Glenalmond College's "An Audience With..." series is a selection of stories from some of our most successful OGs. In the form of Q&As, we are incredibly proud to showcase the journeys that started at Glenalmond and went on to become tales of inspiration, commitment and diversity.  We hope you enjoy what they have to say.

Should you be keen to share your story, or indeed reach out to these people, then please register with CollConnect if you haven't done so already, and/or contact us directly.

Amy Izat 

Home House (2007 – 2012)

Amy, now 28, is a self-employed fine artist currently based in Northumberland. She is also a writer and owner of the art gallery/open studio/shop called 27 Art House, situated in the heart of her home town, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

Classical Fine Artist.

Best thing about Glenalmond?

Lifelong friendships and the location of the school.

Best memory from Glenalmond?

Training for the Island Peaks Race, going on runs in the hills behind Glenalmond and having the river to go for walks along. Interhouse music events were always good fun. I really miss seeing so much talent in people I knew so well.

Career

After attending Accademia d’Arte in Florence Italy for two weeks during sixth form, I was awarded a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design from Oxford Brookes University, where my studies focused on the human body through installation and photography.  After completing the Foundation Course, I enrolled on the Fine Art course at Falmouth University before deciding to specialise in portrait painting and drawing at the Sarum Studio Atelier of Fine Art in Salisbury.  

However, after seven years of life changing surgery and as a result, now visually impaired which makes it difficult for me to create an accurate portrayal of a person, I am now based in my Northumberland studio, where I hope to continue my practice of drawing from life.  

I have exhibited throughout the country and had my first major exhibition, "The Windows of the Soul Exhibition" in London in 2021 where I exhibited my bird drawings which symbolise my own personal experiences of life’s greatest challenges through my eyes.  

There is growing recognition of my work in the art world and beyond, which resulted in a BBC appearance to help raise awareness of living with visual impairment, using my drawings to show how I now experience the world.  I am also writing my first book "A Different Kind of `Vision’" which will be published this summer.  There will be a book signing at Soho House, London alongside an exhibition showing a collection of bird drawings which will symbolise my journey.  

My illustrations are inspired by the beautiful Northumberland landscape and countryside that I love so much.  I paint and draw wildlife ranging from the sea life around the Farne Islands to the garden birds at home. I am hoping to expand this aspect of my work alongside portraiture.  

Having recently opened 27 Art House, I sell my own artwork, including greeting cards, postcards, prints and homeware alongside work by other artists including the talented Cornish artist Michel Francois and Belgian artist Elvira De Pelsmacker. The plan is to host workshops and exhibitions showcasing my own work as well as guest artists. 

What advice would you have for others who wanted to follow in your footsteps?

Don't stress if life doesn’t go to plan after school and don't compare your path to others - the universe has a wonderful way at leading you along a very unexpected, exciting path.  It’s not the destination you must rush to get to, it’s the journey, so enjoy every minute of it. 

What advice would you have for a Third Form student when it comes to careers?

Don’t over complicate and put too much pressure on finding the ‘correct’ course as it’s the journey that is exciting rather than the final destination. I mention in my book “Neither of us know how to stay on a path devoid of danger, whether facing ill-health, tragedy, or any unforeseen event.  Each life is an exciting, as-yet unknown adventure and we often have little control over its twist and turns”. 

Career highlights/ low lights?

When hitting my lowest point with my own health, energy, self-confidence, and losing a part of my eyesight that I rely on in my work, but then realising that that can be used to create something completely unique and perfect in its own unique way by never becoming a victim of life's challenges and turning those negatives into positive ones where you can grow in a way you never thought possible. For me it is completing my first book and exhibiting with the BBC to help raise awareness of visual impairment. 

What surprises people about your job?

How detailed my drawings are when I am visually impaired and how they have got more detailed every time I have lost more sight.   

What’s the best work decision you ever made? 

Opening my own gallery where I can work from, being able to meet more people, gain commissions when people see me working and having the space to organise future events.

What could have the biggest impact on what you do in the next 10 years? 

My health and losing more sight.

What were the biggest lessons from Glenalmond (both in and out the classroom) you carry with you in life?

Relationships - friends you can trust and rely on especially in those difficult times. Having an extended family who can support you is one of my greatest treasures from Glenalmond I have experienced.  Small classes allowed for one-to-one attention when it was needed so I always felt confident in having enough support when I didn’t understand something. 

How do you ensure you keep a good work life balance?

I get very tired in day-to-day life after seven years of procedures and operations, so it is vital for me to maintain a good work life balance. Social contact is also crucial for ones happiness and stability so I make this a priority every week. It also stimulates my brain which is essential in my recovery, whilst maintaining a consistent work ethic which from the structure of my days at Glenalmond, has been very easy to commit to. 

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Italy has always been my dream but have never been able to live out there. Still a dream to finish my training in classical portraiture in Florence however I am very happy in Northumberland so who knows. 

Where would you say are the top three places to visit in the UK?

Cornwall (Falmouth where I spent a year at uni, filled with adventures, sea swimming around the Cornish coast, surfing in Newquay where there are stunning sunsets), Northumberland (I am biased as it’s my home but there really is nowhere more beautiful - you have the vast unpopulated coastlines and ten mins inland you have the rolling hills and Cheviots and, of course,  Scotland particularly Edinburgh and the West Coast. 

Amy's website can be visited at the following address along with contact details should you want to learn more: 

Web: www.amyizat.com
Email: amyizat@live.co.uk
Mobile: 07787228006
Gallery: 27 Art House, Bridge Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1ES
Instagram: @amyizat_art
Instagram shop: @27_art_house_