Thanks to a successful Country Arts Support Program (CASP) grant secured by the Gloucester Arts and Cultural Council Inc (GACCI), the support of the Gloucester School of Arts, the gallery has been able to invite Manning Valley artist, Shelley McClure to come to town.

Shelley will be running two workshops on Good Friday, April 19, in the School of Arts rooms above the Gloucester Gallery, 25 Denison Street. The first will run from 10am until noon and the second from 1pm until 3pm. 

The workshop will be all about making a coloured edible Easter egg and a Hakazome pressed leaf and flower card, which the children can take home.

"I'll be running a hands on and fun nature based activity for kids, using only natural plant based dyes to create beautiful coloured and patterned eggs," Shelley said. "We'll also have fun making nature based cards by selecting flowers and leaves to hammer print onto card."

Shelley is an artist and community educator working with natural dyes and eco-printing. She combines her ecological principles into her art and also runs a permaculture design business and consultancy from home.

"My hope is to open both parents and kids up to the idea that nature provides a wonderful palette of colour for them to have with in arts and crafts," Shelley said. 

Bookings are essential and can be made at Uptown Country on Denison Street. Workshops cost $12 per child per session or $20 for both sessions.

CASP is a program administered each year by Regional Arts NSW on behalf of Create NSW. Grants of up to either $3000 or $5000 (depending on region) are available primarily for professional artists' fees, travel and accommodation, with applications assessed by 14 regionally-based panels coordinated by the local Regional Arts Boards. For more information visit www.create.nsw.gov.au or email arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au