workshop with Philippa Stanton

Last Saturday I spent a wonderful day at the workshop held by Philippa Stanton, aka 5ftinf. Philippa is a synaesthetic artist who’s also quite famous for her beautiful table arrangements on Instagram. I love Philippa’s work, and I was very much looking forward to her workshop, and a day spent with four other creative ladies, playing with flowers and vintage props.

The workshop was at Philippa’s lovely home in Brighton, and we started with a private individual view of the shed installation that she created for the Brighton Artists Open House exhibition.

Magical is the word that popped into my mind as soon as I walked into the shed: filled to the brim with enchanting colour vignettes, completed with paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling, music, and a comfy sofa where to sit and take it all in…

I could have stayed there for hours, but the workshop beckoned and we soon started working together to create a “colour table”.

Each of us got assigned a colour, and we chose a few objects in that colour from all the props available.

We then took it in turn to lay out the objects on the table, one at a time, starting from red and then moving towards orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. My natural instinct was to style, and I itched to move things around, but the brief was to simply lay the objects, with no overlapping and no angles. Basically, each object was meant to stand out in its own space, and allowed to tell its story. I fought my “styling itch” and kept an open mind,  happy to try this different approach to composition, and very curious to see how it would evolve.

When the table was all laid out with objects, we strolled into the garden to gather flowers and leaves to add to the table. This way we brought nature inside, softening the whole composition and breathing life into it.

I quite like the colour table we created, and I thoroughly enjoyed this collaborative project that contained the creative energy of all of us.

After our lunch break, a great mix of delicious food, laughter, and chatting, we worked on an individual still life. Philippa had prepared a goody box for each of us, and among the lovely gifts there was a vinyl record that was to be the starting point and inspiration for our composition.

My record was “When I get home” by The Searchers, and I interpreted going home as going within, to that space where I feel at home. I chose a few objects, flowers and other natural finds that grabbed my eyes, following my instinct. At first I didn’t want to include the record in the still life as I thought it might overpower the whole composition, but then I tried adding it… and it actually worked!

Below are the compositions that Renie, Enari, Marie, and Emily created – aren’t they gorgeous?

TL: Renie

TR: Enari

BL: Marie

BR: Emily

Being an introvert, I’m quite content to work on my own, but I also love connecting with other creatives and spend time with them. Every time I attend a workshop I get a buzz of creative inspiration, and Philippa’s workshop was a real treat. I experimented with her unique approach to composition, saw her working in her own home, and shared my day with some very talented and lovely ladies…I’m filled with gratitude for the day! Thank you Philippa for welcoming us into your home and sharing your artistic vision with us :)