This Spring and Autumn I will be teaching on Fire and Shadow, an eight month long Dark Mountain course. We’ll be making archaic materials out in the wild, and taking as much time in making them around the camp fire as using them. So much response and comment is instant, it’s like a running commentary. These materials slow us down, in the best way, we become absorbed in the moment: art and writing at walking pace.
In the 1990s I taught as a visiting Painting tutor at Degree courses in Norwich and Sunderland, as well as on the BTEC at Bournemouth. For three years from 2000 I taught life drawing in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire both in FE and Adult Education, until I moved back to England. I also taught art, painting and crafts to groups of both younger and older children near Huntly. I have since taught several more life drawing workshops for adults in the North East of Scotland, as well as private classes in and around London.
In January 2017 I taught a ‘primitive and natural paints and brushes’ workshop at An Teach Soar (The Happy Pig) in Ireland. I will be returning in July to teach bark containers, pouch-making from natural materials and other prim-tech art kit topics. I currently teach 121 sessions for making birch and ash bark containers, natural cordage, quill making and painting on buckskin.
I have a current enhanced DBS Disclosure certificate which allows me to work with children and people with special needs, or vulnerable adults. I greatly enjoy passing on what I have learned and practised. Please get in touch if you would like me to run a session for you, your group or business. Topics could include drawing from the figure, still life, drawing outdoors, colour theory, sketch-booking, a huge selection of natural and primitive materials production and use, as well as many other related crafts.
Below are a few of my drawings from life, in many different media, scales, and varying in duration from 1 minute to 5 hours. I encourage students to find their own way with materials, style and approach.
