in September and October, setting the tone for an experience rooted in reverence, presence, and accessibility. Artists Julian Perry, Robert Newall and Doris Rohr are all guest session leaders in the series.

Together, we’ll explore how attentive seeing can rekindle our sense of wonder—and how wonder can lead us toward care.

Join us for 90 minutes of shared observation, practice, discussion, and community each month, and discover how small, mindful acts of attention can become a daily rhythm of creative noticing.

All are welcome; if you would like to join us, please register for these free sessions via Eventbrite here: 

You should be sent the Zoom link for each session by email in the week of each session, and it is also available further down this page

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EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS

We suggest that attendees have the following materials to hand:

1. Ordinary A4 plain white printer-paper or similar (several sheets) or a drawing notebook if you have one
2. Black 0.5 mm roller ball or felt tip pen (ref. eu.winsornewton.com/collections/fineliners/products/fineliner-black)
3. A4 tracing paper (2 sheets perhaps)
4. A sharp pencil or two
5. An eraser

Sessions will usually run for 90 minutes. 


Forthcoming sessions


SESSION SIX, ON SATURDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2026 AT 2pm (UK time)

Session leader Kateri Ewing

ZOOM LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7070805610?omn=83093413736

SESSION SEVEN, ON SATURDAY 7th MARCH 2026 AT 2pm (UK time)

Session leader Robert Newall

ZOOM LINK TO FOLLOW


Session recordings

For anyone unable to join us live, or if you wish to repeat the session, a recording of each session will be placed on YouTube and you can find links to them here:

SESSION ONE (Sept 2025, with Kateri Ewing) RECORDING: https://youtu.be/iP7iPUFqVs8

SESSION TWO (October 2025, with Kateri Ewing) RECORDING: https://youtu.be/ITQ2DAMuIRY

SESSION THREE (November 2025, shared drawing session led by Rachel Dickinson) RECORDING: https://youtu.be/DOFtphS3AIE?si=LM0eadoFOdOiCxR1

SESSION FOUR (December 2025, with Kateri Ewing) RECORDING: https://youtu.be/s7bWgYWB3wM

SESSION FIVE (January 2026, with Doris Rohr) RECORDING: https://youtu.be/6jNAmoOujGc


Reading The Elements of Drawing

If you would like to read The Elements of Drawing, it can be found online HERE, and you can find a facsimile of George Allen's edition of 1904 HERE.

The Ashmolean Museum's Elements of Drawing website contains eight short instruction videos from artist Stephen Farthing RA, who was the Ruskin Master of Drawing at the University of Oxford from 1990-2000, which you can watch HERE.


Participant's gallery

If anyone who attends a session would like to share their work, we will display it here.

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Helen Joy - session 2

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Kateri Ewing - session 4

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Joanna Espiner - session 5

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Helen Joy - session 3

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Simon Seligman - session 4

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Joanna Espiner - session 5