The School of Traditional Arts will be closed for the Easter period from Friday 3rd - 6th April 2026.  We will reopen on Tuesday, 7 April. Image: Icon by Irina Bradley

Tutor and alum Prasad Beavan is taking part in this year’s Sky Landscape Artist of the Year. The episode airs today, Wednesday 28 January, at 8 PM on Sky Arts or Freeview Channel 36. Good luck, Prasad!

Our Master’s students took a mini‑pilgrimage along the Sovereign’s Line, visiting All Hallows‑by‑the‑Tower, St Paul’s, Temple Church and Cleopatra’s Needle, finishing at Westminster Abbey for choral evensong.

Decode the beauty of Cosmatesque design! Learn the geometry behind Rome’s medieval stone inlays and recreate these intricate patterns using just a compass and ruler. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/unravelling-cosmatesque-ornament/

Learn Naskh script and traditional hüsnühat techniques—cut your own reed pen, master elegant strokes, and explore harmony and proportion in this hands-on course. ✒️ https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/islamic-calligraphy-naskh-script/

In this public conversation, artist and author Christian de Vietri joins curator and writer Lawrence Rinder to explore the artistic and philosophical dimensions of de Vietri’s recent publication.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/talk-visions-of-essence/

Learn the techniques used by Sienese masters like Duccio and Simone Martini—mix egg tempera, transfer drawings, paint on gesso panel, and explore graceful line, delicate color, and optional gold-leaf halos. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/sienese-painting-in-egg-tempera/

Paint real and mythical beasts inspired by Islamic art! Learn traditional techniques for painting with shell gold and create your own illuminated composition.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/fantastic-beasts-how-to-paint-them/

Join us for a five-part journey through Mughal architecture—from Delhi to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri—and discover how geometry shaped forts, palaces, mausoleums, and shrines.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/the-geometry-of-empire-exploring-the-mughal-design-language-in-humayuns-tomb/

Learn to create stunning motifs—trefoils, quatrefoils, arches, and rose windows—using just a compass and ruler. Explore symmetry, proportion, and classic patterns, and finish with your own Gothic-inspired composition. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/exploring-gothic-geometry-design/

Students contemplating and painting the Garden of Paradise under the guidance of tutor Lily Corbett-Gale.

Earlier this month, our first-year MA students began exploring the geometry of structure. They investigated a range of forms, guided by visiting tutors Ricardo Hinojosa, Daniel Docherty , and course director Richard Henry.

On Monday, 15 December, the School of Traditional Arts invites you to our Christmas Market, featuring the talents of our students, alumni, and staff.  Find the perfect gift for yourself or someone special, and celebrate the season with creativity and community!

We are delighted to share details of our upcoming exhibition featuring works by the latest cohort of students from the Icon Painting Programme as they complete their studies.   https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/exhibitions/icon-painting-programme-2025/

Incoming 2nd year MA students presented a mini-exhibition for their Part 1 exams to external examiner Debra Allman. She praised the exceptional quality and range of work, from icon painting and ceramics to stained glass, parquetry, and art journals.

Join us for a hands-on journey into traditional desig! In this new workshop, you’ll create a panel of four hand-painted ceramic tiles that tessellate into stunning geometric patterns with floral motifs.   https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/the-ornamental-traditions-of-mamluk-cairo/

Graduates from the Masters and Research Degree Programmes at the School of Traditional Arts held their graduation ceremony at Dumfries House in Scotland! Congratulations and well done to the graduates and the postgraduate team! 💫🌟

Porcelain is a unique medium: its whiteness, uncontaminated by other earth oxides, reflects light and gives a particular luminosity to glazes, and its high-vitrification point makes it incredibly durable. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/patterns-in-porcelain/

Furniture designer and now icon painter, stained glass window maker, and puppeteer, Xia Xia discusses her work creating a new Jerusalem in London. Hours and full details of the exhibition on our website. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/degree-shows/degree-show-2025/

A mangour screen is a form of decorative wooden latticework, made by interlocking geometric wooden pieces without nails or glue. Students can expect to leave with a small carved screen panel a the end of the course. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/build-a-geometric-wooden-screen-mangour/

We've just added the timetable for Geometry Summer School 2025 to our website!  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/geometry-summer-school-2025/

Yesterday, we hosted a small gathering of friends, family and supporters to celebrate the work of our graduating PhD, MA and Diploma students. The Degree Show is now open to all. Selected works by the students are for sale.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/degree-shows/degree-show-2025/

Gym and cooking enthusiasts may be familiar with casein, but did you know that this milk-based protein can also be used as a medium for paint? This past month, curious students worked with their tutor, David Cranswick, to explore this technique, which has been used since ancient Egyptian times.

