Face-to-face teaching
2026 kicked-off with the usual Easter-school at Morley College. Summer schools are confirmed for Art Junction and Phoenix Brighton. To be first to hear about new dates, sign up to my email newsletter.
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).
Portrait Sculpture with Hazel Reeves, Phoenix Brighton
Summer school: Monday 17 – Friday 21 August 2026, 11.30 to 5.30pm each day, course maximum 8, £425 (inclusive of materials)
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. Book here.
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.