Sophie Woodhouse
After an art foundation course, a BA in illustration and an MA in Renaissance Studies, Sophie specialised in historic pigments and gilding techniques. She has worked for twenty-five years as a decorative surfaces conservator on historic buildings, as an artist, screen-printer and tutor of art history, conservation and art techniques at universities and art schools.
Describe your approach to teaching
Giving confidence to students to play and experiment is important to me, as is teaching the skills and techniques which have endured for centuries. Art should always be fun and I enjoy sending students in an unexpected direction in my classes.
What inspires your own work?
I am always inspired by form, texture, colour and light in the natural world. Medieval style has been a delight since childhood as have mythologies and the stranger aspects of social and medical history. Historical pigments endlessly provide stories and ideas.
