Insular Illumination with Thomas Keyes

📅 1:30pm–5:45pm, 15 minute break included (teas and coffees will be provided)

Thomas Keyes is an insular illuminator and parchment maker focusing on reviving traditional techniques and developing innovative new ways to use traditional concepts and materials. His workshop at Groam House Museum will take inspiration from an Alex Ritchie broach in the collection which was itself inspired by the bird borders of the Lindisfarne Gospels. In the workshop the birds from the broach will be returned to vellum with traditional pigments and the border will form a frame for participants to add text within using hand cut quills and oak bark ink.

What’s included:

• All materials, including vellum, pigments, and tools
• Expert tuition in heritage techniques
• A unique hands-on experience of insular art traditions

🎟 Spaces limited to 6 participants. Beginners welcome.

This event is part of an exciting programme featuring 13 storytelling sessions and creative workshops running from October through January, generously funded by Museums and Galleries Scotland.

Each event is inspired by objects from our local history collection, using them as springboards for stories, crafts, and conversations. The aim is to bring the collection to life, showing how it connects to our lives today and continues to inspire creativity in our community.