Alumni news

Since completing his studies in 2023, Andrew Braund, metals alumnus, has established himself as an armoury conservator and in November contributed to an event at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace.

In addition to Andrew's replica shield being on display, Andrew joined Simon Metcalf (The King's Armourer) and Dr Alex Hildred (from The Mary Rose Museum) in talking about how the replica was made, offering insights into how recent research and conservation of these unusual inventions has informed our understanding of how gun shields were intended to be used during Tudor warfare.

For his Masters thesis, Andrew explored the use of gun shield replicas in collections for interpretation and engagement. As part of his research, he consulted with Simon Metcalf and Dr Alex Hildred who are experts on 16th century gun shields; and decided to base his replica on a gun shield from Henry VIII's arsenal, found on the Mary Rose.

December 2023

Congratulations to our MA Creative Writing and Publishing class of 2023 on the launch of their anthology, 9 Stories.

Published by Epoque Press and supported by Programme Leader Mark Radcliffe, the collection in the anthology represents extracts of work that began as part of their studies at West Dean. The book features beautiful illustrations by Catherine Kurtz, who is an artist, as well as a writer, and has provided the art for each of the stories.

A talented group of writers with bright futures ahead of them! We are proud that they came to West Dean to develop their craft.

October 2023

Fine Art alumna Catharine Somerville's works will be included in a new exhibition at Gallery 1313 in Toronto. The exhibition is a collaboration between three artists embracing their own personal ideas of what “landscape” means.

Exhibition: 25 October - 5 November

October 2023

West Dean are delighted to announce that Julian Bickersteth has established the International Conservation Services Australian Bursary. Having received a part-scholarship himself to study at West Dean, he is keen to support practicing Australian conservators and students looking to further their education at West Dean on the MA Conservation Studies.

Julian, who studied the Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies Furniture and Related Objects at West Dean, graduated in 1982 and within four years founded International Conservation Services (ICS) in Australia. 30 years on, Julian is now CEO of ICS, Australia’s largest private fine art and heritage conservation practice, with labs in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth employing over 40 permanent staff plus casuals. ICS works across the disciplines of furniture, paintings, works on paper, textiles, sculpture, archaeology and outdoor heritage for myriad collecting institutions including, government bodies, corporations, major universities and private collections.

Julian explained: “West Dean showed me how I could combine something that I loved with earning a living. It set me up for a highly rewarding career for which I will always be grateful.”

Heidi Hennessy, Funding and Outreach Manager at West Dean, also added: “We are thrilled to have Julian’s support in this way. Having received a part-scholarship himself to study at West Dean, this is such a great way to support others overcome financial barriers to learning and access a course they are so passionate about. Thank you so much, Julian!”

June 2023

Congratulations to MFA alumnae Philippa Clarke, Ruth Glasheen and Ruth Heaton who are holding an exhibition in Sheffield in July. Their combined works include drawing, painting, sculpture and weaving. The artists each use different visual languages to describe the complexities of landscape shaped by history, myth geography and the imprint of human and animal-kind. Philippa, Ruth and Ruth have exhibited at some of the foremost exhibitions in the UK including Collect at the Saatchi Gallery and the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.

'Underfoot' - Working and Walking the Land, Gage Gallery, Kelham Island, Sheffield. Preview  7 July 6pm - 9pm. 8 - 17 July 11am - 6pm.

June 2023

Rosemary Bickle (FDAD 2017-2019) has a painting currently being exhibited in the West Downs Gallery, University of Winchester, Romsey Road. Her painting was inspired by Georgia Hilton's poem 'The Lost Art of Staring into Fires', which is published in the University of Winchester Alumni poetry book of the same name. (Valley Press 2022). All the artworks have been inspired by one or other of the poems in the book and produced specifically for the event. After the exhibition, they are to be exhibited permanently in an online University of Winchester Winton Society Exhibition.

Her painting 'Metamorphosis' fits into her current sublime theme of inspiring meditative questioning on the nature of life, death, good, evil and spirituality. The exhibition of over 30 paintings and poems is open from Monday to Saturday weekly until 25 June with free entry.

June 2023

After 40 years we have reconnected furniture alumnus David Watkinson (1982-1984) with furniture tutor Humphrey Sladden, having featured David’s donation of his personal archive to the College in the alumni newsletter.

