Sam Weeks

My practical skillset & experience in art-making includes, but is not linited to:
2D - painting (acrylic, watercolour, ink), drawing (pencil, charcoal, pastels, ink), printmaking, image transfer, collage.
3D - cardboard sculpture, stained glass, basic woodworking, junk modelling, clay, modroc.
I’m also experienced in installation art & concept-based work, and have curated & hung many exhibitions.

My teaching ethos is to encourage & support students to respond authentically to the lesson’s theme. When possible, themes will be chosen jointly by me & my student(s), unless preset.
Where a pre-set theme or stimulus is provided, I research it & design activities around it to suit the students’ needs & any constraints imposed by the setting.
My lessons include practical skill-building and understanding of materials used. I also include constructive feedback, a recap’, and two-way dialogue around the learning.
When possible, I take a phenomenological approach, involving students as much as possible in the ownership of their learning. I can also teach pedagogically, when lessons have a specific skill or theoretical/historical focus. However, I believe the teaching of Art requires room for students’ creative expression in order to deepen learning & build confidence. This enables the development of a range of adaptable & transferable practical and learning skills.
My aim as a teacher is to inculcate a positive attitude to learning through playful creative experimentation. When circumstances allow for ‘free learning’ I believe students find greater confidence in their unique ‘artist voice’ when there is no pressure to achieve a predetermined, homogenised outcome.