Find your direction. Build work with real weight. Strengthen your practice.
Creative Mentorship for Practising Artists
For artists ready to elevate their practice - clarifying their visual language, deepening their thinking, and building a rigorous, sustainable body of work.
Who This Is For
This is for you if you want to:
- Clarify the conceptual direction of your current body of work
- Move beyond experimentation into a more resolved, cohesive practice
- Develop ambitious projects with depth rather than producing work reactively
- Strengthen the intellectual and critical framework behind your work
- Prepare strategically for exhibitions, residencies, funding and career-defining opportunities
- Build a sustainable practice with real depth and continuity
What You Leave With
You’ll leave with:
- A clearly defined artistic direction with stronger conceptual clarity
- A more resolved, cohesive body of work built on intentional decisions
- A deeper understanding of how your work operates conceptually and materially within a contemporary art context
- Refined artist statements and contextual positioning for exhibitions, residencies, art prizes and funding applications
- A strategic, confident approach to navigating the contemporary art world
- A rigorous, self-directed practice you can carry forward
- Renewed confidence and momentum
How our Creative Mentorship Is Structured
Online, Bespoke One-To-One Mentorship
Built Entirely Around Your Practice
Clear Direction Between Sessions
Designed To Work Alongside Your Life & Commitments
How We Transform Your Practice
1
Clarify What Matters
2
Develop Your Visual Language
3
Build Lasting Momentum
Mentorship that takes your work seriously.
Residencies & Exhibitions Abroad
“I started working with my mentor shortly after graduating with a BA in Painting, at a point where I felt quite stuck in my practice. Within a few weeks, I think he’d helped me more than the three years I’d spent at university.
The depth of his knowledge is really impressive and he seriously engaged with my work before making any suggestions. He took me back to basics and I was able to rebuild a much stronger foundation technically and conceptually. He has an exceptional ability to identify what is unique in your work and push it further.
His portfolio feedback has been really helpful to me and I think it’s because he’s been a university tutor, worked with admissions and also been a curator and gallerist. His advice changed the way I approach presenting and editing my work.
And he’s so motivating! Through his guidance and encouragement, I’ve applied for and gotten opportunities I would never previously have considered, including international residencies and exhibitions abroad.
I HIGHLY recommend this mentorship to anyone applying to art school, preparing portfolios, or simply feeling lost within their practice and needing serious, thoughtful guidance from someone who truly cares about helping students and has the experience to back it up. Thank you!!”
E
Emily Hill
★★★★★
Building a Serious Creative Practice
“After graduating, I reached a point where I felt unsure about how to move forward professionally with my work. I had ideas and motivation, but no real structure or understanding of how to shape my portfolio into something coherent or industry-ready. Working with my mentor gave me that direction.
One of the most useful things about his approach was its practicality. Instead of giving vague advice, he broke larger goals down into small, focused exercises and set clear tasks between sessions. That structure made a huge difference to my progress and helped me develop new skills much faster than I would have on my own.
He was also very good at helping me understand how others read my work. He pushed me to think more carefully about editing, presentation, consistency, and what actually makes a portfolio stand out professionally. Sessions often felt less like conventional tutoring and more like being guided through the process of building a serious creative practice.
Another thing that made a real difference was that he actively connected me with people and opportunities in the industry. Through him, I was introduced to professional contexts I would not otherwise have access to, which helped me gain confidence in my work after graduation.
What I appreciated most was that he genuinely cared about where I was heading long-term. He was generous with his time, highly observant, and able to adapt his feedback depending on what I needed at each stage. I’d strongly recommend him to anyone looking for portfolio mentorship, professional guidance, or support transitioning from university into creative industry work.”
N
Natasha Makins
★★★★★
A Completely Different Experience
“I came to Cadmium after feeling quite disappointed with portfolio tutoring and studio-based guidance in Asia, where I struggled to find critical depth or clear direction. Working with my mentor has been a completely different experience. From the very first trial session, she demonstrated an exceptional ability to read my work and identify its underlying direction. She suggested artists and references that were not generic, but highly specific and deeply relevant to my practice, which immediately helped me see my work more clearly.
Throughout our sessions, she guided me through the process of refining my portfolio with the level of rigour. Coming from a non-traditional art background and without formal art school training, I found her approach both patient and intellectually demanding in the best way. She asks precise questions, challenges assumptions, and helps articulate ideas without imposing her own voice.
Beyond portfolio preparation for applications, she has helped me develop a stronger artistic awareness and confidence in how I think, speak, and position my work. I truly feel that this mentorship has prepared me not only for applications, but for the mindset and critical environment of art school itself.”