Humphrey, himself an alumni (1974-1975) receives the alumni newsletter and got in touch with us when he read the feature about David.

Humphrey told us: ‘Reading David’s feature in the last newsletter brought back so many memories of my happy years as a tutor on the furniture restoration course at the college. I think my time there was at the zenith of the antique trade and it was at its peak too with Stanley Block and his extraordinary skill, knowledge and above all connection with all the finest dealers who gave us such valuable furniture to work on.

I feel greatly privileged have been able to help so many students, many more skilful than me, to a new career in the trade as envisaged by the BADA when they set up the course in 1972. My own time at college in 1974 was a fascinating transformation following some 20 years of farming.

Now, at 91 it is all a happy memory and I send best wishes to those of the 226 students who are still with us.’

David told us 'Forty years on and reconnecting with Humphrey has been truly magical.' Read more about David’s personal archive donation to West Dean here.

June 2023

Congratulations to MA Creative Writing and Publishing alumna Suzie Wilde who has had book three in the Book of Bera Trilogy published!

April 2023

Metals alumna and West Dean tutor Kate Jennings recently went to the Endless Metal training school in Ljubljana to get some in-depth training on the accessible analytical and treatment tools that the team behind the tools have been developing and disseminating information about as part of an EU funded project.

The tools that were the focus of the training school are known as DiscoveryMat, MiCorr and Pleco. DiscoveryMat is an application for the analysis of metal and alloy compositions, Pleco is an instrument for identifying corrosion products formed on the surface of metals and (where appropriate) allowing their transformation by reduction to stabilise or clean metal surfaces, and MiCorr is an application for identifying the family of metals people wish to investigate and understanding the corrosion structures present on the metals in order to assist with developing appropriate conservation strategies.

More information about the project can be found here and Kate particularly recommends having a look at the MiCorr website which has been specifically developed to assist specialists and non-specialists alike in understanding the likely composition of metal objects, and as such is a highly accessible, practical and free(!) resource.

April 2023

West Dean College has for the first time acquired a personal archive of one of its former students. David Watkinson, a furniture restoration student 1982-1984, has kindly gifted the College his collection of photograph albums, portfolios, correspondence, certificates, audio and video recordings, together with material about his subsequent career as French Polisher at the Palace of Westminster. 

We are delighted to acquire David’s archive which is such a comprehensive record of his experience as a student here in the 1980s. This not only provides an invaluable record of the technical skills that he acquired from his tutor Stanley Block working on a wide variety of furniture, but also the wider events and social life at the College at this time. In a letter to his parents, David records his surprise at meeting Edward James when he came to the College to open the new workshops in 1982.

David has also shared his memories through our College Oral History Project. It is wonderful that we can preserve his memories and his archive for the future interest.

April 2023

FdA Clocks alumna Rebecca Hawkridge, who graduated in 2022 and is now working with the highly regarded turret clock specialists, The Cumbria Clock Company based in Penrith. This prestigious company recently worked on the conservation and restoration of the great clock at the Palace of Westminster.

Since employing Rebecca, they have established a new workshop for smaller domestic clocks due to a high demand for such expertise. This also coincided with a new horological project taken on by independent collections advisor Su Fullwood, who regularly works with West Dean College students and alumni.

The work consisted of the overhaul and installation of four historic clocks on the Isle of Mull. As Su has connections with the Cumbria Clocks Company and had also worked with Rebecca during her student training at West Dean College, it seemed a perfect opportunity to work together again in a professional capacity.

The project involved Rebecca and her colleague Callum Scobie-Youngs overhauling and installing four clocks for Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull.

The location and environment presented some challenges with overhauling and installing the clocks, which Rebecca and Callum rose to with great accomplishment. The clocks were successfully delivered from Cumbria to the Isle of Mull in March 2023, one of the longcase clocks being installed in the impressive hall of the castle, where it can be seen and appreciated by visitors.

Su said of working with Rebecca and Callum “It was fantastic to work with two younger clock makers who are both recent graduates, yet they are already so impressive in their knowledge and ability, especially in the way they dealt with all the challenges and responded to me and my colleagues. I think this is a testament to their training.  I did have the pleasure of working with Becca when she was a student at West Dean, but it was so good to see her at work as a professional clockmaker, especially on such an interesting project.”

