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I’m very much into my online art lessons this season, meaning I don’t currently go to my students’ houses, nor they come to me but we meet at a common place online. Where as you might be asking how is an art lesson so anchored into using art materials and a hands-on approach even possible to take place online? This is how I do it. Watch this short 3 minute video below the text and find out what it looks like when I teach online and how the image I’m transmitting appears on your screen. If you would like to have a free 15 min Zoom or Skype chat to try what my art lessons are like, and to see how we get on, message me on Instagram @silviakrupinska or leave a comment under the blog post, I’ll get back to you.
Next time, I’ll publish a post about the top ten things you need to do to prepare for an online art lesson with me and some of the rules to follow to achieve the best online art experience possible. See you soon. Thanks for coming back!
Art lessons have picked up again, I’m getting plenty of new enquiries so I bring this update on my blog to tell you what art tutoring I offer and how you can get a ‘satisfaction guaranteed or your money back’ on your first session and what is a ‘Haselcan’! But first things first.
I am a DBS checked art tutor. You are safe with me, I hold a public liability insurance which covers my art lessons and art workshops. I studied at Central Saint Martins, MA Art and Science and before BA Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art, both part of the UAL.
It is easy-peasy to book a tutorial or a workshop with me. Please contact me on silviakrupinska(at)gmail(dot)com or use this link to a tutoring platform Tutorfair, where you can book me directly. My fee varies so please get in touch for more. And remember, if you book via the Tutorfair website or their app, your first lesson is satisfaction guaranteed. Each time you buy a Tutorfair lesson with me a small donation is made to the Tutorfair Foundation!
I absolutely love teaching which is a complementary part of my own art practice as a sculptor. It gives me a sense of reward and fulfilment. I love my job. When I was a girl I had, and still have, a deep admiration for my art teachers. Their patience, creativity, and utmost kindness inspired me to become one.
What art tutoring do I offer?
I specialise in one-to-one tuition, where I visit my clients directly, but mostly online these days. I also go to nurseries to teach my youngest art students, babies from 16 months up to preschool age. I conduct my art workshops in art venues, during art exhibitions, art markets and at universities for people of all ages, needs and abilities. To find out more about a spectrum of my teaching experience, please click the following link here.
Individual art tutoring, one-to-one (online 1 hour, in-person 2 hour sessions)
I offer art tutoring online via Skype, or where conditions and distance allows, I see my art tutees in person also. I’ve had over 30 private clients in over 300 hours of personal art tuition. I help with getting ready for exams or introduce some new art techniques to students that want to get better at their art, or just want to discover something for themselves. Whether it is learning a measured drawing technique or some unusual art and science explorations, we always have lots of fun.
Find me on a leading tutoring website Tutorfair and read some insightful reviews from my clients there.
Parent’s comments:
“Silvia also trained Eve in observational drawing which is an important part of the Art Scholarship applications for the 11+ entrance exams. She helped my daughter to record her ideas and processes in a sketchbook and helped her to put together her art portfolio for presentation in Art Scholarships.”
“Thanks to Silvia’s tutoring, Eve was invited to participate in four different art assessments which resulted in the offer of one Art Scholarship.”
Mariana, London (February 2020)
Early years art (groups up to 10, 30 min class time)
I have 3 years experience in early years art. My nursery and pre-school pupils enjoy our art lessons so far in four London nurseries for a weekly session. I plan, deliver and evaluate for these extra-curricular activities so teachers and parents can follow their child’s development. It is always sad to see the little ones move on to a big school, but some of them would have attended up to three years of the art explorations with me. I always miss them!
As always it’s been a pleasure to have you on my blog and other online content. Before you go, if you book with me and in the process you mention this code word ‘Haselcan‘ I’ll give your first 30-minute-trial-lesson for a price of 15 minutes.
What is a ‘Haselcan’? A haselnut and a pecan together, of course! Cheerio!
Borranco – made by water flow is an art exhibition and interactive clay event. Borranco presents a new series of clay prints on paper and drawings I made in collaboration with Almerian forest ants. You’ll be able to get your hands dirty and make your own clay prints, other small objects and contribute to a large-scale wall piece as well.
