MAKE SPACE TO BREATHE & CREATE
Through ink, stillness and mindful mark-making,
Rod McIntosh offers workshops, courses and studio experiences designed to reconnect people with gesture, process and the quiet power of making by hand.
From curious beginners to established collectors, all are welcome.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CREATIVE EXPERIENCE
These are not traditional art classes.
Sessions combine ink practice, breath, movement and observation to create a slower, more attentive way of making. Inspired by Ensō practice, monochrome painting and years of studio exploration, each experience encourages presence over perfection.
Participants often leave feeling calmer, more grounded and creatively reconnected.
A slower guided experience exploring rhythm, attention, landscape, and reflection through walking and journalling.
This gentle guided experience invites participants to step away from noise, urgency, and constant stimulation through the simple acts of walking, noticing, and reflective writing.
Moving through the Kent landscape at an unhurried pace, participants are offered a series of quiet prompts and pauses designed to cultivate awareness of breath, body, environment, and inner rhythm.
Blending walking, observation, and journalling, the experience creates space for reflection without pressure or expectation. Attention is placed not on reaching a destination, but on becoming more present to the experience of moving through landscape and thought.
There is no expectation to perform physically, produce polished writing, or share personal reflections. Participants are encouraged to engage gently and at their own pace.
Participants often leave feeling calmer, more grounded, and more connected to themselves, the landscape, and the quieter act of noticing.
No previous experience with journalling or reflective practices is required — only a willingness to slow down and pay attention.
Who This Is For
Beginners welcome
No journaling or mindfulness experience required
Suitable for creatives, runners, walkers, reflective practitioners, and anyone seeking a slower rhythm
Ideal for those feeling creatively or mentally overstimulated
Small group format
What You Will Experience
Participants may experience:
Guided mindful walking prompts
Breath-led grounding exercises
Reflective journaling moments
Sensory awareness practices
Quiet periods of walking and observation
Gentle facilitated conversation
Tea and closing reflections
There is no expectation to share personal writing or reflections with the group.
Sample Session Rhythm
Arrival tea & introduction
Grounding and breath awareness
Guided walking practice
Reflection pauses & journaling prompts
Quiet walking and observation periods
Group return and closing tea
Optional reflections and conversation
Practical Details
Location: Various outdoor locations across Kent
Date: X
Arrival: 9.30am
Session begins: 10.00am
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
Group size: Maximum 8 people
Age guidance: 16+
Accessibility: Routes may include uneven ground and gentle inclines
What to bring: Comfortable walking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, and a notebook or journal
Refreshments: Tea provided before or after the walk depending on location
Parking / travel notes: Details shared upon booking
A guided introduction to the traditional practice of wet mounting, exploring paper, paste, pressure, and patience through a slower material process.
This hands-on workshop introduces the traditional process of wet mounting used within East Asian scroll and paper mounting practices.
Working with handmade papers, paste, moisture, and brush techniques, participants are guided through the careful rhythm of preparing, mounting, and handling delicate materials.
Alongside practical demonstrations, the session includes insight into the historical and cultural origins of wet mounting traditions, with references to Japanese and Chinese studio practices and terminology.
This is not a fast craft workshop, but an invitation into attentiveness, material sensitivity, and the quieter disciplines of studio practice.
Participants often leave with a deeper appreciation for process, material behaviour, and the meditative qualities of repetitive hand work.
There is no expectation for prior experience or perfection in outcome.
Who This Is For
Beginners welcome
Suitable for artists, printmakers, paper lovers, and curious beginners
Ideal for those interested in traditional craft processes and slower making practices
Small group format
No prior mounting experience required
Sample Session Rhythm
Arrival tea & introduction
Historical overview & studio examples
Introduction to papers, paste, and tools
Demonstration of wet mounting process
Guided practical session
Drying, handling, and troubleshooting discussion
Closing reflections & questions
Practical Details
Location: Artist’s Studio, Kent
Date: See dates below for next three months
Arrival: 9.30am
Session begins: 10.00am
Duration: 3 hours
Group size: Maximum 6 people
Age guidance: 16+
Accessibility: The studio does not currently have ramp access
Materials included: Yes
What to wear: Comfortable clothing suitable for studio work
Parking: Parking available on drive
Nearest station: Wye (taxis must be pre-booked)
A 90 minute guided experience in ink, breath, and repetition.
A guided ink practice exploring attention, breath, and repetition through the act of mark making.
This is not a workshop in technique, but an invitation into process, presence, and release.
You are guided through simple, repeated gestures that gradually build into your own embodied Ensō practice.
Participants often leave with a quieter sense of attention, a personal mark making ritual, and a renewed relationship to process over outcome.
There is no expectation to perform, share, or “be good” at art.
