This site is part of the South West Heritage Trust.
Inspired by the life and work of Hope Bourne (1918-2010), the South West Heritage Trust are running a series of events as part of the Exmoor Nature Festival 2026.
Hope Bourne was a respected artist, writer, and creator who lived off grid on Exmoor for most of her adult life. Her work focused mainly on nature and the beauty of the local area. Along with thousands of drawings and paintings, Hope wrote and illustrated seven books and contributed a weekly column to The West Somerset Free Press.
These events aim to reach the rural communities of Exmoor, providing creative opportunities connected to the beauty of nature, the local landscape, and well-being.
Our events are free, but some require booking. Please see details below.
Date: 21st May 2026
Session times: 10:00am – 1:00pm
Location: White Rock Cottage, Simonsbath, Minehead, Somerset TA24 7SH
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Capturing Exmoor in a Carton with local artist duo INKJAM!
Inspired by Hope Bourne’s resourcefulness, we will be reusing old packaging including Tetra Pak
cartons. You will learn how to make these into printing plates to capture the essence of Exmoor,
documenting the wildlife and landscapes of Exmoor. Making observational drawings from
references of birds and drawing scenes from your surroundings and memory. Learning to print
from the plates using the Intaglio method and introducing chine collé to add colour, texture, and
recycled elements to your prints.
There will also be other creative printing techniques to explore!
FREE, booking required.
Date: 27th May 2026
Session times: 10:00am – 12:30pm OR 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Location: Exmoor House, Kemps Way, TA22 9HL
Flower Power Press and Print with local artist duo INKJAM!
Join us for a relaxed and creative family friendly printmaking workshop inspired by Exmoor
artist Hope Bourne.
Using everyday discarded materials as she often did, we’ll discover how simple materials
can be transformed into beautiful artworks. Together we’ll explore flowers and foliage
through observational drawing, before transferring our sketches to our printing plates, made
from recycled card and tetrapak cartons. We will experiment with markmaking, etching tools
and cut out shapes ready for printing. We can layer colour inks, inspired by the rich tones of
the Exmoor landscape, before printing using our large relief press.
This playful hands-on session encourages curiosity, creativity and sustainability- perfect for
families who enjoy making art together. No drawing skills are required and everyone will
leave with their own unique, colourful print.
There will also be other creative printing techniques to explore!
FREE, booking required.
Date: 28th May 2026
Session times: 10:30am – 3:30pm
Location: Dunster National Park Centre, Dunster Steep, TA24 6SE
Foliage Forest with local artist duo INKJAM!
Embrace a wild and free approach to creating an illustration. Print layers of foliage to build up a foliage forest and capture the essence of an Exmoor scene. Using black paper the colourful or simple white prints will create a backdrop where landscapes and farmsteads grow and wildlife and local characters can appear with the addition of collage or drawing. The black paper also lends itself to a night scene where you can add the stars as they are seen in Exmoor.
There will also be other creative printing techniques to explore!
FREE, drop-in.
Date: 31st May 2026
Session times: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Nettlecombe Court, Williton, TA4 4HT
The South West Heritage Trust will be attending the Exmoor Society’s ‘Big Nature Day’ event with a range of family friendly creative printing activities.
Postcards from the Wild with local artist duo INKJAM!
Celebrate the beauty of nature at The Festival of Nature, with this relaxed and creative drop
in printmaking workshop for all ages.
Using foliage and flowers gathered from the landscape, participants will create beautiful
botanical prints on postcards with colourful ink pads. These small artworks can be posted to
friends and family or kept as a personal memento of the day. We’ll also explore adding
words with letter stamps, capturing observations or the spirit of the Exmoor landscape as a
tribute to Exmoor artist Hope Bourne. Younger participants can also enjoy using a collection
of handmade stamps to create playful patterns, landscapes or flowers of their own.
A gentle, imaginative drop in activity that invites everyone to pause, notice the detail and
beauty of the wild around them, and make something to keep or post to a loved one.
FREE, drop-in.