Rebecca, who decided to take the course at West Dean College after a placement spent with The British Horological Society, explained that working with the Cumbria Clock Company is improving her knowledge, skills and confidence greatly. She also “can't recommend the clock course and the tutors at West Dean enough” and appreciates the support network it has provided.

Su said “It has been a very inspiring time for me, but it really highlights that we need clock makers like Callum and Becca coming through these courses, to deal with the obvious demand. I am very much looking forward to working with them again in the future”.

Susan Fullwood
April 2023

MFA alumna Hala Sabet exhibited at the Cairo Art exhibition held at the Egyptian Grand Museum earlier this month, represented by Arcade Gallery. The Museum is due to open this year and will be one of the world's biggest, most modern and renowned museums in the world. Hala told us: 'I am thrilled and cannot believe such a honour. This is a dream come true'.

February 2023

Jo Boddy (FDAD Alumni 2021) is excitedly preparing for two exhibitions in March. One will feature six of her recent linocut and collagraph prints as part of the ‘Print at the Park’ Spring Exhibition at the Old Fire Station Gallery, Henley-on-Thames, March 16th – 29th. One collagraph, ‘Storm’s Coming’ began life on an Approaches to Drawing course at West Dean with Jo Veevers.

Jo embarked on an MA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins in September 2022 and will be joining first year MA students from across the Fine Arts Programme in their interim exhibition (approximately 100 students). This offers a wonderful opportunity to not only participate by exhibiting but also by helping to curate the exhibition which will be an experience in itself!

Jo is currently working on something rather new for this exhibition which will be based around her explorations of the Swinley Forest where which she walks most days and which has featured in her work since she discovered printmaking during her FDAD. She’s currently extending her linocut techniques with caustic soda etching and opening up new possibilities with poly-plate lithography and etching techniques.

February 2023

Many congratulations to Foundation Degree Arts Musical Instruments alumnus Jonathan Hill on winning the inaugural Heritage Crafts Woodworker of the Year Award 2022!

Awarded at a special presentation at the House of Lords earlier this week, the accolade celebrates a heritage craftsperson who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of woodworking over the past year. It recognises a contribution that is far beyond the ordinary, based on a proven dedication to a particular woodworking skill.

Luthier Jonathan is a maker of historic and modern stringed instruments including the viola d’amore, lira da braccio, violin and viola families. He completed his training on the Foundation Degree Arts Musical Instruments programme at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation in 2012, and then worked for a number of stringed instrument makers in the UK and Europe, before setting up his own stringed musical instruments workshop.

Jonathan is the only maker in the UK specialising in Violas d’amore and has now made more consecutive instruments than any other maker, living and historically.

Jonathan said:

“My initial training at West Dean, where I learnt to make a wide range of historical instruments with varied methods of building, encouraged me to be open minded in my approach to making instruments. This mindset has allowed me to work with freedom and creativity within a very traditional field, making my work stand out. I am honoured that this has been recognised by the Heritage Craft Association in being awarded Woodworker of the year 2022.”

February 2023

Congratulations to current MFA student Sylvia Radford who has been selected for the Contemporary Art Collectors (CAC) Emerging Artist Programme 2023!

CAC is an art and culture platform that discusses relevant conversations and topics in art, explore the culture of contemporary collecting and asks how art itlsef can become a more prominent and meaningful part of people’s everyday lives. Their Emerging Artist programme selects twenty artists internationally each year, celebrating the best new practices from around the world.

January 2023

FDAD-alumni Susanne Irving is pleased to be exhibiting at The Holy Art Gallery virtual exhibition, after seeing the opportunity promoted in the October 2022 alumni newsletter.

Susanne’s work has been exhibited in Petersfield, Portsmouth and Godalming, and this is the first time Susanne has applied for a virtual exhibition.

Since graduating in 2018, Susanne has experimented with creating thought-provoking, richly layered mixed media pieces. Keenly aware of how the making of art can contribute to environmental issues, Susanne upcycles materials, incorporating items that would otherwise end up in landfill, and experiments with environment-friendly materials and processes.