Borranco, inspired by Spanish word ‘barranco’ (ravine in English), is a geographical term describing a very deep, narrow valley with steep sides which have been produced by flashes of water during flash-floods. ‘Barrancos’ have been a huge inspiration for me during my summer art residency at Joya AiR set in an alpine desert of Almeria. Come and learn more about my experience of this environmental art residency in an informal setting of the Unit 3 Projects gallery.
If you have any issues with finding the gallery, call me on 07941006264. I recommend taking a District line tube to Bromley-by-Bow, all other routes are suspended this coming weekend, unfortunately.
#art #exhibition #event #interactiveart
A summer spent in Spain, in the heart of a national park, removed half an hour drive from any nearest town and shop! It was like a dream. But it wasn’t a dream but a reality! I went to Joya: AiR, an environmental artist residency set in between the ravines of white sedimentary rock walls full of fossils and fields, almond trees, and bee-eaters. Oh boy, I had some space to breathe! I love London, but I was a happy bunny to be away from it.
I was asked to write a little summary of what I did at Joya, at the end of my three weeks there. Here is a little excerpt, please follow up the link to continue reading.
“I’ve flown to Joya: AiR from London with an open mind. I wanted to relax, refresh and escape from my city life. Having done an art residency at Walthamstow Wetlands in London which stores around 40% of the water that will arrive in peoples’ taps after cleaning I wondered, what the landscape could be like in a desert environment? I wanted to know how the land and its’ habitat is affected by the driest spells of Andalusien summer.”
Following two images are taken by Jaron Rowan. Thank you!
Travel portrait/lifestyle photographer Kazumi Sakurai and I enjoying the sun.
With a winter frost and wind, an art commission has landed on my art studio doorstep. I’ve been interested in the water filtration processes since my Walthamstow Wetlands Art residency (2015-2016) and my dream project based on these dynamic systems is now happening!
Wateraid‘s Learning Department approached me at the end of 2017, however, I’ve kept it quiet as things have been developing. Now, after a couple of research visits at Thames Water’s Coppermills Water Treatments Works and at the Royal Air Force museum where the installation will feature during a week-long of events celebrating the 75th anniversary of Dambusters in May 2018, I’m firmly engaged in the process and very excited. To read a blog post about water filtering research visit at Coppermills click here.
WaterAid is a wonderful charity and I’ve learned from them so much about water. This video summarises what they are all about. I’ll be mentioning them in my work in progress posts a lot.
What am I creating?
I’m designing a concept and a sculptural interactive installation based on the principles of a sand dam. I can reveal the installation will carry three conceptual elements (water, concrete wall/dam, and sand/sediments), see the image below.
While I’m creating a physical sculpture and its concept, I wanted to bring another layer of interaction into the RAF museum’s outdoor space. I’ve invited Danny Saul to collaborate with me. Danny Saul is a London-based composer and sound artist whose work explores connections between sound and space, and between (real-world) recorded sounds and synthesized electronic sounds. How very exciting! Welcome, Danny! Learn more about his work on his website.
Composer and sound artist Danny Saul.
Sketchbook insights, ideas for learning and exploring a sand dam.
I’m going to return to sketching to finalize some ideas, but I will share with you more work in progress soon. Thank you for reading this blog post and I’m looking forward to your comments. See you on May 19th between 11am to 3pm at Collindale’s RAF museum during a wonderful Dambusters anniversary week!
#Dambusters75 #legend #legacy #WaterAid #sanddam #RAFmuseum .
Keith from WaterAid and me at Coppermills Treatments Works Thames Water site, Dec 2017.
In this rather geeky post, I’m sharing what I’ve learned during a research visit at Coppermills Water Treatment Works, Thames Water site, filtering around 30% of London’s drinking water. This secure site has its gates firmly shut to most passers-by (I’ve tried to get in to see what’s going on there before). I feel very special to have been able to go there this time! I need to say a big thank you to Deena from Thames Water and Keith from WaterAid to grant me access to the site, on which they both accompanied me in December 2017.
