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OUR TUTORS
Michelle Goggi
Michelle is a primarily a narrative painter whose work is a rich, colourful exploration of the ideas of self, life rituals, and the experiences that shape us all. Michelle studied Fine Art & Photography at Staffordshire University gaining a first class honours degree and has recently joined the Turps Margate painting programme.
Michelle is also a trained wellness practitioner who is a qualified meditation guide, hypnotherapist, sound therapist and shamanic practitioner.
Hope Fitzgerald
Hope Fitzgerald runs Bindfulness Handmade Books and is a bookbinder, artist and workshop leader based in Faversham. Hope studied Fine Art and Art History at Skidmore College (New York) and was awarded an MA in Fine Art with Distinction from the University for the Creative Arts (Canterbury) in 2009, and a PGCE from Canterbury Christchurch in 2012.
Hope discovered bookbinding in her early 50s and was drawn to its satisfying mix of structure, creativity, and hands-on problem solving. Hope’s artwork had repeatedly featured books in various guises, so discovering more about the craft was a natural progression. Largely self-taught, she has refined her skills through practice, short courses, and the support of generous bookbinding communities.
Hope is an experienced arts educator with a clear, encouraging teaching style. She is dedicated to celebrating the joy and wellbeing that creative making brings. Whether you're a complete beginner or returning maker, Hope’s workshops are thoughtful, fun, and guided by a passion for excellence and connection.
Anne Davison
Anne studied printed textiles at university and established a long running fashion textile design brand in Shoreditch in 1985, selling worldwide to the fashion industry. Recently relocated to East Kent, Anne now runs a small art business, focusing on mixed media collage, printmaking, pattern and colour, producing original artwork, limited edition prints and stationery products.
Anne is an experienced educator, tutoring and delivering a wide range of workshops to people of all abilities and experience. She is an enthusiastic and positive tutor, who encourages experimentation, creativity and the enjoyment of all types of printmaking.
Anna Falcini
Anna Falcini is a multi-disciplinary artist who lives and works in the UK. She received her PhD in Fine Art Practice from the University of Brighton (2021) and an MA in Textiles from Goldsmiths College (2002).
Her creative practice explores the sensory dialogues of the body and the hidden materials of knowledge that are dormant. She is recipient of a British Council commission to explore the life of the late Welsh artist Gwen John in Paris
Erin Byrne
Erin Byrne is a painter/printmaker based in Kent. After 15 years working in architecture and urban design, she decided to leave her job as an architect and focus on her deepest passion – fine art. Erin currently works in the Visual Arts department at Canterbury College, runs freelance art workshops in London and Kent, and collaborates with community organisations to increase access to the arts.
Erin is inspired by the sensory play of light in architecture and landscape, and when making work, loves to let incidental distortion, patternation and abstraction inform the outcome. She also loves to combine painterly aspects of traditional and digital print methods in her work including mono-screenprinting, monotype, linocut and digital giclee printing.
Erin is also interested in how mark-making, mindfulness and self-expression can positively impact mental health, and her main objective in teaching is to help participants find their creative side, learn new techniques, and most importantly - have fun!
Ellen Leedham
Ellen Leedham is the founder of Salthouse Design, an interior design studio based in Kent. With a degree in Interior Design from the UCA and a background in visual styling, Ellen brings a thoughtful and approachable perspective to every project.
She works across a variety of residential and development projects collaborating with private clients, homeowners and property developers to create spaces that feel considered, personal and beautifully balanced. Her work is grounded in a love of natural materials, layered textures and design that feels effortless yet lived-in.
Emily Rose Parris
Emily Rose Parris is a photographer & arts educator based in Kent. Having studied photography at Kingston University, Emily now runs a community darkroom at Beach Creative in Herne Bay. She is also a wedding, family & brand photographer, with a focus on candid photography.
Emily is an experienced tutor, delivering a wide range of workshops to people of all ages both onsite in her darkroom, and out in the wider community. She encourages her participants to be experimental and explorative, working with cyanotype, chemigrams, pinhole cameras, photogram printing, and lots more.
Amanda Thesiger
Amanda Thesiger trained in Painting at Maidstone Art College (’82-’83), the Royal Academy Schools (’86-’89) and was a Painting scholar at the British School at Rome (’89-’90). Her mixed media work has developed over many decades and explores abstract ways of working, often rooted in natural history. Amanda combines a process-led, intuitive approach, where each piece reveals itself gradually, leaving traces of discovery and change.
Amanda is a very experienced arts educator, recently working outdoors with young carers at RSPB Dungeness, running courses with Kent Adult Ed, and hosting nature-focused workshops in her garden studio. She collaborates with different artist groups, designing projects and opportunities for engagement. She sees her role as a facilitator, led by her practice, and believes that everyone has a creative voice.
Jude Kingshott
Jude is a mixed media and textile artist, based in Kent. She teaches extensively in Europe and has exhibited internationally in both solo and group shows. She works with cloth and paper.
Her working processes include eco printing, Shibori, natural dyeing, book binding, mark making and hand stitching. Inspiration comes from many sources, including nature, the environment, poetry, song lyrics, other artists and her love of travelling. She specialises in Indigo Dye, having studied and worked extensively in both Japan and France with Indigo Masters, covering both setting up vats and shibori techniques.
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