Emma trained in Fine Art  at Brighton University and has been an educational practitioner in the heritage and cultural sector for the past 15 years, working with a range of industry and museum partners including Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, the Sussex Archaeological Society and Brighton University.

Having had first hand experiences of the benefits and opportunities that life long learning presents, Emma is a fierce advocate for the impact that such opportunities can have on both the individual and  the wider community.

Fiona is a weaver and dyer with a BA from Camberwell School of Art and a postgraduate teaching degree from the London Institute for Education.

Passionate about the unique qualities of plants and the colours they yield, Fiona aims to help others reconnect with nature through foraging and growing dye plants for creative projects. She has led natural dyeing workshops for the National Trust, the Forest School Association, and local artists and schools.

Tom is a letterpress printer, typographic artist and published author of Letterpress – a creative guide to printmaking, working from his workshop on the south coast of England.

Through his studio Type Tom, he brings traditional printing roaring back to life with vintage presses, antique wood type, bold colour and plenty of ink-covered enthusiasm.

Molly O’Neill is an illustrator, animator, and interdisciplinary artist based in the UK. She studied Illustration Animation at Kingston School of Art and more recently for a master’s degree in fine art at the University of Brighton. Alongside her independent practice, she works freelance across illustration and animation, collaborating with organisations and brands including Be the Fox and Unilever, along with local artists and musicians.

Cally Conway is a London based printmaker, working predominately in the medium of linocut and collage. Her prints focus on themes such as folklore, nature, and myths, and the symbolism contained within flora and fauna. She is drawn to celestial events and their interpretation in ancient cultures, along with medieval texts such as herbals and illuminated manuscripts. 

Rachel O’Connell is a multi-media, sustainable marbling artist, leatherworker and educator, with over 35 years’ marbling experience, who has exhibited in national museums and galleries, such as The British Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery and Brantwood Museum (John Ruskin).

Her Suminagashi ink marbling surface patterns were selected by the interior design team for Grand Designs Live 2026 exhibitions at exCel London and NEC Birmingham.

Evie O’Neill is a textile designer currently studying Textile Design (Knit, Print, Weave) and Business Studies at the University of Brighton.

Inspired by the landscapes of Sussex, Evie uses nature as a starting point, translating it into stylised, contemporary designs.

She has been knitting and crocheting for many years, creating garments, blankets and decorative pieces. Her practice also explores a range of textile processes including knitting, crochet, screen printing and lino printing.

Born and based in Brighton, Evie uses knit, crochet and print to produce and present her work.

Lisa Dear has been weaving willow baskets for many years and combines her training in Fine Art with traditional and contemporary basketry techniques to create useful and unique pieces.

She also works with trees and lives in the woods where she sources materials to incorporate into her work. 

Katie looks at the world intensely, noticing everything making connections, finding narratives. Her work records the process of looking, crossing through time and space, drawing on memory and history. 

In much of her work she tells stories, drawing out the spirit of a person, place or thing. Boundaries of time and space dissolve - a curtain blows in the open window, a door ajar, trees and clouds float into the room, objects appear to have been just put down by an absent hand. 

Silvia holds Master of Design in Ceramics and Visual Research from the University of Brighton and has been working in ceramics since 2005. She has been a professional designer and maker since 2012, creating work for retail, galleries, interior designers, and hospitality clients. 

Her practice has been recognised with awards including the Elle Decoration Design Awards (2016) and New Designers One Year On (2013). In 2019, she received a grant from the Government of Kuwait and the World Crafts Council Europe to represent the UK at Kuwait Craft Week. 

Hilarie is a Brighton-based textile practitioner and former teacher, trained across a range of techniques. She has led and supported a number of craft workshops at the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft.

Brighton Seafront’s Atelier Beside the Sea was established in 2021 by Jon Tutton and Sarah Young. The arts venue occupies three of the iconic King’s Road Arches, situated between the Palace and West Piers.

Atelier plays host to our Brighton workshops.

Lewes Castle is a Norman castle built after the Battle of Hastings by supporters of William the Conqueror. Set high above the historic town of Lewes, the castle offers panoramic views across the Sussex landscape.

A dedicated learning space hosts to our Lewes workshops.