A New Chapter: Teaching at House of Toad

After two incredibly rewarding years teaching at the Edinburgh Drawing School, I’ve decided it’s time for something new.

My time at EDS has been a formative period in my life and work — my first proper teaching post, and a position I wasn’t sure I was ready for when I joined. But it’s one which has been immensely beneficial for both my artistic practice and my spiritual well-being. I’ve met many wonderful students and colleagues there, and it has been such a privilege to watch people develop their confidence and skill over those six terms. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to learn the craft of teaching alongside the craft of painting.

New seasons bring new opportunities, however, and I’m genuinely thrilled to announce that from early 2026, I’ll be teaching independently at House of Toad, a non-profit co-working house and creative community in Glasgow’s Park Circus.

Glasgow has been my home for a quarter of a century — it’s a city whose creative spirit has shaped my own practice and outlook more than any other — so it feels exactly right that my teaching should take root here.

At House of Toad, I’ll be launching a new programme of classes designed to offer serious, skills-based training in drawing and painting, taught in a friendly, supportive studio environment. That programme will open with Drawing and Painting Foundations, a structured, year-long curriculum intended to give students a solid grounding in traditional technique. Students won’t have to sign up for the whole year - each term will stand alone as a coherent learning pathway - but those who do will progress through three terms from drawing to painting in oils.

The first term — Term I: Ways of Seeing and Drawing — is devoted entirely to drawing. Over ten weeks we’ll focus on observation, proportion, tone, and structure: the fundamentals that underpin all representational work. Later terms will build on that foundation, guiding students gradually into tonal and colour painting. The aim is to develop not just technical competence, but clarity of thought — to help people understand why they make the decisions they do, and to draw with purpose.

Alongside Foundations, I’ll also be running Portrait Painting in Oils — a course that builds on the same principles but applies them to working directly from the live model. It’s designed with some prior experience in mind, but open to anyone keen to learn portrait painting in a focused, supportive setting. Both courses are small-group, materials-included, and will be taught in the light-filled School at House of Toad.

My approach to teaching is simple: serious about the work, but friendly and supportive in practice. Drawing and painting are demanding disciplines, but they should also be great fun. I want students to feel challenged but supported, and part of a genuine community of learning — the kind of atmosphere where people can focus on growth by trying new things and learning from their mistakes.

I’ll be holding a couple of 2-hour taster sessions at House of Toad in late November and early December, open to anyone who’d like to try a session before committing to a longer course.

Courses are now taking bookings, and there are limited spaces remaining. To secure your spot, click here.