Who This Is For
Beginners welcome
No artistic experience required
Suitable for creatives, runners, reflective practitioners, or anyone seeking slower attention
Small group format
Sample Session Rhythm
Arrival tea & grounding
Introduction to materials and ritual
Guided mark making practice
Reflective pause
Repetition & personal exploration
Closing circle / journaling
Practical Details
Location: Artist’s Own Studio, Kent
Date: See dates below for next three months
Arrival: 9.30am
Session begins: 10.00am
Duration: 90 minutes
Group size: Maximum 6 people
Age guidance: 16+
Accessibility: The studio does not currently have ramp access
Materials included: Yes
What to wear: Comfortable clothing suitable for working with ink
Parking: Parking available on drive
Nearest station: Wye (taxis must be pre-booked)
A Private Ink & Mark Making Masterclass
A hosted studio experience exploring ink, breath, gesture, and attention through the quieter rituals of painting practice.
Join Rod in his country studio and immerse yourself in the daily rituals and processes that sit at the centre of his life and painting practice.
In a world of constant digital stimulation, Rod creates quietly powerful work using analogue materials and time-honoured methods. This immersive experience invites participants to step away from distraction and enter a slower rhythm of attention, breath, and presence.
Through guided instruction, demonstrations, conversation, and self-directed exploration, participants are introduced to the emotional and physical language of abstract mark making.
Working with Rod’s signature black ink, traditional Asian papers, and mindful brush techniques, the session explores the relationship between gesture, movement, breath, and awareness.
Participants are guided through simple breath-led exercises used within Rod’s own practice, learning to approach painting not as performance, but as an embodied act of attention.
Limited to just two participants, the experience allows space for deeper conversation, slower observation, and highly personalised guidance throughout the day.
Throughout the experience, you are encouraged to cultivate confidence through brevity of mark, intuitive movement, and moments of creative flow. The resulting ink works become visual records of presence — artefacts of process, stillness, and lived experience.
No previous artistic experience is required — only a willingness to slow down and pay attention.
Participants often leave with a renewed sense of calm, a deeper connection to process, and a more embodied relationship with creativity and attention.
Who This Is For
Beginners welcome
No artistic experience required
Suitable for creatives, collectors, reflective practitioners, and those seeking a slower, more intentional experience
Ideal for individuals interested in process-led creativity and mindful practice
Intimate two-person experience
What You Will Experience
Participants may experience:
Guided mark making exercises
Breath-led attention practices
Demonstrations of brush handling and ink techniques
Exploration of gesture, repetition, and flow state
Personal reflection and journaling moments
Insight into Rod’s studio rituals and working process
Shared conversation over a hosted lunch
Highly personalised guidance throughout the day
There is no expectation to perform, share, or “be good” at art.
Sample Day Rhythm
Arrival tea & grounding
Introduction to materials, ritual, and studio practice
Guided breath and mark making exercises
Demonstration and personal exploration
Reflective pause & journaling
Hosted vegetarian lunch in the house or garden
Afternoon ink practice & personalised guidance
Closing reflections and integration
The Studio & Shared Lunch
Part of the experience includes a shared vegetarian lunch hosted by Rod in the house or garden, depending on the season and weather.
The meal is intentionally woven into the rhythm of the day — an opportunity to slow down further, step away from devices, and continue conversations around creativity, attention, and practice in a relaxed domestic setting.
Home-made vegetarian food and refreshments are provided throughout the day. Dietary requirements or allergies can be catered for with advance notice.
Practical Details
Location: Artist’s Studio, Kent
Date: See dates below for next three months
Arrival: 9.30am
Session begins: 10.00am
Duration: Full Day Experience (approx. 6 hours)
Participants: Maximum 2 people
Age guidance: 18+
Accessibility: The studio does not currently have ramp access
Materials included: Yes
What to wear: Comfortable clothing suitable for working with ink
Parking: Parking available on drive
Nearest station: Wye (taxis must be pre-booked)
Inside Kent readers receive 15% off workshops and courses.
“I recently attended an Enso workshop with Rod and what an absolute privilege it was to gain an insight into how he creates his work.”
“Rod’s passion and patience are infectious. Through sharing his own vulnerabilities and inspiring story, he will take you on a journey that will lead you from picking up your first paintbrush, to creating your own personal Enso..”
“You do not need to be creative to attend this workshop; many of us had not put paint to paper since our school days. Yet through gentle guidance and breath work, Rod will instil a quiet confidence in you that perhaps was not there before and you will leave having had an experience like no other.”
Upcoming Experiences
Work with Me
My work sits at the intersection of art, attention, ritual, and facilitated experience. If you are interested in exploring ways we might work together, please get in touch.
A place to pause.
A place to make.
A place to reflect.
An evolving programme of seasonal retreats, hosted stays, creative practice, and quiet reflection.
Designed around slower rhythms, shared meals, meaningful conversation, and time away from constant distraction, Quiet Barn offers space to reconnect with yourself, your creativity, and the simple act of paying attention.
Register your interest to be the first to hear about future retreats, residential stays, and new developments.