Art in Waldorf Schools workshop 2026

Written by Samantha de Leca, conference attendee, Waldorf teacher, mentor, and Development Support with Bláthú

The workshop Art in Waldorf Schools with Daniel Ospina was a wonderfully practical and

inspiring experience, and it gave me a much deeper sense of the place painting and drawing hold within the Waldorf curriculum.

Daniel holds a First-Class Honours M.A. in Art Therapy from Cork MTU and is a member of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists. He works as an art therapist in three primary schools in Wicklow, runs a private practice, and has worked for more than ten years as a Steiner teacher specialising in art.

When we walked into the room, it was clear that everything had been thoughtfully prepared. Large tables stood with chairs gathered around them, so we knew straight away that this was going to be practical, hands-on work. Around the walls, Daniel had hung beautiful examples of artwork tracing the journey through the Waldorf school years: from straight line and curve form drawing in Class One, into mirrored forms, and on through the grades. Before he had said a word, we were given the chance simply to look. I found this very powerful, because you could actually see the artistic work developing alongside the child. The progression through the curriculum became visible, almost alive, there on the walls.

Daniel then introduced himself and began to speak about child development, particularly the second seven-year period, from around seven to fourteen. He described what the child needs during this stage and how the Waldorf curriculum seeks to meet those needs. His knowledge was clear, yet he brought it to us in a way that was easy to follow and always connected to the practical work of teaching. I especially enjoyed how interactive the workshop was. When he spoke about mirrored form drawing, he invited people up to complete the forms themselves. It brought a lovely playfulness and sense of participation into the room, and helped us connect with one another as a group.

The workshop built towards a beautiful practical experience with charcoal and colour. We began with charcoal at the bottom of the page, working it upwards, blending and spreading it with the palms of our hands and our fingertips. It was a deeply sensory experience, and I enjoyed the directness of meeting the material in this way.

Then we began to bring in the warm colours, red, yellow and orange, while from the top of the page we introduced blue and white, so that light seemed to be coming down into the picture. Everyone became quite absorbed. A quiet concentration settled over the room, and although we were all following the same process, each picture began to find its own way.

Daniel had thought of all the small details too. He had even prepared wet wipes for cleaning out. At the end, we laid all our pictures together on the floor and stood around them as a group. For me, this was one of the most powerful moments of the day. We had all been given the same task, the same materials and the same instructions, and yet no two pictures were alike. There was something very reflective in that moment. We could see how individually each person had entered into the work, and it led us quite naturally to wonder what we might do differently next time. It was never about whether a picture was right or wrong, but about the experience of the process and what we had discovered through it.

I came away from Daniel's workshop feeling enriched and truly grateful for all he had shared. His understanding of both child development and artistic practice came through strongly, but what has stayed with me most is the practical experience itself. It gave me a renewed appreciation for the depth of art within the Waldorf curriculum, and for the way artistic work can meet the developing child so beautifully.

Art in Waldorf Schools workshop with Daniel Ospina