IRISH ANTHOLOGY - CREATING A COLLECTION OF ARTISTS BOOKS WITH GILLIAN LEE SMITH
Belfast, Ireland - May 31-June 8, 2025
UK Artist Gillian Lee Smith has always loved books and, in recent years, has found making artists books to be a lovely companion to her main practice of painting. Join Gillian in Belfast, Ireland for an Irish Anthology.
As a child, Gillian was gifted a box housing the tiniest books you can imagine. A set of fairy stories, all housed perfectly in a small, purpose-made container. These memories led her to imagine a set of artist-made books housed within a house – books that allowed the capturing of memories from a particular place in a particular time.
The humble book form is so familiar to us. Yet books can be art, sculpture, a container for recording what we see and experience and all we can imagine. A wonderful way to remember a journey to a land such as Ireland.
We will sketch the places we visit—the landscape, castles, and buildings of Belfast—to capture inspiration for both the container and the various book forms.
Itinerary
Day One – Saturday, May 31. Everyone arrives at the hotel and we will meet for dinner this evening at the Wolff Grill.
Day Two - Sunday, June 1. Have breakfast and then meet in the studio at 9:30. Gillian will share her handmade artist books and sketchbooks in the morning and talk about her landscape sketching practice before we visit Belfast Castle to sketch in the afternoon. Throughout the workshop, you also can sketch from the buildings in Belfast City.
“Belfast Castle sits at the foot of Cave Hill and is one of the most iconic locations from which to view the stunning skyline of Belfast”
The estate contains landscape gardens, mature mixed woodland and a forest trail. It is home to many different wildlife species, including long-eared owls, sparrow hawks and the town hall clock. We will have lunch at the castle in the Tavern Coffee Shop before returning to the studio. Dinner will be at the Mourne Seafood Bar.
Day Three - Monday, June 2. Meet in the studio at 9:30. We will discuss ideas for making the book box, the container that will house our collection of hand-made books.
Gillian will have a couple of options for a pattern you can use, but you are free to adapt them or create something unique from scratch. You will make the book box and internal and external papers so that you are ready to create your books. Lunch will be at the hotel. Dinner will be at Home.
Day Four - Tuesday, June 3. Meet in the studio at 9:30. Today is a day for playing with watercolors, color, granulation, and layering. We will create a series of pieces to inspire our books, which could also be folded and divided into our book pages. Lunch will be at the hotel and dinner will be provided at White’s Tavern or Beer Hall, the oldest bar in Belfast.
Day Five – Wednesday, June 4. Today, Gillian will share some ideas for book forms using the pages you created and time to make more using imagery, text and anything else you can think of. Lunch and dinner will be at the hotel.
Day Six – Thursday, June 5. Have breakfast and then it is a day out to explore the Ulster Museum that explores the past, the present and the future through collections of art, natural science and history. It champions diverse voices and new perspectives to promote positive change in society.
We will have lunch nearby and you will have the afternoon to explore the Botanic Gardens.
We will meet for dinner at Deane’s at Queen.
Day Seven – Friday, June 6. Today, Gillian will show options for making covers for our books as well as other finishing details such as enclosures and detail work. After our Show N Tell we will visit the St. George’s Market where we will have lunch and then you can continue to explore the market. Dinner is on your own.
Day Eight - Saturday, June 7. Today we will visit the Titanic Experience in Belfast which is next door to our hotel. Lunch is on your own and you will have free time this afternoon until our final dinner together this evening at Edo.
Day Nine - Sunday June 8. You may leave anytime on this day or continue on to Gillian’s second workshop in Inverness.
This Art Escape Includes
Five days instruction from Gillian
Eight nights accommodation at the Titanic Hotel based on double occupancy
All meals except for one lunch and one dinner
Visit to Belfast Castle, The Ulster and Titanic Museums
Some supplies
New Art Tribe
The cost for this Escape is $4,100, based on double occupancy. A single room supplement charge is $800. A $1,000 deposit is due upon registering. The remaining balance is due February 8, 2025.
Travel insurance is required.
Where we will be staying: Located at the heart of Belfast's Titanic Quarter, the legendary Harland & Wolff Headquarters and Drawing Offices is now the world's most authentic Titanic Hotel, offering an unforgettable experience for anyone visiting Northern Ireland.
Artworks & Artefacts
Half-hotel, half-museum, the building is home to an original collection of over 500 artworks, artefacts and photographs transporting the viewer back to the 'Golden Age of Ocean Travel.’
Queen’s Road, Titanic Quarter
Belfast, BT3 9DT
Northern Ireland
+44 28 9508 2000
Materials List
We will provide:
Waxed bookbinding thread
Curved needles and sewing needles
Dip pens
Deli paper
Students Please Bring
Camera or phone camera
A pad of watercolour paper
Three or four sheets of 2mm thick greyboard/book board
A few sheets of copy paper
A couple of sheets of drawing paper
A few sheets of handmade paper
A sketchbook
Drawing pencils, sharpener, eraser
Paper scissors, sewing scissors
A small portable palette of watercolors with a mixing palette
A water container
A selection of watercolour brushes
A small spray bottle
A cutting mat (roughly 8 x 10 inches or 10 x 12 inches)
Book glue or PVA
A small ½ inch Glue brush
Letter-sized plastic sheet or file (to glue paper on for easy clean up)
An Exacto knife and a scalpel knife with spare blades
A metal edge ruler
Ribbon for books, buttons for closures,
Acrylic ink for outside of the container - Gillian likes Liquitex transparent inks
Optional Extras
● Embossing tool
● Hand-dyed or vintage fabric scraps
● Embroidery threads
● White pen
● Color pencils – Gillian likes Derwent Drawing Pencils (natural colors which go well over watercolors)
This itinerary may change due to weather, new opportunities or the whim of the group.
Gillian Lee Smith is a Scottish artist living in the beautiful, historic North-East coast of England that daily influences her work. As a teacher, Gillian is inspired to bring her love of people and place to each workshop using a wealth of techniques to make new discoveries along with her students. She has several very successful online courses and a mentoring program.