Hand drawn marks and images found in Australia are thought to have been drawn up to 50000 years ago, the more recent cave drawings at Lascaux in France date back more than 20000 years; here in Aotearoa the drawings recorded by the surveyor von Haast are thought to go back to very early years of human settlement and include images of the now extinct eagle Pouakai. Since these were captured there have been hundreds more NZ sites recorded and the work continues.

In other words, marks are the fundamental elements of art-making. We relate to them as a spontaneous form of discovery of our own expressive style. Our problem is, we customarily associate mark making with alphabetic notation and writing. We need to leave this behind and connect with our own imagery.

We have been hugely impressed by the marks made by the Māori signatories to early documents including our Treaty of Waitangi. We begin our workshop by introducing and examining their marks and the unfamiliar situation on a day when they were asked to pick up a pen - some of the first time ever - and make a mark carrying the full weight of their culture and heritage forever.

The workshop is not a history lesson. After this introduction you progress toward development of your own mark. You have the rest of the day - much more time than the signatories - and we guide you along the way. The process is about finding a tight, expressive form that captures who you are and need not be influenced by anything but your inner vision. You might doodle, mould, walk in the bush, watch the sea, hear the sounds around you as you make the discovery.

When you are satisfied that you have captured your unique mark we will laser-print it in 3D and you will have it forever.

Fee for the day including refreshments ( bring your lunch) and your mark etched in acrylic $295

Note: Course numbers for this programme limited to 7.