Artists in Residence & Studio Information
South Hill Park has a number of Artists in Residence who tutor many of our courses and workshops. They cover a variety of arts and craft disciplines.
You can use this page to find out more about them and the fully-equipped, specialist studios they run.
Printmaking
Our brand new Printmaking Studio provides expertise and facilities of the highest quality. This specialist studio is bright and airy, and can accommodate up to 12 students, ensuring dedicated support from our professional printmaking tutors. Exceptional facilities, equipped for both traditional and more experimental methods of printmaking, include a nineteenth-century Columbian relief press, two lithographic presses and a fabulous 1970s Rochat intaglio press.
Heather Upton (Head of Printmaking)
Heather Upton is an Award Winning artist. She trained for her first degree in Fine Art and Dance at Brighton University and later, after specialising in Printmaking, graduated with a Masters Degree from Winchester School of Art in 2007.
In October 2015, Heather had her second successful exhibition at South Hill Park, in the Mirror Gallery and the Atrium, entitled ‘Elements’ – an exhibition of original prints, exploring elements constituting the material and the ethereal universe.
www.heatherupton.com
heather.upton@nullsouthhillpark.org.uk
Basia Gorska
Basia Gorska is a London based fine artist. Basia’s characteristic, blurry circular gradients are created using her own technique. She invented it while experimenting with lithographic rollers and primary colours that are still her main point of artistic reference.
Born in 1986, she grew up in Germany to go on to study in Poland. In 2013, she first showcased her famous artwork ‘Personal Sphere’ which won her an honorary MFA at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
Since then, Basia’s works have been exhibited in many countries including her native Poland and Germany, as well as the UK, the USA, Hungary, Belgium and Belarus. Her pieces have been shown alongside artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Josef Albers. Her works can also be found in private collections across Europe.
Basia is an artist in residence at South Hill Park in Bracknell, UK. She has an individual approach to each student taking into account their skill level and artistic needs.
www.basiagorska.com
Instagram: @b_gorska
Facebook: @basiagorska.art
Ceramics
Our dedicated ceramics studio is a professionally equipped space that is welcoming, spacious and relaxing. Equipment includes five potters’ wheels, a slab-roller, extruder and two kilns – as well as a range of tools and materials for students to learn and develop various techniques. Students are encouraged to share inspiration and ideas with their peers, under the expert support and encouragement of the tutor.
Kim Whelton
Colour, form and abstraction in thoughtful reflection, have always been a major curiosity in Kim’s creative thinking. The investigation of this has taken her to ceramics and through many mediums including photography and all the while working with captured images, she has come full circle and is investigating how to recreate her images in ceramic form and glaze. The fuel and sympathy in this body of work has come from the past decade working closely with individuals across all age groups and how mental health manifests from experiences and pressures put on ourselves and by others, as well as suffering dementia and Alzheimer’s. Drawing from these interactions, she is working to create vulnerability and strength encapsulated by form and surface.
Kim uses thrown and altered forms of various sizes to create a sense of subtle instability. This coupled with an exploration of surface texture, colour and form, initially examined using photographic abstract expression, is then translated into ceramic with considered application of glazes
Jewellery and Silversmithing
We have one of the most accessible and fully equipped jewellery and silversmithing studios in the South East, offering a vast selection of specialist equipment for new and experienced jewellers and silversmiths. The studio offers full hearths, professional standard workbenches, enamelling facilities, various forming equipment – including a roller mill and fly press – and a good selection of takes, hammers and hand tools.
Erica Sharp
Erica is an artist, jeweller and qualified teacher living in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Her background is in illustration, having worked as a freelance fashion illustrator and visual arts teacher, before taking a path into jewellery in 2016.
Erica specialises in wax carving for jewellery, and has created commissioned pieces for clients in the UK and overseas. She is inspired by the ancient symbolism and folklore of nature. She incorporates precious gemstones to her jewellery, adorning them with hand carved leaves and botanical details.
Erica has over 10 years of teaching experience. She aims to create a relaxed, supportive and inclusive environment in her classes.
Goldsmiths Craft and Design Award 2024
The Goldsmiths Design and Crafts Awards is held every year to showcase the wide-ranging skill set of UK based silversmithing, goldsmithing, jewellery, and allied trades. All submitted work is judged by experts in each specialist field.
In March 2024, Erica was awarded silver for the modellers category. Modelling is carving or sculpting a piece with the intention of casting it into precious metal, and submitted work is judged on the craftsmanship of carving/sculpting. The piece is entitled Sunflower Netsuke. A netsuke is a type of Japanese miniature sculpture and style of jewellery worn on a kimono – it’s a nod to Erica’s Japanese heritage.
