Learn to become at home with your garden!

These six online workshops uses the core stages of the phenomenological process intrinsic to the Goethean approach to become deeply familiar and aware of the hidden processes of Nature.

Spring and Autumn are ideal times of year to turn our eyes to the garden to learn its secrets. The cycle of the plant is particularly on display to us, as seed becomes leaf, leaf becomes bud, then flower turns to fruit and finally, seeds return to the earth. (Of course, any time of year in the garden is good, but Spring and Autumn have particular qualities of change and transformation, which are especially suited to observation and drawing.) 

Whether you have your own garden or like to walk in a local park, a nature reserve or even just tend a few pot plants on your balcony, being at home with plant life, in its endless cycles of becoming and dying away, is both energising and de-stressing. A health-giving counterbalance to computer work!

Using the Goethean approach to guide us, these fortnightly workshops leads us through a process of quiet contemplation, careful observation, mood immersion, sketching and colour painting. By getting up close with our garden in this way, we learn to step more deeply into the cycles of life and become aware of the etheric world seemingly hidden behind the plants in our garden.

What will we do?

The workshops use mixed media and different drawing techniques, including shaded and dynamic drawing, to take us through this process. Techniques include charcoal, pencil, paint and pastel. Participants keep a visual diary to document their discoveries and observations.

What is Goethean phenomenology?

Goethean phenomenology (sometimes known as Goethean observation or the Goethean approach) studies the phenomena hidden in the outer appearance of Nature. It helps us develops fresh, new eyes for the world around us. It offers us another way of being in the world, one that brings us into a more participatory connection with both Nature and ourselves.

Who is it for?

• For anyone interested in knowing more about Goethean phenomenology and how to practice it.
• For nature lovers who would like to learn a non-confrontational way of drawing plants.
• For Steiner teachers, artists, art therapists and art students seeking to understand how the formative forces work in Nature

Suitable for all levels. You do not need to be an experienced artist to enjoy these workshops. Video recordings included in the fee, available for private study.

When is it?

5.00-6.30pm AEST, fortnightly 2 September-11 November 2026

Cost

$230 AUD
$235 PD certificate, conditions apply*
Video recordings included in the fee, available for three months.

Bookings

Find out more

Contact Fiona Campbell at Painted Space Studio

Oh, I who wish to grow,
I look out, and inside me the tree grows.

Rainer Maria Rilke

^{Feature image: Ethereal Space of Plant Growth © Olive Whicher}