Creative Encounters: Portraits of Nature
Let creative inspiration bloom as you paint, stamp, layer and stitch materials, including plants from our garden, to make canvas plant portraits.
Observe arrangements of dried flowers and foliage, noticing their shapes, lines, shadows and textures in this nature-inspired workshop led by artist Tasnim Mahdy.
Experiment with different creative techniques of capturing these forms, moving through painting with natural pigments, charcoal rubbings and impression stamping, before layering different techniques together to create multi-media portraits of nature on a canvas to take home: abstract, botanical, playful, unusual or completely imaginary.
Come together and tear and layer paper, add prints and imprints, paint with turmeric and beetroot, draw with charcoal and paint pens, attach dried flowers and leaves, and stitch directly into the canvas.
All materials are provided, including plants sourced directly from our Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden.
Creative Encounters is your creative space in the heart of the city, bringing together Londoners old and new for art, making and conversation.
Need to know
Our friendly Creative Encounters sessions are designed for both those attending on their own or with others.
We recommend arriving early to secure a seat. If the event reaches capacity, you may need to queue as we operate a one in, one out system.
Creative Encounters is a fortnightly programme; dates are subject to change, so please check the website.
Tasnim Mahdy is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, muralist, illustrator and community facilitator whose practice spans street art, cyanotype, print, collage, textiles and installation. Her mural work, developed with long-term collaborators including BLKBRD Collective, sits alongside a socially engaged practice with SWANA, refugee, migrant and diaspora communities, working bilingually in Arabic and English on themes of memory, restoration and the traces we leave behind.
A Shubbak commission grew into a live online counter-archive, and she now mentors young people working with archives. A licensed open-water diver trained in Dahab, she treats the Red Sea as a site of reflection. Her work has been commissioned by institutions including Royal Museums Greenwich, the Southbank Centre, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, Amnesty International, Artichoke, Counterpoints Arts, Shubbak and Glastonbury Festival. Born in Glasgow and raised in Cairo, her practice moves between places, languages, and material traditions; from walls to the waters.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
02 Sep 2026, 6pm
Run time
2 hours and 30 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
Free – no ticket required
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
Make a donation
Help us open up the arts to everyone by making a one-off or a recurring donation.
For your visit
This event is held at the The Clore Ballroom Southbank Centre
The Clore Ballroom is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Clore Ballroom is located inside our Royal Festival Hall on Level 2.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
There is step-free access to The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, via a ramp.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
Next to The Clore Ballroom is our Ballroom Cafe where you can grab a coffee and a piece of freshly made cake. Also on Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.