Oxford History of Art Graduate - Tutoring in History of Art, Art and Humanities

Xenia is a highly skilled figurative artist and an excellent and inspiring tutor. Our art lessons were insightful and helpful and lasted over the course of 2 academic years. I significantly improved my skillset and learnt how to draw and paint from life in charcoal and oil. Xenia gave demonstrations to explain concepts and techniques and showed her process. I really enjoyed that Xenia included historical information about artists, methods and the role of art in society, drawing on her background in Art History. During our lessons, I made a self-portrait and copies of famous artists such as Rembrandt. Xenia taught me how to begin a painting from a charcoal drawing, transfer it onto canvas and build up the painting layer by layer. I learnt how to use sight-size, proportions, composition, values and colour. Xenia gave useful feedback on my progress, suggestions on how to improve my work and advice about further artistic study. Xenia is a friendly and engaging tutor, and above all our lessons were fun and enjoyable – I would highly recommend her to other students!

Marianna Raye