Mission Statement
Learn, create and be inspired.
Welcome to Ayrshire Atelier of Fine Art. We are an Atelier School in the historic sense of the word; our curriculum follows the blueprint set by the Old Masters such as Titian, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio, in that the Atelier is both a school and a professional painter’s studio. At Ayrshire Atelier, students get the rare opportunity to step into the world of two contemporary masters of their craft, and study alongside them.
Creative Director, Sarah Margaret Gibson, gives a student a critique during a portrait session.
Our primary goal at Ayrshire Atelier of Fine Art is to offer our students the highest quality training in traditional, representational techniques of drawing and oil painting. We believe that our job is to teach the means of making art, not the ends; through our courses we hope to give each student the fundamental skills they need to express their own creative ideas.
A group of students measuring for proportion during a portrait session.
Our courses are designed to cater both to the individual, and to the group. We combine lectures addressed to the entire class that cover general principals with personalised, one-on-one critiques which address the individual needs of each student. Our instructors also teach by example, working alongside students on various projects to demonstrate particular visual concepts and to inspire students with the fruits of their own years of study.
Through our teaching style we aim to help the student solve the problem at hand, whilst also elucidating the underlying principles behind their particular conundrum. We hope to teach our students to self-analyse and self-critique, empowering them to find success beyond the confines of the classroom.
In our studio, we seek to create a meditative, intimate environment for study, with an atmosphere conducive to deep levels of concentration and highly methodical work. We believe that the order and beauty of the studio itself is paramount to achieving the quality of thought and of work that our students strive for. We also aim to make the studio a creative haven for our students—a rare place for peaceful contemplation and concentrated work amongst our busy, 21st-century lives.
Finally, we seek to create an artistic community for our students and within the broader community here in Ayrshire. One of our highest goals is to unite those with a common passion for representational art.