The Sketchbook Project is brought to you by the Short Course programming team at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation. The project is designed to bring you regular inspiration from the Gardens which can be used to draw, paint, stitch or print using the colours, textures and shapes from the images in your work. 

Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies student Dan Mifsud specialises in Furniture. In this blog post, he discusses the history, condition and interpretation of an ornate tea caddy, kindly loaned for conservation by the Museum of the Home.

Whilst in Lockdown at home, Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies student Florence Watson took the opportunity to get back to basics and make paper from scratch. Read the blog post to find out about the process, including making a mould and deckle.

In this blog post, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design student Vanessa McGlone talks about her pop-up exhibition she held in her garden during lockdown. The show, titled 'Impermanence', showed her concept body of work of hand stitched squares of paper on which she painted a number of landscapes and figures. Find out more in this blog post.

Submissions are now open for artists from Outside In or artists that fit the criteria of the charity, to undertake a residency at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation in 2020. The selected artist will be invited to respond to the College’s Historic House, Collection and Archive as part of Whose Heritage? Rethinking the West Dean Collection.

Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies student David Edwards discusses his latest project: the conservation of a set of six mid-19th century oak rush-seated country chairs. Read more in the blog post.

Read the latest blog post from MA Creative Writing & Publishing student Jim Green, where he talks about submitting the first part of his novel, his lockdown learnings, and thoughts about nearing the completion of his second year on the programme.

MA Conservation Studies: Ceramics and Related Materials student Andriani discusses the recent conservation of an Ethiopian incense burner.

West Dean College of Arts and Conservation recently acquired a new artwork, adding to its diverse and internationally important Collection. The watercolour shows the interior of the grand entrance hall in 1812; and was painted by Comte de Cely. The significance of the work lies in the new understanding it brings to Wyatt scholarship, the study of historic interiors, and the fascinating story of the College’s past. Read the blog post to find out more.