Date: 20/09/2025
Length: 2.5 hours
Time: 1:30 - 4:00 with time at the end to view the exhibition in full.
During this Artist led workshop you will be guided through the process of laying 23ct. gold leaf and paint making from organic, inorganic and synthesised pigments with experts in their respective fields, Polly Bennett and Sarah Davis. The workshop will focus on the techniques of illuminated miniatures which graced the pages of medieval manuscripts and were made with precious metals and hand ground pigments.
Gold leaf and ground pigments have been used for millennia to embellish artworks and imbue meaning. Using historic tools and techniques you will be guided through the process of creating your own illuminated miniature painting inspired by Polly Bennett's pigments and the Layers of London exhibition.
On the workshop participants learn:
● How to handle, lay and burnish 23ct gold leaf
● The various historic and modern glues used in illumination
● A brief history of manuscript production.
● The historical origins of pigment
● Responsibilities and health & safety of collecting natural materials and processing pigment
● About different binders, specifically gum arabic and its history and sustainability
● About the different types of natural pigment in the show: mineral, synthesised, calcined, lake (plant), charcoal
● How to transform pigment into watercolour paint
On the workshop participants take home:
● An illuminated and painted miniature artwork on paper.
● Handout with notes and reading recommendations
● Watercolour paint x5
Artists:
Polly Bennett is an environmental artist, pigment maker and alchemist exploring themes of identity and our relationship with the natural world through colour.
Her journey into art began with a fascination for nature's textures, colours, and forms, evolving into a practice that blends colour making, installation, story-telling, and material exploration. As a pigment collector and maker, she founded POLBEN's Pigment in 2020, transforming raw materials into sustainable artist's pigments and inks. These colours carry the histories and geographies of their origins, reinforcing the connection between materiality and meaning in her practice.
Sarah Davis is a multimedia artist based in South London. She uses hands-on techniques with a deep historical resonance, such as wood carving and illuminated miniature painting. The themes she engages with relate to the complex dynamics of our lived experience, from the diverse landscapes we inhabit to our internal bodily processes. By subverting medieval motifs, anatomical imagery, and naturalistic forms, she seeks to dissect these multitudes and create miniature worlds filled with details waiting to be discovered.
Since 2020 Sarah has been practicing the endangered art of illumination, and teaches widely on the subject. Recent institutions include Cambridge University Library, Barts North Wing and The Royal College of Physicians. In 2024 Sarah was Maker in Residence at Kelmscott Manor, The country home of William Morris, specialising in illumination.
Book here for £120
