July 2026 Newsletter
- Rachel Duffield
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Rachel Duffield Art
Inspirational art classes,
clubs & coaching
July 2026
Transformational art clubs, classes & coaching for wellbeing and personal growth
July's headlines: One MEGA HEADLINE plus all the familiar opportunities to connect, reflect and create this month, and more...
Brilliant news from the National Lottery Community Fund
Final pilot Slow-Down Art Sessions in August
Evening Community Art Club continues every third Tuesday
Drop in to daytime Community Art Clubs in Bunwell and Thompson
Art Life Journalling Six Week Course: September Dates confirmed
Art Journal Club update
Banksy Copycats theme for July
But first, the BIG news:
LOTTERY GRANT FOR COMMUNITY ART CLUBS
My community interest company, Community Art Clubs CIC, has been awarded two years of funding from the National Lottery Community Fund!
What this means for us:
Core costs like venue hire, refreshments* and art tools are covered for the next 24 months. This frees up weekly subs donations from participants for the 'consumables' like paper, paint, cleaning stuff and so on. And of course, one of our promises is to organise art trips; last summer we saw the Colin Self Exhibition at Norwich Castle and in August this year we're visiting the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (transport generously funded by The Clan Trust). It's just as important to see other artists' work as making our own.
With Community Fund award paying for our biggest outgoing, venue hire, it means our subs can go towards the fun, enriching stuff like another trip- which gallery will we visit next?!
The last bit of the funding will go towards setting up another new Community Art Club in another rural setting in Norfolk. If YOUR village needs people to come together around a paint pot for friendship and creativity, do get in touch!
You see, the Community Art Clubs are doing much much more than providing quality, affordable classes and trips, together we're building stronger, healthier communities, so not only is art good for you, it's good value for everyone. If you'd like to find out more about our mission, values and impact you can ask me (but I could go on for hours) or you can visit the Community Art Clubs page on my website here.
*Biscuit upgrade incoming. I vote for Lemon Puffs.
Community Art Clubs continue most Saturdays at Bunwell 10-12, alternate Mondays at Thompson 10-12, and every third Tuesday at Kenninghall 7-9. Posters with details are at the bottom of this newsletter.
Now, on to the regular stuff...
ART LIFE JOURNALLING
The next Art Life Journalling 6 week course starts on Sept 11th and will take place in Old Lakenham's Upper Room. It nestles above the main Community Centre and will feel very secluded and cosy; just right for the nurturing vibes of the course
Please email me asap if you're interested! I'll let Amanda, one of my previous cohort, tell you what it's like to participate.
"As someone who has a creative job, I was finding excuses not to do my own personal work, always thinking, what is the point!
This course was exactly what I was looking for. It promised to stop procrastination and perfectionism and indeed it has. Being given permission to be creative is a wonderful thing, and being part of a group gives you the accountability to stop procrastination in its tracks.
I've stopped seeing the blank page as the enemy and I'm beginning to silence that inner critic. It's given me the confidence to explore other techniques and classes.
I was so lucky to be in a group with great like-minded women who have become friends and we can share our artistic journeys.
Rachel is a wonderful, inspiring and very generous teacher and you know that she has 'been there too'."
Here are the essentials:
Venue: Fridays 10-12 in The Upper Room, Old Lakenham Community Centre.
Bookbinding Social (optional get-together): 4th Sept. Meet the small group and create your own journal to use for the course (optional- £35)
Main course: (six sessions £120) Six Fridays beginning 11th September.
In session one you'll receive your own deck of Art Life Journalling Prompt Cards and get to know the small group of up to six. I'll talk through the ways the cards will help initiate thoughts and actions as you move through the course, and share how this process benefitted me in finding my own path as an artist and teacher.
In sessions two to five you'll be guided to use the deck to fill your unique Artist Journal with inspiration, ideas and ephemera. A well as this, as a qualified Art Life Coach, inspirational teacher and fellow artist, I'll lead you through discussions and exercises based around the Wallas model of creativity to explore your particular themes and motifs, and help you discover what makes you tick as an artist.
In the sixth and final session I'll support you to reflect on your journal so far and write your own Possibilities Plan as a foundation for the next steps in your artistic journey.
The course will run again in January 2027 .
ART JOURNAL CLUB
Art Journal Club, an in-person monthly meeting back in the cosy Upper Room at Lakenham, is open to everyone who completes the 6-week Art Life Journalling course. Art Journal Club is drop-in and costs £5 per session. It's a chance to have a catch up with alumni from all the art life journalling cohorts, swap ideas and stories and drink tea. Your first session is free! Art Journal Club gives artists the opportunity to build on the shared connection, reflection and gentle accountability you'll have found so inspiring during the six week course.
The group is very new, but as it develops we'll have gentle art activities, skill sharing opportunities and even live podcast recordings!
If this sounds like your sort of thing, drop me a line.
COPY CATS AT THE CAT HOUSE CONTINUES
I'm back for more cat themed art on July 17th for a Banksy inspired evening of cats interacting with their backgrounds! It's booking fast as always so grab your place while you still can (and bring a fan- it's warm there)!
Above is one of my practice versions and yes, I do realise it's not a cat...
All the dates, prices and booking details are just a click away in this link.
SLOW-DOWN ART SESSIONS
This pilot series of 4 sessions comes to a close with our last one on August 3rd. Our 8 participants - 4 adults with SEND plus their support workers- have enjoyed the same creative activities as my regular Community Art Clubs, but at a suitable pace for them with some additional bits and pieces where necessary. They've had a super time and verbal feedback has been extremely positive. I'll be using official evaluation methods as evidence for future funding to run this again; this volunteer-run pilot has demonstrated that we need to keep numbers small, so depending on participant subs isn't feasible in the long term.
It's just like regular art club with no need to book, and a suggested donation of £5 or PWYC for participants. All art materials and refreshments are included- and carers go free!
If you or anyone you know would benefit from coming along to the last one, you're more than welcome; further details are all in the poster. If you're in a position to help with funding for future Slow-Down Art Sessions, please get in touch. As always, email or WhatsApp me if you have any questions.
KENNINGHALL EVENING COMMUNITY ART CLUB
Every third Tuesday 7-9 at The Marketplace Bistro - and you'll need to book on Eventbrite here. This is because our cosy venue will only hold 20 people so we need to be sure we can fit everyone in.
Here, refreshments are available from the venue. In every other respect this evening Community Art Club is the same as the others: the same warm welcome to ages 13-113, and when you book your ticket on eventbrite you'll see the same choice to make the suggested donation of £5 or PWYC for materials and tuition, drop-in, and a different activity each time.
Please remember, this art club will be held in the upper room so please bear that in mind if stairs are tricky for you.
The next session is on Tuesday 14th July - and did I mention you'll need to book on Eventbrite here ?
The posters with details for the Saturday and Monday Art Clubs are just at the bottom of this newsletter in case you need them.
For more information please message me on Facebook or WhatsApp, or email me. All contact details are at the bottom of this newsletter.
A quick reminder of other stuff
July 20th Journalling for a Summer's Day at Haveringland Hub Summer School
August 2nd Beginners Watercolours and
August 16th Improvers Watercolours at Anteros Arts Foundation, Norwich
Keep in Touch
Where else to find me …
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/rachelduffieldart
Community Art Club: www.facebook.com/communityartclub
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/rachelduffieldnorfolk
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