Current Tutors

Elaine Speirs was born in Johannesburg and moved to Scotland as a child. Her childhood experiences in and between these two places spurred an interest in the themes of fragility, contradiction and reinvention that recur throughout her work.

Speirs explores the stark contrast she observes between the rich contours of female personhood and the depersonalised portraits of women that appear in the public sphere.

Speirs studied at Edinburgh College of Art between 1989-1993 and completed her MA at Slade School of Art in 199. She lives in Edinburgh with her three daughters.

A regular exhibitor at the RSA in Scotland, Mall Galleries in London and represented by Arusha Gallery and Stratford Gallery. Her awards include Caron Keating Memorial Award, John Purcell Drawing Award. She was shortlisted for the National Open Art Competition, and exhibited in the BP Portrait Award 2019-20. In 2021 Speirs was elected as Professional Member for Visual Arts Scotland. Her works are included in private collections worldwide.

Jill M Boualaxai is a multi-media artist based at the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in Edinburgh. Her work revolves around the archaeological imaginary and is deeply rooted in a process-led practice. Jill is one of the founding members of the Hidden Door Festival and has been actively involved since its inception in 2010, currently serving as the Creative Lead and Visual Art Curator for the festival. In addition to her art practice, Jill has extensive experience as an educator. Following a two-year residency with George Watson's College in 2012, she established Look and Draw Workshops, a small art school that offers a year-round program of events and is based in The Heart of Newhaven Community. Jill has also led workshops at various institutions, including the Leith School of Art, the National Galleries of Scotland, and the Dovecot Studios. Recently, she completed her MA in Contemporary Art Practice at Edinburgh College of Art in August 2022.

With a particular focus on the East Coast, Evie Rose Thornton's paintings are an attempt to capture Scotland's achingly beautiful landscapes. They begin life as sketches and preparatory paintings made while out in the landscape, sitting on the beach or up on a hill, absorbing as much visual information as possible.

These are then taken back to the studio and developed into larger works, often using small elements of one sketch mixed with another, and relying heavily on memories of the day and her emotional response to that moment in time. These paintings showcase her appreciation for Scotland's big skies, specifically the bursts of light that streak through the sky after a storm, and portray her love for the environment she is surrounded by.

Matthew Storstein is a professional artist living and working in Aberfeldy, Scotland. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art from 1992 to 1996 and is a professional member of Visual Arts Scotland (VAS). With over 20 years of teaching experience, Matthew has been an integral part of the Leith School of Art in Edinburgh, where he has taught painting, foundation courses, and led the drawing course. Additionally, he has been instrumental in establishing studio practice through his work with Look and Draw for the past 10 years.

In Aberfeldy, Matthew set up The Yellow House, an art class designed to provide challenging yet enjoyable art classes. The Yellow House encourages students to push their work further, acquire new skills, and explore fresh ways of working. The classes are built on the philosophy that taking your work seriously and enjoying yourself are not mutually exclusive; they thrive in an informal, supportive environment.

As an artist, Matthew approaches painting as a journey of discovery, rather than starting with a preconceived idea. His creative process unfolds as he works, with the paintings themselves becoming a record of their making. The language of paint, abstract forms, and the transformations they undergo are central to his work, holding equal importance to any images that emerge. He is deeply fascinated by the space within the painting—its images, forms, and suggested narratives. Throughout the progression of each piece, the images and structures undergo radical changes, striving to achieve a tension and sympathy between language and representation.

Ginny Elston is an artist-researcher-teacher based in Scotland, with a background in Art History, Fine Art and the Humanities. She is currently working towards her PhD from Glasgow School of Art, where she is developing a thesis based on the connections between formalism, new materialist philosophies, and painting and sculpture. Working intuitively with colour, shape and light in response to the world around her, Ginny is inspired by both artificial and natural worlds, and the myriad of forms and textures they provide.

Sarah Calmus (b. 1989, Essex) is an interdisciplinary artist and producer focused on creating spaces for interaction, connection, and reflection. She graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in 2014 with a degree in Art, Philosophy, and Contemporary Practices. Working across moving image, light, sound, and sculpture, Calmus often designs site-specific, large-scale immersive installations that promote participatory interaction and explore diverse ecologies.

In addition to her personal practice, Calmus is an active force in the Scottish arts scene as a Programmer, Producer, Tutor, and Exhibition Handler. Her past collaborators include National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Applied Arts Scotland, Royal Scottish Academy, and Hidden Door Festival.

Nominated as President of Visual Arts Scotland (2020-2023), Calmus played a key role in initiating the Emergency Art Workers Support Fund in March 2020 and managing the Visual Arts strand of the Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers. She is committed to creating equitable spaces within the arts for underrepresented individuals.