There are several stages of water filtration, here I share some knowledge learned during our research trip at the Coppermills Water Treatment Works.
Rapid gravity filters trigger the cycle of the filtering. The whole process lasts 12 hours from start to finish, and then it continues to water service reservoirs. Rapid gravity filters are large open top tanks of passing water. Any big particles such as grass, feathers and other bits that haven’t been stopped by grids on their way from Thames Water reservoirs to Coppermills are removed. This process takes 15 minutes, hence its name, rapid. The rapid gravity filters are maintained by reverse flashing the water flow upwards and the large particles are directed and diverted out of the filter where they are caught and removed.
Rapid Gravity Filters at Coppermills.
Ozone gas is added at the second stage of filtering and it is injected into the water to remove pesticides and organic material. The process of ozonization has antibacterial properties and the water leaves in two separate streams and is directed to, for me the most interesting stage of water filtration, Slow Sand Filtration.
Slow Sand Filtration works on large-scale filter beds. There are over 33 slow sand filter beds at the Coppermills site. It was fascinating to watch how the workers immaculately layered the sand in one of the filter beds and sitting in a large vehicle leveled the elements. The birds try to help too, leaving their mark.
Sketch of a slow sand filter, S Krupinska 2018.
After the water passes through very fine, around 400-micron stainless steel mesh screens (2×3 m large), it heads for about 3 hours to the final disinfection area. My words couldn’t describe this process better than the explanation on Thames Water website: “Chlorine is dosed at the end of treatment before the water is sent into supply to destroy harmful micro-organisms. The disinfection process is performed in specially designed contact tanks, which contain a series of baffles. The tanks ensure that the chlorine remains in good contact with the water for a set amount of time, to ensure effective disinfection before it is sent into the distribution network.”
The water after this stage is sent to service reservoirs, each area has their own enclosed water storage facility. I’ve investigated where is my nearest Service Pumping Station. I found it in Streatham. The following link takes you to it.
Why am I researching this topic and what am I working on? Learn about my big project coming up in a museum in May 2018 here.
Thank you very much for reading this blog post. See you soon.
Cryptic takes place from Friday 24th to Monday 27th of November. A discussion around the subjects of creativity, intuition and process in art and science, organised by Ben Murray and CLOT Magazine, will take place on Sunday 26th November at 2pm. The discussion panel is conducted by Ben Murray with guests Adam Peacock, Professor Arthur I Miller, Dr Max Reuter, Natsai Audrey Chieza.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Tere Chad ; Juan Covelli ; Helen Farley ; Silvia Krupinska ; Meri Lahti ; Julie Light ; Mark Andrew Lowman ; Jill Mueller ; Yun Peng ; Lisa Pettibone ; Marta Pinilla ; Dave John Rosewell ; Rania Schoretsaniti ; Hannah Scott ; Virginie Serneels ; Olga Suchanova ; Neus Torres Tamarit ;Michelle Von Mandel ; Bekk Wells
For the first time, I use my garden as an art studio and create two ink drip paintings for Cryptic 2017 exhibition. Cryptic is a celebration of a process in art and how art and science can work together on many levels from an emotional to technical. Thank you to artist and curator Neus Torres Tamarit for inviting me to take part in this exhibition! Thank you to Sparkle, the cat featured in the images, for helping me with making the paintings. You can spot a couple of paw prints on the Reversed Waterfall I painting.
Reversed Waterfall I in Crypt Gallery, St Pancras, 2017
Reversed Waterfall II in Crypt Gallery, St Pancras, 2017
Reversed Waterfall I and II in Crypt Gallery, St Pancras, 2017
Hello nature, art, and outdoor enthusiasts! I’m doing a walk in Walthamstow Wetlands on Sunday 20th November, at 12-2pm. Book your free ticket here.
The walk is happening in conjunction with a sculptural installation Floating Reedbed in Tracing Wastelands group exhibition (The Depot Clapton). The exhibition evolved through a collaboration between MA Art and Science at Central Saint Martins, and the Government Office for Science. This walk is kindly supported by London Wildlife Trust’s Lead Community Engagement Volunteer Stephen Ayers.