She is interested in exploring how art can enable us to connect with our inner and outer worlds, spiritual experiences, and each other. A work may be inspired by a material, nature, a memory or inspirational prose or poetry. Susanne takes time to step back to bring out the uniqueness of each artwork until it becomes a snapshot of a particular moment, insight, or experience.

Two original paintings, which were first shown in Portsmouth Cathedral in the summer, are included in the virtual exhibition. “Tidal play” was inspired by Susanne’s love of the sea. “Spiritwind” was inspired by a small paper collage which was stolen the previous year. Susanne decided to explore the idea again on a canvas that would not fit into anyone’s handbag!

Also included in the exhibition are 3 hand-finished prints, which were produced by carbon-neutral print company The Print Space.Two of the prints are based on a 90x90cm original work called “Origins”, which has recently been purchased. Susanne enjoyed the challenge of capturing some of the vitality and explosive power of the original painting in the hand-finished 50x50cm prints, using pieces of other prints and millet husks.

The third hand-finished print, “Memories”, is based on a painting that was sold at the Appart exhibition in Godalming earlier this year. Benches have been an important motif since 2020.

Susanne shares about her artistic process and inspiration in her weekly blogposts on her website www.susanneirving.com. She also posts on Instagram under #susanneirvingcreative

DACC alumna Helen Clifford-Jones is delighted to have sold her first painting to a private collector this month. The abstract work, Carpal Karaoke, focuses on the colours of her childhood and her recent double carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists! She told us:

'Carpal Karaoke because of my limited use of my hands at the moment, making it challenging to work. Karaoke, because of my love of song and the palette, is very much of my childhood - the 1970s. Growing up in Cyprus, where the sun always shone and the sky and sea were a fabulous blue. I yearned for pretty pink dresses, but my mum thought they were naff and tasteless. The red is me. In and amongst it all. It's life. It's living. Drama and passion. It is the essence of being present and here. Reflecting on this, my most recent piece of work, I look back fondly to all the wonder and awe of not knowing what lies ahead. Childhood is the chance to dream of what's possible in the future. That is why these colours are important to me. The shapes, in this instance, compartmentalise aspects of nature, emotions and memories.'

Medium - Acrylic on canvas and is 100cm wide by 150cm long.

November 2022

Congratulations to Jonathan Hill on being shortlisted for a new Heritage Crafts award. Jonathan is one of three finalists for the Woodworker of the Year award which celebrates outstanding contributions to the field of woodworking over the past year that is far beyond the ordinary, based on a proven dedication to a particular woodworking skill. The winner of the award will be announced on November 7th at a Winners’ Reception at the House of Lords.

Jonathan is a maker of historic and modern stringed instruments including the viola d'amore, lira da braccio, violin and viola families. After graduating from West Dean in 2012, he worked for a master violin maker in Yorkshire, and studied instrument making in Turkey with a master traditional oud maker.

October 2022

Emma Straw has recently been to Finland to see her work in an exhibition. On her birthday back in 2020, Emma heard that her 4 tapestries had been selected for the Artapestry 6 exhibition. The following January the exhibition started its 2-year tour in Denmark before moving to Sweden, Latvia and finally Finland.

The 4 tapestries were the main pieces she exhibited in the MA show here at West Dean, using pigment drawings she had created in the Fine Art studios throughout the year. She then went on to complete a summer school at the College with Cos Ahmet where she learnt 3D techniques which inspired her to create these open warp tapestries using coloured wools she had dyed throughout the year.

October 2022

Clocks alumnus John Chapman brought a very unusual clock to show the students last week. The one year duration regulator clock was the most accurate type of mechanism back in the day. Made by Abraham Taffinder of Rotherham, it advertises the 1851 Exhibition at Crystal Palace, although it is not known if it was actually on display at the Exhibition.

July 2022

Claire is really pleased to have had her work accepted for the Hasting Open 2022 at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. It is on 1 October 2022 - 15 January 2023.

She is showing her tapestry weaving Moon:Stone which includes Sussex Hag stones. There were a large numbers of entries submitted so she is especially pleased and excited to be one of the just over 80 artist to have had work selected for this exhibition which celebrates the diversity of artistic talent in Hastings and beyond. 

