Staff Spotlight: Jo Richardson

Jo studied at Edinburgh College of Art on the BA (Hons) Drawing and Painting course, as well as studying on the Drawing and Painting courses here at Leith School of Art. She has also trained at Edinburgh Printmakers where she occasionally works.

Jo has a studio here in Leith. Her work involves drawing, printmaking and painting. She also occasionally paints sets for theatre.

Jo’s interests presently lie in the human response to objects and environments. How we perceive and project meaning and narrative, how we anthropomorphize the inanimate. Her work mostly involves still life, or as she see it, “making portraits of things that have significance to me”. Jo prefers painting in oils on traditional gesso grounds, and the range of printmaking processes she uses include intaglio, relief, stone lithography and a bit of wood engraving.

Of her work as an artist and teacher, Jo says, “I consider teaching a creative endeavour and part of my practice. It keeps me engaged in the learning process. As an artist you are always learning. I gain so much from my students, teaching a range of abilities, across a range of disciplines. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship”

During August 2019, Jo will be running a week-long Relief Printmaking Summer School, inspired by the collections at Edinburgh's Museum of Childhood.

In 2019/20, Jo will continue to teach the Year-long Figure Course, as maternity cover Tutor for Sarah Gittins. Jo considers it a real privilege to work with such committed students on such a challenging course, with the scope to combine Drawing, Painting and Printmaking within the curriculum.

From September, Jo will begin teaching the Thursday Evening General Drawing & Painting course. It has a great energy and is such an important part of the week for many students.

In addition to this, in Term 3 Jo is excited to be delivering a term-long Introduction to Printmaking Taster Course. Leith has a great legacy in printmaking and it’s really important to continue this, passing on skills and creating a new generation of Fine Art Printmakers - of which we have a remarkably vibrant community in Scotland.