Face-to-face teaching
2026 teaching kicks off with the usual Easter-school at Morley College. Summer schools are confirmed for the Art Academy, Art Junction, and dates and details are coming soon for Phoenix Brighton. To be first to hear about new dates, sign up to my email newsletter.
Portrait Head and Expression: Sculpture Master Class, Morley College, London
Four day Easter school: Monday 30 March – 2 April 2026, 11-5pm, £320 (£240 concessions)
Are your portraits feeling staid? Do you want to learn techniques to capture more character and expression? This four-day course combines a study of one long life-size head pose across the four days, with smaller, quicker expressive portrait exercises. Learn and develop observation skills, clay modelling, and individual approach focusing on achieving expression in a portrait head in clay. All levels, including beginners. Basic materials included, but extra charge for materials used over £8 materials’ fee.
For further details and to book
Portrait Heads in clay, Art Junction, Billingshurst
Summer School – 13-17 July 2026, £475 (inclusive of materials)
Have you ever wanted to capture someone’s face or expression in a sculpture? Working a portrait in clay from a live model is a really rewarding experience. This course will explore how to observe heads – how to see their differences and similarities, and in turn learn how to translate this understanding into a sculpture which captures a likeness of the sitter. During the five days a life-sized clay portrait of a live sitter will be built on an armature. This concentrated modelling will be interspersed with fun exercises – with clay and without – to help train up the eye and hands. This course will be taught in a way suitable for those with experience of sculpting in clay and those new to it. There will be an opportunity to hollow-out the heads after the course, for an additional fee. The studios are by the platform of Billingshurst station (on the London Victoria line).
Book here for the summer school. See below for the autumn/winter 5-day portrait class (Thursdays).
Expressive Portrait with Hazel Reeves, The Art Academy, London
Weekend: Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 July, 2026, 10-4.30pm
This 2-day workshop is an exciting opportunity to work with top portrait artist Hazel Reeves, to focus on getting expression, character, emotion and movement in your sculptures. Using a different model each day, you will have the chance to sculpt in clay a series of smaller heads focusing on ways of bringing the piece to life, using texture, form, tone and the pose/composition. This concentrated modelling will be interspersed with fun exercises – with clay and without – to bring more spontaneity to your work. This is aimed at beginners and intermediate students. If you want detailed instruction on building a portrait, then we suggest the 5-day course in August. Booking link to come soon.
Portrait Sculpture for All, The Art Academy, London
Summer school: Monday 3-7 August 2026, 10-4.30pm, Beginners to Intermediate
Portrait sculpture is an immensely absorbing and enjoyable discovery with every new sitter. This course aims to support you to observe and translate your observation into a clay portrait sculpture. This engaging one-week course will guide you through the fundamental techniques that are used to create a Portrait Sculpture. The skills you learn throughout the week will help you understand how to examine the head from all angles. You will use drawings to assist the sculptural process and by observing the model throughout the week, you will gradually build on your piece and learn how to: use modelling tools and calipers; use a measurement system to set up the form of the head; use the underlying structure of the skull to help with the form; look at the 3/4 profiles of the head; capture the model’s characteristics by indicating features of the face; create light and shadow; add in details and identify what needs to be improved. Booking to link to come soon.
Portrait Sculpture with Hazel Reeves, Phoenix Brighton
Summer school: 5-days in August (dates to be confirmed), 11.30 to 5.30pm each day, course maximum 8
Get ready to become hooked. Sculpting a portrait in clay is a very rewarding experience. This course will explore how to observe heads – how to see their differeces and similarities, and in turn learn how to translate this understanding into a sculpture which captures a likeness of the sitter. On the first day we will sculpt rapidly an under-life-size head of the sitter, without measuring. During the next four days we will more systematically build a life-sized clay portrait of our sitter on an armature/bust-peg. This concentrated modelling will be interspersed with fun exercises – with clay and without – to help train up the eye and hands. There will not be time to hollow-out your piece, but if you are experienced, you can do it after the course, or there is someone at the studios who offers a hollowing-out and firing service.
Most materials are included in the cost of the course including clay for a life-size portrait. A wooden armature (sometimes called a ‘bust peg’) will be provided. This is yours to keep. This course will be taught in a way that’s suitable for all levels, from beginner to advanced. Dates and booking details to come soon.
Portrait Heads in clay, Art Junction, Billingshurst
Thursdays: 8, 15, 22 & 29 October and Thursday 5 November 2026, £475 (inclusive of materials)
For details, see the summer school above. Contact Marji at Art Junction (info@artjunction.uk) to book.
Expressive Portrait Workshop, Art Junction, Billingshurst
Weekend: Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 November 2026, 10-4pm each day
This two-day workshop, with a different model each day, will enable you to exploit the expressive nature of clay. You will get expression, character, emotion and movement in your sculptures. We will use exercises, with and without clay, to build our understanding of how to inject expression into our portraits. You will sculpt a series of smaller, quick portraits (sometimes with the torso) with potentially longer-poses on the afternoon of the second day, producing under-life size portraits. This 2-day course will particularly benefit those with some experience of portrait sculpture but it is also open to beginners. Note – if you want to understand how to build a detailed and anatomically sound portrait in clay, we suggest you join the 5-day summer school. Book here.
Mentoring
Whether you need advice on your first clay portrait head or need guidance and support as you tackle the journey towards becoming a professional sculptor, I can be there for you. It could be a one-off session or on-going support, face-to-face or online. Email me for further details.
Advisory service to statue commissioners
Trying to navigate the creation and installation of a statue? I can provide advice to prevent you falling into some of the pitfalls, including in relation to budget-setting and the process of briefing, selecting and supporting a public art sculptor. Email me for further details.