April Newsletter

Hello, arty ones!

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to update you on my progress (or lack thereof!) with my New Year’s resolution. My goal was to create one portrait a month, but, as it turns out, life has had other plans. I’ve managed to complete two portraits so far, but the build-up to my exhibition, which is now just one month away, has kept me incredibly busy. In light of this, I’ve decided to cut myself some slack.

Jim Mcleish

That said, I’ve been deeply immersed in ideas for new works, and I’m excited to dive into the creative process once the exhibition is behind me.

Speaking of the exhibition, I’m thrilled to invite you all to my latest body of work, Our Golden Thread. It will be held at St Mark’s Church Hall, St Mary’s Place, St Andrews, on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of May, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Thank you to all who have notified me that they will attend the private view on Friday 2nd May 6-8.30pm. I really look forward to seeing you all. Please note that on Saturday, the 3rd, the exhibition will be closed between 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM for my talk and demonstration on cyanotype. Tickets for the event can be purchased HERE.

In addition to the exhibition, I’m excited to announce that my treasure hunt, where you can find my handmade cocoons, will be starting on Monday, 7th April. I’ll be hiding 33 cocoons in and around St Andrews, and I truly hope you find one! If you do, please let me know via one of my social media platforms: Jaclyn Stuart Art on Instagram or Facebook.

As for my teaching, it’s been a busy month! I continue to believe in the importance of teaching the fundamentals of art to all ages. My time spent as a lecturer at both Fife College and Elmwood College has greatly influenced my approach, and I’ve based my lesson plans around the SQA outcomes ever since. I focus on helping students grasp key concepts like line, tone, composition, colour theory, and art techniques, while encouraging them to explore a range of mediums. Recently, I had the pleasure of being invited back to teach art history students at St Andrews University. So far, we’ve covered topics such as composition in still life and portraiture, and we’re about to start sketching outdoors.

I also have two upcoming adult classes with a few spaces available:

• Watercolour Flowers in Context (Wednesday, on Zoom)

• Oil Landscapes with a Palette Knife (Thursday, in person)

All the details are on my website, www.jaclynstuart.com.

Additionally, I’m hoping to run some outdoor daytime workshops in June. If there’s anywhere in particular you’d like to go for a day of drawing, please let me know, and I’ll see if I can fit it into the schedule. Let’s hope the weather will be just as beautiful as it is now!

Ailsa enjoying painting and the sun at Kellie Castle 2024

I’ve also added some new adult classes for August. Typically, I take a break over the summer holidays and start classes back in mid-August, so feel free to check them out and see if there’s anything that interests you.

In addition to my regular teaching, I continue to work with Flavours Holidays, teaching both on Zoom and in person. My next week of teaching will take me to Italy in May, to Puglia – a place I’ve never visited before! I’m currently doing some research to inform my lessons and make the experience even more enriching for my students. Check out there array of holidays on offer HERE.

My regular art classes are also going well. I currently have spaces available in my teen classes, and a few spots have opened up in my primary-aged classes as well. If you know anyone who might be interested, I’m offering a free trial session, so please don’t hesitate to pass on my details.

Thank you all for your ongoing support, and I hope to see you at my exhibition in May!