Arts in Nature

12/06/2026

Natural Textures of the River Peffery 🌿🪨〰️

Continuing with our creative currents of connection theme at yesterday’s session, we were delighted to work with natural clay from the banks of the River Peffery! We shaped flowing sculptures inspired by the river itself, along with a variety of smaller pieces. Pebbles from along the water’s edge became part of our clay creations and we experimented with weaving using rushes collected from the riverbank. It was so inspiring to work with these natural materials and to really feel their amazing textures, carrying the story of the river.

All natural materials were sourced responsibly. Grateful thanks to Richard of Lockett Agri-Environmental for providing the river clay and pebbles from the River Peffery Restoration project.

Many thanks to everyone who joined us for this wonderful session 💖

Our programme of free creative workshops are part of Dingwall 800 events and our next session is on 14th July. Come and join us for more nature based creative fun! 🌿✨

Fèis Rois

10/06/2026

Eco printing and natural inks 🌿🌼🫜

At our Nature Nurture session at Abriachan yesterday, we had a wonderful time exploring natural printing and inks. We tried eco‑printing on both fabric and paper, arranging leaves and flowers, rolling the fabric tightly, and pressing the paper between tiles before boiling and steaming everything. As the plants released their dyes, they left behind beautiful botanical prints.

We also experimented with natural inks made from berries, vegetables, alder cones, and charcoal, using them for mark‑making and ink‑pen drawings.

A wonderful relaxed, creative colourful afternoon! 💖

Many thanks to all who came along and to Christine for her expertise ✨

Abriachan Community

08/06/2026

📢 Join the annual Walk a Mile event in Inverness to challenge stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues in the Highlands. Everyone is welcome! 💜

Walk A Mile In Our Shoes - Saturday 4th July 2026 at 11am in Inverness

Join us on the annual Walk a Mile event in Inverness to challenge stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues in the Highlands. Everyone is welcome!

"Reflections" is this year's theme for the 20th anniversary of the festival - so why not use the walk to reflect on what mental health means to you?
Whether you’ve faced challenges yourself, supported someone you love, or simply believe no one should suffer in silence, this walk is for you....
💚 Walk for awareness
🩷 Walk for connection
💜 Walk to show that every journey matters

Bring your friends, your family, your co-workers, and your community spirit. Let’s turn one mile into a movement.
Because understanding begins when we walk beside each other and share conversations.

The route starts at the Fisherman's Hut (corner of Bught Park and Ballifeary House care home) and goes along the river and Ness Walk, crossing the Ness Bridge, up Bridge Street and the High Street to Falcon Square.

We are aiming to start the walk at 11am so please try to arrive a few minutes early.

If you have any queries, please contact the SMHAF HIghland team on [email protected]

👉 More info: https://www.smhafhighland.co.uk/walk-a-mile/

With thanks to Nicola Kennell of Green Tree Arts Studio for designing the poster.

Thanks to funding from the Highland Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund for Adults from Highland Third Sector Interface and the Scottish Government.

Organisations involved in SMHAF Highland include:
The Discovery College - HUG (Action for Mental Health) - Inverness Openarts - Creativity In Care - Arts in Nature - Green Tree Arts Studio - N4H - UHI Inverness - The Clay Studio - The Bike Shed - Events Venue/Coffee House - People First Highland - Highland Mindfulness Group - Befrienders Highland

04/06/2026

Studying seaweed and exploring the shores of Loch Duich, painting with watercolours, inks and sea water. A calming afternoon enjoying the beautiful colours in nature. The perfect day off 💚

02/06/2026

Getting creative in the woods on Ness Islands! 🌲🌿💖

I was delighted to be asked to run a session as part of the Festival of Walking & Wheeling which we held this morning on Ness Islands. We had such a lovely morning for our creative woodland adventure! On a wander around the woods we gathered natural materials to make some nature art, stopped for snack and a story, and then had great fun pretending to be woodland animals! 🐿️🦉🐰

Thank you to all of the lovely families who joined us and to the fantastic Partnerships for Wellbeing team. It was fun exploring, playing and creating together! 💖✨

01/06/2026

📢 Inverness Festival of Walking and Wheeling starts today! 🧡
If you're coming along to the Creative Woodland Adventure session tomorrow, please don't be put off by the weather! We will have some shelter and plenty of time to explore, play and create! 🌿🌈💚

Festival of Walking & Wheeling

29/05/2026

This Week’s Highlights ✨🌿🎨

It’s been another brilliant busy week at Arts in Nature and it was wonderful to hold some of our sessions outdoors and enjoy the sunshine! ☀️ Here’s what we got up to:

🌿 Nature Nurture at Fortrose Library 🌿
Swatching colours in nature and creating colourful moodboards.

🐚 Creativity at the coast 🐚
Sharing beach memories, identifying shells and creating seashore treasure art at Rosemarkie beach with MySelf-Management group.

🐝 Giving Nature a Home 🐝
Crafting bee homes and a wander in the Grant Street garden with the Sunflower group at The Clay Studio.

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us; to Marion myself-management and Jo & Alison at the Clay Studio 💖

I’ve popped in a couple of bluebell photos too as they are absolutely stunning right now! 💙

Have a great weekend! ✨

25/05/2026

I’m proud to share that I’ve just completed training to become a Mental Health First Aider again. I first completed this course nine years ago and returning to it has been an honour, a reminder of how important it is to keep learning, refreshing and strengthening the ways in which we support each other.

As a Mental Health First Aider I am trained to offer initial support to someone experiencing mental health challenges, provide guidance, reassurance and can signpost to professional help when needed. It’s about being there, staying informed, calm, open and really listening when someone needs it.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to renew these skills and continue playing a small part in creating safer, more supportive spaces for the people around me. 💖

21/05/2026

Growing Wellbeing Through Nature and Creativity 🌿🎨✨

Celebrating Green Health Week at Mikeysline & the Arts in Nature art club yesterday, we chatted about how spending time outdoors can boost our mental health and wellbeing.

Using leaves as our inspiration, we cut out leaf shapes and wrote words on them describing how nature makes us feel, to create a beautiful leaf collage. We also headed out for a wee nature walk to spot and identify different trees, noticing the shapes and patterns of their leaves and took time to sketch what we saw.

Many thanks to everyone who joined us 💖

Mikeysline
Think Health Think Nature


💚 Arts in Nature wholeheartedly believes that nature connection is a powerful way to support our mental health and can help us feel calmer, clearer, and more grounded 💚