Credits: Steel, plaster, paint or Floating Reedbed (2016) by Silvia Krupinska
Arrive 11.50am – 12.00pm. Meeting at the Ferry Lane entrance to the reservoirs opposite the Ferry Boat Inn, outside the Thames Water Rangers’ office. Nearest tube station is Tottenham Hale and Blackhorse Road. It is about 7 min walk from both stations. Buses are available. (Please note you must book a free ticket as places are limited. Thank you.)
Start 12.00pm
Walk through Walthamstow Wetlands
Finish 2.00pm (and then you can join me to see the exhibition after, if you like :).
*Adults only as the site is still in development. No dogs allowed except guide dogs and assistance dogs. If you wish to extend your visit after our official time (12-2pm) you will need to purchase a day birdwatcher’s pass £1 from the Ranger’s Office. (Cash only) The places on the walk are strictly available only by booking a free ticket. On the occasion that you no longer can join us and you booked your free ticket, please release the ticket.
Book your free ticket here.
To find out more about the exhibition and its location, follow this link to another blog post. Many thanks, see you soon!
The first in a series of exhibitions, Tracing Wastelands focuses on the materiality of waste and how human agency plays a vital role in this transition. Teasing out strands of the same chord, the exhibiting artists have investigated scientific, social and cultural perspectives, evolving a range of methodologies to what the concept of waste means, and our responsibility towards it.
Tracing Wastelands is an exhibition of work, evolved through a collaboration between MA Art and Science, Central Saint Martins, and the Government Office for Science.
Exhibiting artists are:
Julius Colwyn | Silvia Krupinska | Beckie Leach | Hannah Scott | Stephanie Wong | Jennifer Crouch
Curated by: Ellie Armstrong and Julius Colwyn
The Depot, 38 Upper Clapton Road, London, E5 8BQ
18 November – 20 November
Opening Times:
Friday 18th : 6pm-9pm Private View
Saturday 19th : 12-6pm
Sunday 20th : 12-6pm
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
To accompany the exhibition a walk will be taking place in Walthamstow Wetlands led by me. The walk will be focusing on exploring reedbeds and their function, acting as living natural filtration devices and much more. An expert from the field will join us on the day. Free, booking required as space is limited: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reedbeds-of-walthamstow-wetlands-walk-tickets-29203217610
I was commissioned by Manor House Development Trust to bring one of my art workshops to the Hidden River Festival in London this weekend. The festival is situated beside a spectacular Woodberry Wetlands Reserve and New River, which carries a long stream of history, first dating back to 1613.
Draw with sand and create new rivers workshop grabbed the attention of children and their parents, taking part and learning a new art technique. I bring you some images from the day. We all had lots of fun.
If you would like to include my workshop in your festival or an event, let me know on silviakrupinska(at)gmail(dot)com, and we can discuss it further. Thank you.
What are you doing this Saturday from 12-18:30? Hidden River Festival is taking place in a marvelous location beside the New River Path, near the East and West reservoirs at Woodberry Down. The Hidden River Festival is a free annual waterside event, giving local people a chance to enjoy a mix of live music, food stalls, art and fun for all the family with the aim of connecting the communities living alongside the New River, which runs through Hackney and Haringey. The festival is organized by Manor House Development Trust and the schedule looks pretty busy. 🙂
I’ll be present at the festival as I’m doing a Draw with Sand – Create New Rivers workshop and selling small works of art, drawings, prints and KAJ – Krupinska Abalone Jewellery. This will be a good opportunity for any first-time art buyers to start a collection with an affordable piece of art.
©Silvia Krupinska, Trochus sculpture on abalone shell, 2013. All rights reserved.
Abalone Heart ©Silvia Krupinska 2014
I feel for our rivers, the veins of our lives and society. I’m incurably curious about where water comes from and how it is cleaned, appearing by magic in our taps! My Draw with Sand – Create New Rivers workshop gives us an opportunity to learn about our local water spaces and where tap water in Woodberry Down comes from. We are lucky to have Woodberry and Walthamstow Wetlands Nature Reserves on our doorstep. You can talk to me about your experiences walking outdoors while you learn to draw with sand and make your very own river drawing. You can get inspired by the maps of local water shapes, or simply create a phantasy river or lake from shades of sand and abalone mother of pearl flakes.