October 2022

Catia recently told us about her involvement with the Metals Working Group of ICOM-CC which is concerned with the conservation, restoration and preservation of all objects made of metals or metallic alloys of archaeological, indigenous, artistic or historical origin.

The aim of the Metals Working Group is to foster conservation and to promote the conservation science of Metals, to encourage the networking of conservators and metals experts, and to facilitate the dissemination of information on current conservation practice, research, and education; by electronic communication, meetings, specialty groups and social networks.

Every three years there is a conference to present current work, meet and discuss topics related to the group's aim. In September 2022 the National Museum of Finland and the Metropolitan University organised the Metal2022 conference, which took place in the beautiful island of Suomenlinna

‘I was invited to be part of the programme committee, which entailed reviewing the conference papers, a process which took over a year. I was also honoured to be invited to chair one of the sessions on conservation treatment. It was an honour to chair a varied group of conservators from Sri Lanka to The United States and join the discussions. These conferences offer a unique opportunity to meet face to face (at last!), and share projects, discuss treatments, talk about institutional procedures, and share our sustainable attitudes towards conservation.’

October 2022

It was great to see MA Conservation Studies alumnus and horological conservator Dale Sardeson at Arundel Museum in September as part of the Heritage Open Days with Icon; an initiative raising awareness of the work conservators do.

During the day, Dale worked on some of the museum's beautiful time pieces that were made by local clockmaker Thomas Walder, giving visitors a fascinating insight into what goes into keeping these antique machines ticking for hundreds of years.

October 2022

Do you have any special memories of studying at West Dean?

An oral history project to capture student, staff and alumni memories of West Dean College is gathering pace. Jackie Herrington, a former member of staff, has now recorded over 25 hours of memories from the time the College opened its doors to students in October 1971 to the present. Unsurprisingly, common themes are emerging about the experience of being at West Dean - a totally immersive environment, the value of one's own workbench space, the freedom many people feel here to be themselves, long friendships made and maintained. Each personal memory is contributing unique and distinct gems to the overall picture – making varnish, work placements, induction fire safety demonstrations. We are keen to collect memories from staff, students and alumni, so if you would like to add yours, we’d love to hear from you. Most of the recordings have been made in the College but Jackie is happy to travel to homes or workplaces that are not too far flung. For those further afield there may be an opportunity for us to record your memories online or by email.

If you are interested to find out more, please contact Jackie direct on [email protected]; she will be eagerly checking her Inbox on a regular basis.

June 2022

Fine Art tutor Kate Boucher will be exhibiting in the newly renovated Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery with sculptor Alison Crowther from 21st September - 26th November. The exhibition, 'Alison Crowther and Kate Boucher: Traces in the Landscape' brings together, for the first time, hand-carved wood sculptures by Alison Crowther and charcoal drawings by Kate Boucher.

August 2022

Books alumna Leah Humenuck was invited to present at the Society for Imaging Science and Technology conference ‘Archiving 2022’. At the conference, her talk entitled Practical Comparison of Rendering Programs for 2.5D Models of Embroidered Binding Covers covered a recent research project she has undertaken. She told us more about it:

“I was inspired to perform this research project based on the Bodleian's Textiles in Libraries series
and Icon's Textiles & Book and Paper Groups: A Patchwork of Shared Skills
event. As a conservator and developing color scientist, I like to pursue projects that display the
materiality of books in practical ways. Embroidered books are objects that present a unique
challenge to show their materiality and sometimes traditional photography is not always sufficient. During a course last semester in my program at Rochester Institute of Technology Munsell Color Science Lab, I explored 3D modelling of embroidered
books and wanted to develop the idea further. I am grateful to the Rochester Institute of
Technology's Cary Collection for allowing me to examine one of their items and present at Imaging
Science and Technology's Archiving 2022."

June 2022

Clocks Alumni Matthew Read , Daniel Corda, Dale Sardeson and Anna Rolls (Metals) came together to study the Silver Swan, the Bowes Museum’s most famous and magnificent exhibit. The week-long in-depth investigation by this group of the country's leading dynamic object curator-conservators considered ‘What is Swan and What is its Future?’.

Watch this video to find out more here.

April 2022