Welcome to The Alchemical Mark & The Alchemic Object
We live in a world dominated by smooth glass screens and predictable, digital perfection. In the process, many of us have lost touch with the raw, tactile magic of making things with our hands—and many artists find themselves trapped in rigid habits, painting or creating from the wrist up, chasing accuracy instead of true expression.
The Alchemical Mark and The Alchemic Object are a series of immersive, process-driven classes designed to break you out of your comfort zone, silence your inner critic, and connect you directly to the healing power of creative play.
This isn’t about traditional tutorials, formal lifedrawing, or making “perfect” art. Instead, these courses position you as an explorer of friction, materials, and constraint. By introducing playful limitations—like drawing completely blind, painting with brushes attached to long broom handles, or building printing plates out of recycled materials — we bypass the analytical brain to reveal your innate visual language.
Three Paths, One Creative Liberation
The Alchemical Mark: Focuses on the canvas, the page, and the plate. Through hybrid printmaking, sensory-driven painting, and rapid-fire “lightning round” drawing, you will learn to translate physical rhythm into raw texture, discovering your signature mark-making style and a highly personal color vocabulary.
A THREE DIMMENDIONAL FOCUS
- The Alchemic Object: Shists the focus into three dimensions. Here, you will explore the transformation of form, weight, and space. By working with unconventional materials, upcycled components, and tactile construction methods, you will learn to see the hidden value in the forgotten, elevating ordinary fragments into meaningful structures.
Who Is This For?
- Practicing Artists & Designers looking to beat creative burnout, unstick a “stiff” style, and map out a concrete, authentic visual voice.
- Entrepreneurs & Professionals seeking a powerful cognitive circuit-breaker. Forcing your hands to work in new ways builds fresh neural pathways, translating directly into sharper lateral thinking and innovative problem-solving in your business life.
- Anyone Seeking Stress Relief looking to swap screen time for sensory presence. This is a rare, radical space dedicated entirely to process over product, where making beautiful mistakes lowers stress and restores a sense of childlike wonder.
Choose Your Experience: In-Studio or Remote
Whether you join me in the studio or from your own creative sanctuary, you will receive the same prompt structures, style-guidance, and cognitive circuit-breakers designed to break you out of your creative rut.
Option 1: In-Studio Immersion (Somerset West, Cape Town)
- The Experience: A fully immersive, in-person class.
- Materials: All professional-grade materials—including large-scale substrates, heavy mediums, and custom tools—are included in your enrollment.
- Best For: Local makers who want to step away from their daily environment and engage in a dedicated, physical, and sensory-driven space.
Option 2: Remote Learning Experience
- The Experience: Interactive guidance tailored to your specific creative goals, delivered wherever you are.
- Materials: Materials are not included. You will receive a curated supply list to source your own mediums and substrates.
- Best For: International students, long-distance creators, or artists who prefer to utilize their own pre-curated stash of favorite tools and materials.
Custom Scheduling vs. Independent Material Curation
Experience the transformative power of process-driven art on your own terms. Our remote sessions are designed for flexibility, allowing you to dive deep into technical agility, material exploration, and style refinement from anywhere in the world.
By opting for the remote track, you maintain full control over your material budget while receiving the same high-level professional guidance as our in-person students. Bring your own tools and start your journey toward a more authentic creative expression today.
About the Instructor: Jeanette Gibson
Jeanette is a professional visual artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and international experience leading community and sustainable development projects. She specializes in turning forgotten materials into high-end art and excels at adapting her classes to fit the physical needs and life experiences of students of all ages.
Step into the studio, get ink on your skin, and learn to work in partnership with your materials. It will shift & change you in expected & unexpected ways. Your signature aesthetic is already there—it’s just waiting to be uncovered.