Competition for all participants: There will be a chance for all taking part to win a mini mountain lake artwork. I’ll pull a winner out of a hat at 5pm the same day.
I’ll be sharing a gazebo with a fantastic bio artist and friend Mellissa Fisher! Her workshop titled Microbial Me will give you a chance to create a microbial self-portrait! There is going to be so much happening. You can check out the festival program just below.
HIDDEN RIVER FESTIVAL – SATURDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2016 – 12:00 – 18:30
From Redmond Community Centre, along the canal paths of the New River on the East and West Reservoir and Lordship Road, Woodberry Down Estate – Kayani Avenue, N4 2HF
www.hiddenriverfestival.co.uk, www.facebook.com/events/273312146376886/
What’s next? I’ll be presenting a Pecha Kucha style presentation at Walking Artists’ event at Somerset House this summer on Sunday 17 July during 11.30 – 12.30 slot. Look for more in the links below. Drop in if you have time, it should be fun!
Facebook event and Somerset House Walking Women event week
A year ago Mira Varg and I created a sculpture for Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London. This post from earlier describes it. On Monday 11 May a very interesting invitation arrived from the same Embassy. Artists Mira Varg, Mandy Hreus and I, all taking MA Art and Science and Slovakian, were invited to exhibit there, with a little over a week till the opening! How could we refuse such a challenge? Those had been amongst the most exciting days this year for me. The planning, the install of the show has given us a pretty good boost and practice for approaching Unfolding Realities degree show in May.
To view One Country Three Worlds images on Facebook, follow this link.
One Country Three Worlds (20 April–27 May 2016) is an exhibition by three Slovak artists living and creating in the UK. Hreus, Krupinska and Varg met while studying for their MA in Art & Science at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and show their work at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic for the first time, while simultaneously preparing for their degree show in May. One Country Three Worlds is a celebration of three different interpretations of the world by three creative minds originating from the same country – Slovakia.
While embracing their differences, the three artists have something in common. They are intrigued by the individual and collective perception and experience of our surroundings. Varg is reflecting on variations of realities and how we humanly observe them, Krupinska is focusing on the texture of landscape and hidden places, and Hreus is investigating the visible and invisible electromagnetic spectrum in relation to consciousness and pure expansive awareness. These interpretations unfold in a palette of media, ranging from photography, print to sculpture and installation.”
DATES: Wed 20th April – Fri 27th May 2016
LOCATION: Embassy of Slovakia, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY
OPENING TIMES: Monday–Friday 13:00–15:00| 25–27 May extended 9:00–15:00, 20 May closed due to an event taking place.
FREE ENTRY
#1country3worlds
PLEASE RING BELL ‘RECEPTION’ TO ACCESS THE EXHIBITION. THANK YOU!
Over past months, a lot of exciting has happened. I’ve dived into Walthamstow Wetlands research and met some fantastic people in and outside of my MA Art and Science at CSM. One of which is my valued collaborator Dr Johanne Orchard-Webb, Research Fellow, Lee Valley Team of Hydrocitizenship – arts and humanities project funded by AHRC. It has been a true pleasure to exchange ideas and experiences with Jo. She has written a fantastic post about the ways how our collaboration has developed and what it has entailed so far.
Dr Jo Orchard-Webb wrote:
“While we have used different approaches to exploring ideas around what we call ‘hydrocitizenship’, there is a good deal of common ground in our thematic findings, and this ongoing process of research collaboration has for me highlighted the importance of multi-disciplinary teams working together to explore and understand hydro-social relations.”
To read the full post and find out more, please click on the following link.
Many thanks
‘Fisherman’s Flies’ by Silvia Krupinska. Image taken at Walthamstow Wetlands, on one of the orientation walks organised by London Wildlife Trust.
