A Sense of Things: Cádiz /Guidebook
A reminder of key details
Workshop dates / Thur 24 - Mon 28 Sept 2026, 10am - 5pm
Location / Calle Veedor 10, 11003 Cádiz, Spain
Venue / casapalaciolasmarias.com
Website / A Sense of Things / Cádiz
Workshop programme
The following is a workshop outline, subject to change depending on weather, creative conditions, work flow and general mood! As a minimum, throughout the five days, there will be lessons in collage, printing with found objects, cutting and printing with lino, watercolour painting, sketching with a range of drawing materials, choosing and working with a limited colour palette.
You’re welcome to arrive at Casa Palacio Las Marías from 9.30am for tea or coffee to start each day. Teaching starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm but you can stay on and work with our input until 5pm. If you are staying in the house, you are also able to access the workshop space out of hours.
Day 1 / PLAY
A gentle day, printing patterns with found objects, exploring playful ways of drawing and painting collections of items inspired by Casa Palacio Las Marías.
Day 2 / VISIT
A morning visit to Museo de Cádiz to draw from their collections before returning to la Casa for lunch. An afternoon playing with print and design to create characterful illustrations.
Day 3 / COLOUR
We’ll begin by selecting colour palettes, followed by a late morning trip to sketch in Mercado de Abastos. Lunch in the market (own cost) before returning to the studio to develop drawings. An optional shared evening dinner in the studio/roof terrace of la Casa.
Day 4 / LINO
An introduction to lino and rubber cutting and printing, using this graphic technique to build pattern and add detail to drawings. We’ll each create a collection of printed postcards inspired by an imperfect drawing.
Day 5 / IDEAS
A final day to consolidate work and develop personal ideas, with tutor input. Materials, techniques and themes can be led by what has inspired you during our time in Cádiz.
What to pack
In the spirit of this year’s theme of Collections I’d like to you to bring a small object that reflects you, or an object from an intentional or unintentional collection you own. If your item has significant financial or sentimental value, or is too large to transport, please bring a printed out photo instead.
You should wear clothes that aren’t precious and/or bring an apron. You will also need to think about how to transport your work home with you (largest paper size 30x40cm) so you might like to bring an A3 folder or poster tube.
For our trips to Museo de Titere and Mercado Central, I’d suggest a backpack to carry your materials (small sketchbook + A4 sketchbook and one or two pencils) and a bottle of water. Please pack and dress appropriately for the weather. There will be quite a bit of walking and standing/sitting outside to draw.
If you’d like to visit La Caleta in your own time (recommended!), bring swimwear and a beach towel.
In addition to shared workshop materials*, you’ll need a selection of your own materials (see list).
Finally please come with an open mind, ready to play, aiming to be free of self-judgement!
*What will be provided: colouring pencils, chalk pastels and neocolor wax pastels, all lino printing equipment, block printing ink, plus loose sheets of paper and cups for water.
Workshop materials kindly supported by:
Materials to bring
An A4 sketchbook (portrait) with thick paper, suitable for wet materials (minimum 200gsm)
A small drawing sketchbook (A5 size is perfect)
A couple of graphite pencils
A pencil sharpener
An eraser
A set of watercolour or gouache paints
A range of different size brushes
Your own preference of drawing and painting materials (no oil paints, spray paint or staining inks)
A glue stick
An old tea towel/cloth
A camera/camera phone. An iPad/tablet to refer to your photos at a larger scale may also be useful, but not essential.
Travel info
Cádiz is a small city and everywhere is accessible by foot. If you’re going to drive, please be aware that the streets are very narrow and parking is limited/expensive.
If you want to take a taxi to/from Cádiz, these can be arranged through Philipp, the co-owner of Casa Palacio Las Marias, on +49 1512 333 9996 / philippvonborries@gmail.com.
Please note: If you plan to travel to Cádiz by train, you will need to book your tickets in advance (renfe.com or trainline.com). It is highly unlikely you will be able to get on a train without having pre-booked. You should travel to Cádiz station (not Cádiz Estadio), and from the station it is a 20 minute walk to Casa Palacio Las Marias.
In addition to your own research, I’m happy to share a few of my favourite places based on recent visits to Cádiz along with recommendations from the owners of Casa Palacio Las Marias.
Places to go
Who are we
Laura McKendry
Laura organises and delivers playful, creative workshops across Europe, adapting a range of materials and techniques to convey the sense of a place. You can find her @lauramckendry_art.
Languages spoken: English (a little Spanish)
Hannah Bolsius
Hannah has been a guest co-facilitator since 2025, and co-hosts the Rotterdam workshops in her studio. She brings a background in art education and is a calm, supportive presence. You can find her @hannahbolsius.
Languages spoken: Dutch, English (a little German)
María Del Mar Von Borries
The heart of Las Marías is its host, María del Mar, whose vision was to create a meeting place for family and friends from around the world. With her own professional background in interior and colour design (visible across the house!) she joins us this week as an extra welcoming pair of hands.
More information about María Del Mar.
Languages spoken: German, Spanish (also English)
Vanilla Houwer
Vanilla will be preparing our meals every day and, as a long-standing friend of María Del Mar, will also be staying in the house during the workshop. You can see more of her delicious food @super.paste.
Languages spoken: German, Dutch, English (a little French and Spanish)
Finally…*
I kindly ask you to have a read of this code of conduct which contains additional practical details and shared expectations for the duration of the week.
We are so looking forward to welcoming you to Cádiz for five days of creative immersion, curiosity and exploration. If you have any questions, doubts or concerns during, or in advance of, the workshop please get in touch for a chat.
* ‘Finally’, but no less important!
