How Stuart Semple is working to democratise art education and creativity

Leading British artist Stuart Semple is on a mission to make art education and creative expression accessible to all through an innovative free online art school. Yes, you read that right: it's absolutely free, and there are no strings attached.

Through this innovative project, Stuart is challenging the traditional art world and empowering a new generation of artists. So, I was keen to chat with him about how it came about, how budding artists can get involved, and how it fits in with his broader mission as an artist.

But first, for the uninitiated, who is Stuart Semple?

Born in 1980 in Dorset, Stuart is quite simply one of the most influential and provocative figures in contemporary art today. His career took off after a near-death experience at the age of 19, which galvanised his commitment to pursuing art as a vocation. Since then, he's enjoyed a prolific career spanning two decades, with his work featured in over 15 international solo exhibitions and more than 40 group shows.

Stuart's art is characterised by its bold, often playful exploration of mass culture's impact on the individual. Working across various media, including painting, film, public art, sculpture and installation, his pieces frequently incorporate elements from pop culture, internet aesthetics and cultural theory, creating hybrid compositions that are both visually striking and intellectually engaging.

Another thing that sets Stuart apart is his commitment to democratising the art world. He's gained notoriety for his public feuds with other artists over access to materials, most famously creating the "pinkest pink" pigment in response to Anish Kapoor's exclusive rights to Vantablack (a pigment coating that absorbs 99.965% of the incident light, making it the blackest known pigment at the time of its discovery). This incident exemplifies Stuart's broader mission to make art and art-making more accessible to all.

Passion for art education

Stuart's interest in art education stems from his own experiences and observations of the current state of arts education. "I've been to art school myself, and I've done some teaching at places like the Royal College of Art," he explains. "But we're in a situation now where education in schools has been cut a lot, and students are coming out with tons of debt and holes in their education."

Recognising these challenges, Stuart decided to take action and launched a free online art school aimed at providing accessible art education to anyone interested. The school has grown rapidly, now boasting nearly 4,000 students from around the world.

"I already had quite a big online community from my 3D art materials; about a million people," Stuart notes. "They always asked me questions about how to do things, so I created this school community with an invite system."

Stuart's course drops new content weekly. Rather than technical skills, it focuses on developing creativity and artistic thinking. "It's very different from any other course," Stuart emphasises. "It's about how to have ideas, how to trust them, what creativity is. It's the precursor to making art that lasts: getting into the mindset of an artist." He adds that, as well as his video lessons, you also get access to a lively worldwide community of artists, live Q&As and special guest speakers.

This approach resonates widely with students, including those who've tried traditional art education paths. "I've got people who've been through university saying, 'They never taught us this at all; this is mind-blowing'," Stuart says. "And I have people who did art earlier in their life, abandoned it, then discovered the course and returned to it. It's changed their life: they're making stuff every day and making good stuff too."

Making the Masters

Building on the success of the free art school, Stuart later launched a more intensive master's program. This three-month course provides a deep dive into art history, critical thinking and challenging weekly projects.

"I took 20 people through the most intense three months of their life," Stuart says. "It's not an easy thing. But they're just amazing. They actually became like a collective in their own right."

The inaugural Masters cohort recently completed their final projects, showcased in a virtual exhibition titled "Signs of Life." The online show, running until August 11, features diverse works ranging from mixed-media pieces to digital installations and socially critical artworks. We feature some of them on this page, and you can view the whole show in 360 degrees here. Stuart adds that it's best experienced on a desktop computer via the Chrome browser.

While the free art school is open to all, the master's course, by nature, has to be restricted to a few people. You need to join the free art school to apply, and applications for the September intake are currently open.

For those who are unable to take part in the free art school, meanwhile, Stuart suggests his book Make Art or Die Trying should offer all the main information you need to become an artist. (Just to ram home the point, its subtitle is: "The Only Art Book You'll Ever Need If You Want to Make Art That Changes the World")

Democratising art materials

Stuart's commitment to accessibility extends beyond education to the very materials artists use. This led him to found Culture Hustle, a company dedicated to creating innovative art supplies.

"I just made my own new brand of acrylic paints," Stuart explains. "The thinking behind that is I've been making paints since I was eight. Interestingly, a lot of the big paint companies – Liquitex, Winsor & Newton, etc. – invented their acrylic resins and formulations in the 1950s. Paints have moved on a long way since then."

His approach harkens back to earlier artistic traditions. "Back in the day, artists used to make their own paints in their studio," he explains. "It was very normal to have our own colours and recipes. Then in Victorian times, it all got commercialised, and we bought cheap paint ready-mixed. We lost the connection with our materials and how we could offer our own colour."

To address this, Stuart created a line of pure mixing paints. "These nine colours will let you make millions and millions of pure colours," he states. "So no longer do you need to give Liquitex a tenner every time you want a different tone. It's really about open-source colour."

The impact of this has been significant. "Culture Hustle, my paint company, now has just under a million artists around the world using our paints," he explains. "We're the largest independent paint company now. We're in 40 countries and ship about 10,000 orders a month."

Art at Glastonbury

While his education and art materials projects take up a lot of his time, Stuart still somehow finds time to create thought-provoking public artworks and installations. For example, at this year's Glastonbury Festival, he presented a piece called 'You're Trollied' in the Shangri-La area. (Read our full report on Shangri-La here).

"I made a sculpture which was laser-cut boxes of products, almost like Warhol's Brillo boxes, but they're things like dignity, self-respect, self-esteem," Stuart explains. "You've got a shopping trolley and 60 seconds to put as many of these products in the trolley as possible. But the snag was that we made the floor bouncy, so as you started to approach the boxes, there was friction, or the floor gave back. So the consumer gets it just out of reach: they couldn't quite get them."

This installation exemplifies Stuart's approach to art as social expression. "I see my work as sort of cultural commentary, even if it's making paint," he explains. "When something happens in society, I'm always watching what's happening culturally."

Stuart's public works often involve participatory elements and 'happenings'. He describes another recent project, 2023's 'Joy Sandwich'. "I had 16 locations all over the world – coffee shops, museums, galleries, public spaces – and they made towers of sandwiches," he explains. "Everybody bought bread, they put jam on there, someone else put something on, and they built a tower. The performance was over when it fell over, and then they all ate the sandwiches."

These 'happenings' are designed to be easily replicable and accessible. "Simple instructions, you know," Stuart says. "Another one was when people all played 'Love Train' by the O'Jays at the same time. It's a sonic artwork that can happen everywhere."

What the future holds

As Stuart looks to the future, he sees a continued focus on painting alongside more performative and interactive works. "I paint every single day, and my paintings have really changed," he reveals. "I haven't done a painting show for about eight years, and the reason was I'd actually gone a bit cold on the contemporary art market and all that nonsense that I was involved in."

Despite this shift, though, he remains committed to creating and sharing art. "I've been painting away, so inevitably there will be a painting show," he says. "That's probably the backbone of my plan. Then, the other side of it is performative, happening-type stuff, where I create a space where something happens, and I get out of the way. I don't like it to be about me."

This approach aligns with Stuart's broader philosophy of democratising art and creativity. By providing free education, accessible materials and participatory experiences, he's working to break down the barriers that often separate art from everyday life.

As the art world continues to evolve, Stuart Semple stands as a champion for accessibility, innovation, and the transformative power of creativity. Through his multifaceted approach – encompassing education, art supplies, public works and cultural commentary – Stuart is not just creating art but fostering a more inclusive and dynamic creative ecosystem for artists and art lovers alike.