H
Han
★★★★★
A Transformed Approach
“I found Cadmium by chance while searching for a painting tutor and I couldn’t be happier with the experience. My mentor’s lessons have been deeply inspiring. She speaks honestly about what she sees in my work, providing invaluable tools to help me dive further into my creative process. She’s also introduced me to other artists working with similar themes, which has been incredibly enriching for my research.
What truly sets her apart is her ability to read between the lines of what I’m trying to express in my images. She’s helped me identify less effective paths and guided me toward new, more authentic directions. She has shown me that the most powerful art comes from a deeply personal and internal place. She’s encouraged me to trust my own symbols and let them lead me in creating images, transforming the way I approach my art.
She is genuine, down-to-earth, and deeply passionate about her craft. You can tell that art is the very essence of her life. Honestly, she’s an absolute gem, and I can’t recommend her enough.”
Constanza Pulit
★★★★★
A Deeper Relationship with My Work
“I met my mentor during my first year of studying Fine Art at UAL, and she quickly became one of the few tutors who had a lasting impact on my practice. From our first tutorial, she offered thoughtful, constructive feedback that challenged me to think more critically about my work while always making me feel encouraged and understood.
One of the things I valued most was her ability to introduce me to artists whose work resonated both conceptually and visually with my own practice. These references have continued to influence my research and the way I approach making work. She has an exceptional knowledge of contemporary art and art education, and she has a real talent for connecting ideas in ways that feel personal and relevant.
Beyond her knowledge, what made our tutorials so memorable was her genuine enthusiasm and curiosity. She asked insightful questions that helped me deepen my relationship with my work, often noticing things in my paintings that I hadn’t recognised myself. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for thoughtful, perceptive, and genuinely inspiring feedback on their artistic practice.”
Viktoria Avramova
★★★★★
Grounded in Painting
“I first met my mentor during a group crit at a painting academy in London, where she was the invited artist leading the discussion. What immediately struck me was her ability to move effortlessly between contemporary visual culture, painting history and conceptual ideas, bringing together references from digital media, classical art and broader cultural contexts in a way that genuinely expanded the conversation.
As I became more familiar with her own practice, I could see those same qualities reflected in her paintings. Her work offers a refreshing perspective on today’s image culture, drawing from social media, archival printed material and nostalgic cartoons, while transforming those references through dark humour and a rich, confident pictorial language.
I would highly recommend her to any artist looking for thoughtful, perceptive mentorship from someone who is deeply engaged with the visual culture of the present, while remaining firmly grounded in the discipline of painting.”
M
Marco
★★★★★
of Cadmium admissions students to date have secured an offer from one of their top-choice institutions.
60 minutes · online · £150
Know exactly what to prioritise before you submit.
Our Tutors
Our tutors are Internationally exhibited, practising artists with proven experience navigating competitive foundation, BA and MA/MFA Fine Art admissions.
Cyrus
Artist & Filmmaker
- LONDON, UK
- ALSO Speaks: mandarin, CANTONESE
Amélie
Artist
- london, uk.
- ALSO Speaks: french
Hazel
Artist
- London and Newcastle, U.K.
Sean
Artist & Draughtsman
- LONDON, UK and Bangkok, Thailand
Enrica
Artist
- london, uk.
- ALSO Speaks: Italian
Carlotta
Artist
- London, U.K.
- ALSO Speaks: Italian
FAQs
Creative mentorship is designed for practising artists, graduates, and career-changers who want serious artistic direction.
It’s suitable if your work has potential but you want deeper critical feedback, stronger conceptual development, or support in building a cohesive body of work.
No. Many artists work with Cadmium because they want to develop their practice. Mentorship can focus on project development, conceptual direction, portfolio building, or preparing work for exhibitions, residencies, or further study.
Feeling stuck is very common, especially when working alone.
Cadmium’s artist-led mentorship gives you a sounding board and fresh eyes to identify where the work has momentum, clarify the strongest ideas, and develop new projects that build on those directions, so you leave sessions with clear next steps.
Yes. We help you move from early ideas to a coherent body of work by clarifying what the work is really about, deciding what to make next, and shaping the projects so they build towards something resolved. Along the way, we’ll challenge weak decisions, strengthen the conceptual framing, and keep the work moving with clear direction.
Yes. Where relevant, we can support professional presentation for applications such as residencies, grants, open calls and prizes, including selection, sequencing and how the work is contextualised.
Choose your next step.
Whether you need focused feedback on an existing portfolio or broader guidance on your work, applications and next steps, choose the support that fits where you are now.
1-Hour Consultation
Broader advice on your work, goals and next steps.
Best if you need help deciding what support you need, how to approach your application, or what direction to take next.
1 hour · online · £150
Portfolio Review
Existing portfolio. Focused expert feedback.
Review your current work and get clear direction on what to keep, change and prioritise before you submit.
90 minutes · online · £250
Looking for ongoing support? Explore Portfolio & Admissions Mentorship →