Giuliana Terran

Giuliana studied History of Art, as well as painting and drawing, in both London and Florence. Her teaching weaves together these practical and academic approaches, grounded in a deep respect for what the past can teach us. Her own work is primarily figurative, exploring the human form through changes in age, size, sexuality, and gender. Life drawing plays a central role in her practice—not only as a vital way to refine drawing skills, but also as a means of engaging with ideas. She feels the body conveys our strength, beauty, vulnerability, and emotion, and that in representing it, we can convey our shared human experience.

Trained in a representational style, Giuliana enjoys moving between the techniques of the Old Masters and a more experimental, expressive approach. She believes the two can coexist harmoniously. While she primarily works with traditional materials such as oil paint, charcoal, pastel, and ink, she also finds joy in using unexpected surfaces and unconventional media, always open to the element of surprise in the creative process.

A couple of years ago Giuliana founded Bristol Portrait Club, wanting to bring people together though the shared practice of drawing each other, in a relaxed friendly environment. This takes place at the Arnolfini, Holburne and here at the RWA.