Mission Statement

Our primary goal at The Glasgow Academy 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 curriculum we hope to give each student the fundamental skills they need to express their own creative ideas. Our goal is to prepare students for becoming practicing, professional artists; we aim to impart confidence in ability, mastery over technique, and a sound understanding of what it takes to become a professional artist in the current marketplace.

Comprised of a series of carefully designed exercises, our curriculum starts by teaching the most basic, fundamental concepts of drawing representationally, and then progresses in a series of stages, growing increasingly more complex and sophisticated. Each stage of the process is predicated upon the knowledge gained from the previous stage; thus, students progress towards the goal of technical mastery in small, manageable steps. 

Our curriculum is 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 a lasting artistic community for our students and graduates. One of our highest goals is to unite those with a common passion for representational art. We hope that during their time with us, students will forge lasting bonds of friendship and establish enduring professional relationships.