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5873 Educators providing Courses

Alison Burchert.

alison burchert.

Essex

Encouraged as a small child by an artistic mother, I always sketched family members and pets, being able to capture a good likeness. From school through to college, my ability to draw became apparent and was recognised throughout my home town of Colchester in Essex. I had taken to pastels after years of painting in watercolour. The transition happened when working on a portrait….. "With watercolours I couldn't keep the smooth texture of the skin and the more I worked at it, the rougher the 'skin' got. Frustrated, I picked up a box of pastels that I'd had from college and almost closed my eyes as I chalked over the face I'd been working on for hours, cringing with the fear of having to throw the whole picture in the bin…. I smudged it over with my finger. The result was amazingly smooth and definitely 'skin' like. I put away the watercolours and invested in many shades of quality pastels". In 1997 and keen to enter into the art world, I offered my services to organisations to produce promotional portraits which came with good media coverage and helped my business catapult within its first year. I was introduced to various artists and teachers and was offered a place to work alongside Royal portrait artist Richard Stone who had admired my work through the local press. In 2003 I took up teaching art within local clubs and private classes, holding exhibitions and encouraging 11 to 16 year olds to develop their artistic talents with workshops using different mediums. From 2008, I had the immense pleasure of working with Colchester Zoo in Essex when I became their Artist in Residence. From holding art classes in the Zoo and working with children during the school holidays to portray their favourite animals, one of my greatest adventures was to work closely with the Zoo's great managerial team on their 'Stand Tall' project for their 50th anniversary. This saw many local artists give up their time to design and create personal works of art on 2.5m giraffe sculptures. These were then displayed around Colchester and even took a tour to London's South Bank before they came back to the Zoo for auction. It was with much excitement to see one of my giraffes (Big Catrina) sell to the highest bidder at £6800. Developing very unique drawing skills, I have helped students from all over the world with many varying art abilities to accomplish their artistic dreams. With a limited palette of chalks, and a vast experience in pastel application, my teaching took me to places I hadn't even dreamed of. Constantly moving forward and learning new ways to pass on my skills, I would say that teaching students of all ages is in my blood now. It has become a passion to show others the beauty of this versatile medium.

Camden Art Centre

camden art centre

4.1(616)

London

It’s a place to see, to make, to learn and to talk about contemporary art, whether in our building, attending off-site projects or via our digital forums. Camden Art Centre was originally built as a public library and now combines historic architecture with open, modern spaces, a café, bookshop and secluded garden, with free entry for all. Through our programme of exhibitions, learning, courses, events and residencies, we invite everyone to engage with art and the people that make it – to push boundaries and connect to their own creativity. Our off-site projects share our work with diverse communities and our digital, publishing and broadcast platforms help us connect art, artists and people in ever more immediate and interesting ways. As a charity rooted in our North West London community, we foster a sense of belonging in our spaces. Working closely with local schools, community groups and specialist partners we nurture the next generation of artists, from early years to adulthood, enabling everyone to get up close to art, to meet artists and to make work themselves. Our targeted programmes and sector leadership increase our impact, bringing the arts to those most in need. Much loved by our communities, for over 50 years Camden Art Centre has always worked ahead of the curve, giving early support and exposure to important artists from the UK and abroad including Martin Creed, Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, Sophie Calle, Yinka Shonibare, Mike Nelson and Mary Heilmann. We support artists at every stage of their careers, enabling them to make and show work that is relevant for today: brave, challenging, engaging and vital.