Simon Trethewey will lead participants through the geometrical underpinnings of megalithic structure through drawn construction, measured construction on the ground, and comparisons within ancient cultures and the natural world. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/geometry-summer-school-2025/

Dr Lazaro will lead participants in an exploration of the Vedic Shri Yantra diagram and its relation to Hindu mythology, and the Vedic fire altar and the origins of temple architecture. Find out more about the programme here: https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/geometry-summer-school-2025/

Artists Fred Dodson & Yusef Hourani will be discussing the philosophy of the traditional arts and the inspiration behind their work. This event is free, but ticketed. Do book to ensure your place. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/artist-talk-traditional-art-from-furniture-to-icons/

PhD candidate Sandra Hill discusses her research on non-figurative Hindu ritual paintings ahead of the Degree Show. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/degree-show-2025-meet-the-graduates-sandra-hill-phd/

In this year's Geometry Summer School, Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh will lead participants through an exploration of the geometries found within Iranian mosques, focusing on their layout, and the formation of arches and dome structures https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/geometry-summer-school-2025/

Nur Fathiah A'bdussamad, one of our current 2nd year MA students talks about her work leading up to graduation. We can't wait to see what the batik project will look like once all of the colours are added!

During this course, students will make their own stained glass panels inspired by the Montrose Panels, a carving originally made in 1520 for a hospital founded by the Abbot of Cambuskenneth.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/stained-glass-a-closer-look-at-the-montrose-panels/

For our new geometry course, Thomas Codol will lead students through a hands-on process of nesting Archimedean forms within each other while observing how the angles within each form must be adjusted to accommodate different arrangements https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/__hiddengeometries/

💥The King’s Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 Geometry Summer School. 💥 More details at: 

Starting soon! Day 1 of the workshop will begin with a talk on the different yellows found in nature, and Day 2 will involve colour exercises exploring different shade of yellow and their relationship to other colours. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/in-the-alchemists-studio-yellow/

Starting soon! This new course pays particular focus to examples of curvilinear roundels within lavishly illuminated leaves of historical Qur’an manuscripts dating from the 13th – 16th centuries. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/islamic-curvilinear-design-part-two/

In this course students will learn about a traditional process of painting with egg tempera and working in layers from dark to light (chiaroscuro technique) and using Piero della Francesca’s palette. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/painting-a-head-after-piero-della-francesca/

In this course students will learn about a traditional process of painting with egg tempera and working in layers from dark to light (chiaroscuro technique) and using Piero della Francesca’s palette. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/painting-a-head-after-piero-della-francesca/

Starting soon! We will explore the geometry of the Christian Tradition in Egypt, and analyze and draw these patterns from St. Apollinaris monastery, St. Catherine monastery, and manuscripts from the Coptic Museum in Cairo. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/coptic-geometry/

📆 Save the Date 📆  Our Degree Show opens on 8 July 2025 and concludes on 3 August.  More information: https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/degree-shows/degree-show-2025/

Congratulations to alum, Gabriel Luiz Chaim, and current student, Mariam Ashraf, for being selected for the King's Foundation 35 under 35. Learn more: https://kings-foundation.org/celebrating-35-years/35-under-35/

Exhibition: 26 contemporary artists respond to the Middle Ages in unique group show. Participating alumni: Irina Bradley, Annelie Solis, Ayesha Amjad, Lucie Galvani & Lucy Morrish

A kilim is a type of flat, woven rug that is created by interlacing warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads and characterised by exuberant colours, bold motifs and vivid designs.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/kilim-make-a-flat-woven-carpet/

Guler Pahari painting is known for its delicate depiction of nature. Trees entwined with creepers and surrounded by flowering bushes were often set as nature sanctuaries, dwellings of sages or places for love encounters.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/pahari-painting-sacred-groves/

The School will be closed on Monday 5 May for the Bank Holiday. Regular hours resume on Tuesday.

Last remaining for the Miniature Masterclass! This immersive week-long programme is ideal for those seeking to elevate their understanding of Indian Miniature painting techniques and tools. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/masterclass-traditions-techniques-in-indian-miniature-painting/

Leading the discussion, Desmond Lazaro will cover a brief overview of Indian and Pakistan art schools, and how these schools shaped the tradition of miniature painting in the subcontinent. https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/panel-discussion-the-future-of-indian-miniatures/

Congratulations to KFSTA alumnus Cong Yunfeng, who recently completed his largest mural commission to date (spanning 192 sqm) at Al Manshieh (Railway Street), AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The mural is part of the 2024/25 Artist Residency programme in collaboration with The School.

Looking further into surface preparation for painting Indian Miniature, Des Lazaro will be leading a workshop on cloth.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/masterclass-traditions-techniques-in-indian-miniature-painting/

A kilim is a type of flat woven rug that is created by interlacing warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads and characterised by exuberant colours, bold motifs and vivid designs.  https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/kilim-make-a-flat-woven-carpet/

During the Miniature Masterclass, Ajay and Vinita Sharma will guide students in drawing in the style of different miniature painting Schools and making shell gold. Find out more: https://schooloftraditionalarts.org/course/masterclass-traditions-techniques-in-indian-miniature-painting/

Dear Friends, The School will be closed today, Friday 19 April, for Good Friday and 21 April for Easter Monday. Normal hours resume on Tuesday 22 April.