Remarkable Makers: Sue Welfare Creative Workshops in Norfolk
- Rachael at REEF Make & Do
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Our creative workshops in Norfolk offer more than the chance to learn a new skill; they create space to pause, focus, and reconnect with something quietly important.
Hello Makers,
This week, I wanted to introduce you to one of our remarkable makers: Sue Welfare.
Sue is a printmaker whose work is inspired by the coast, birds, and the natural world around us here in Norfolk. But what stands out most is not just what she creates, but how she approaches making.
Her work is thoughtful, process-led, and deeply absorbing. And, in many ways, it is about allowing time. Sue came to printmaking after many years of writing professionally. Along the way she tried different crafts, searching for something that writing did not quite give her.
Then, in 2018, everything shifted.
On a snowy trip to Dumfries and Galloway, she took part in a two-day linocut workshop with an artist she admired. As she describes it, she felt like she had come home. That quiet sense of recognition is something many people experience when they find the right creative process.
What has kept Sue returning to printmaking is the nature of the process itself. Unlike painting or drawing, it unfolds slowly. There is time to think, reconsider, and rework. Each stage builds on the last, and there is a constant sense of problem solving and decision making.
You are always imagining what will happen next.
And, crucially, you never quite know what you will get until you peel the paper back.
That moment of reveal is part of what makes printmaking so compelling.
Sue describes her studio days as simple but deeply satisfying. Endless mugs of tea, sharp tools, a warmish space, and the steady rhythm of carving.
“I get totally lost in it,” she says. “There is a real flow once you start.”
That sense of flow, of being completely absorbed in something, is something many of us are quietly missing in our day to day lives.
Not more productivity.
Not more output.
Just a little more space to be in something fully.
It is also what Sue notices when she teaches. People often arrive wanting to get things right. But as they begin to work with the tools and experiment, something shifts. They relax. The room becomes more open, more supportive, more collaborative.
People begin to enjoy the process. And that is where the real magic lies. Not in producing something perfect, but in allowing yourself the time to explore, to play, and to see what happens.
Sue describes making as bringing her peace, joy, occasional frustration, and a stillness that comes from working through a process. It is also a way of expressing something that cannot always be put into words.
And that is why making time for it matters. Because those small pockets of time are not indulgent.
They are quietly essential.
That is it from me for this week. As always do get in touch if I can help with anything or if you have any questions.
Happy Making
Rachael x
Do explore our full range of creative workshops in Norfolk, courses, and weekly classes👉 HERE
Be sure to join the mailing list for weekly inspiration in my newsletter, early access to workshops, and gentle encouragement to make time for yourself. You can join this 👉 HERE
If you have been inspired by Sue to experience printmaking for yourself, or indeed one of her other wonderful workshops, then do have a look at these below. Sue's workshops are incredibly popular and almost always sell out.
Lino Printing Friday 8th May | 10am- 4pm | £130 |
Cyanotype Printing Friday 12th June | 10am- 1pm | |
Pop Up Cards Tuesday 13th October | 10am- 1pm | |
2 Day Reduction Lino Printing Course Tuesday 20th & Wednesday 21st October | 10am- 4pm | £260 |
Christmas Block Printing Tuesday 1st December | 10am- 1pm | £80 |
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