It’s been now six months since I’ve discovered Walthamstow Wetlands. The place has become my research and relaxation hub. I normally announce most of my news on Twitter (@silviakrupinska), but it’s about time I touched down here, on my blog. The truth is, apart from my MA Art and Science dissertation (pictured below) which I handed in early February, I haven’t done much other writing lately. On the other hand, I’ve been focusing on my sketchbook and thinking about my degree show concept.
February and March have been very dynamic, indeed. We’ve done extremely successful degree show fundraising art and science themed workshops.
Another bit of big news is that Government Office for Science invited us, CSM MA Art and Science, to collaborate with them on a report about waste. Five of us gave a series of 5 min presentations about our work and what we get to do on our MA, at GO-Science offices in London. My contribution was a presentation from my journies in Walthamstow Wetlands, as a taster really, there is so much to tell. The slideshow below is a selection of images from that presentation. It’s rather early days for this collaboration. I’ll bring more details in another post as it develops. One thing assured, it is very exciting!
Meanwhile, there is another event coming up this Friday, 18 March 2016 at Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow. Organised by Love the Lea, Thames 21 campaign to save the rivers of the Lea catchment, who invited me to participate.
I’ll bring a large map drawing of Walthamstow Wetlands to the event, and with it, I’ll create an installation to lead people on my journeys. I’ll have collected specimen samples, lots of printed images for visitors to browse, and I can give you tips on what are the most interesting corners to explore in the wetlands, the way I see it. If the weather permits, I’m also going to install my thorny stick ladder in the garden.
It would be great to see you there. Come for a chat and I’ll tell you the ladder’s story.
Until then, take care. S.
Q-Art invited me to present at their open crit, back in November. It all took a place in Mall Galleries, London. After I briefly introduced my art and research influenced by a variation of water themes I asked questions relating to my degree show planning for May 2016 when my MA Art and Science will culminate. The feedback, comments and suggestions have been really useful. Thank you to all that contributed. Thank you Q-Art! For more images visit this link. Cheers!
I have been visiting Walthamstow Wetlands in London for the past month: watching the birds, studying where our local tap water comes from and using the area around the reservoirs as my art studio – all part of my ongoing The Rivers Project. The exhibition The Rivers Project – ‘Flow in Progress’ in Leytonstone Library (6 Church Lane, London E11 1HG), which contains a series of photographic studies and collections created on my walks there. You can see those works in three original Art Deco cabinets until 31 October.
Cormorant Island, 2015 (detail), Silvia Krupinska
The installation in the large cabinet is called Cormorant Island (detail above), inspired by a couple of islands in Walthamstow Wetlands. The two window cabinets include some photographs from dipping the bramble hoop (now part of Cormorant Island installation) in the reservoirs on different days, capturing those moments in time and studying light, colour and movement. Each piece included in this show has a story behind it, whether that is of making, walking, spending time outdoors or meditating. Visit Walthamstow Wetlands and see for yourself…
Bramble Hoop in Coppermill Stream, 2015, Silvia Krupinska
Exhibition dates: 13.09.2015 – 31.10.2015
13.09. 2015, 12.00 pm – 4.00 pm and then on during normal library opening times:
Monday to Friday: 9am to 7pm
Saturday: 9am to 6pm
Sunday: 12 to 4pm
Follow news and updates:
Twitter: @silviakrupinska #theriversproject
Website: http://krupinska.wix.com/theriversproject
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/silvia-krupinska
Pictures from trip 4 at Walthamstow Wetlands working on The Rivers Project. Apart from the bedeguar gall (the red fluffy thing below), herons were very approachable this time to my surprise. I was thrilled to have used my binoculars for the first time, too! It was truly one of the exceptional days.
Image below: Diplolepis rosae is not a lichen which I thought first. It’s an insect nest. Who would have thought? Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplolepis_rosae
This heron was standing in apparently its favourite spot. I’ve seen at least half dosen small fish trapted in his beak and eaten. You can just about to see one tiny fish in his beak in this photo too.
Silvia Krupinska - Organic Contemporary Sculpture Blog 