FINE ART
First Year
Amelie Ali
Previous school: Gildredge House.
My work is a celebration of natural femininity and a recognition of the work of independent modern artists who I believe are revolutionising the ways that we view and create art in the 21st century. Most of these experiments you see are in the style of London-based painter Chris Guest.
I love looking at and creating art that is very expressive and colourful, that doesn't necessary have any deeper meaning other than to please the eye of the viewer. This is why I studied the five artists I did. Chris Guest creates stunning, powerful paintings that are a great example of how realism and abstract can be used together. Gretel Lusky (whom my first mermaid painting is based on) creates delicate, organic characters and scenes that are more cartoon like but are still incredibly realistic and expressive.
I wanted to paint women in this style because I feel like older art does not celebrate women for who they are but instead portrays them either as being troubled or in an overly sexual way. I wanted to produce a series of works that shows their differences and diversity, with each painting clearly showing an interest, emotion and/or personality.
Second year at college:
I have enjoyed this topic in particular. This is because I had the opportunity to study the artists that I actually admire, to go in my own direction and create pieces that I alone have chosen to create. This is also the first time in the course that I have enjoyed the work and been proud of my outcomes.
Amelie Bettles
My image is of a landscape that is close to my home, I used energetic and bold brush strokes to create movement throughout the piece. To me, the image represents all the energy in a landscape. I would like to explore expressionistic styles in the future and develop my own style. I have enjoyed all the experimental work in the Fine Art course, I feel it has massively improved my work.
Angelica Wilson
Previous school: Kings Academy, Ringmer. I studied Art and Photography as my chosen options for my GCSEs.
I’m interested in Fine Art because I love finding and exploring new techniques and styles. I have met new people with similar interests and have learned different skills from them. I’ve also had the opportunity to discover unique artists and explore their way of working.
What I’ve valued and enjoyed the most about my experience at college during Year One is that I’ve learnt so much about creating foundations for my paintings by using underpainting to create different tones and to add depth and dimension. Additionally I’ve discovered how important drawing and sketching is to practise the skills of perspective, highlights and shade.
In the near future, I’d love to explore using oil paints with different surfaces and painting mediums. I used oil paints for the first time when painting my AS project final piece ‘Covid Retreat - May 2020’ [Oil on Wooden Panel 40x50cm]. I really enjoyed being able to change the viscosity to paint details more easily. I also loved how slowly oil paints take to dry so that I could spend multiple days editing the paint.
Produced during lockdown, this painting represents both my conscious and unconscious mind. It includes objects that that are of great importance to me and that symbolise my thoughts and feelings.
Ben Hobden
Previous school: Kings Academy Ringmer.
I enjoy portraiture. It's one of my favourite aspects of art. This drawing took lots of patience and two or three days work. I started with a basic sketch and then added detail on certain parts of the face rather than tackling large areas all at once. This allowed me to find the best technique for finishing the drawing. A lot of shading, smoothing, and different pencil ranges (2H, F, HB, B, 2B and 3B) were used to get to the final product.
The most joyful part about Fine Art at college is definitely the variety of media and techniques I have been taught and attempted, This has widened my understanding and improved my skill in drawing and painting.
Carrie Gould
Previous school: Hailsham Community College.
The images are self-expression through colour or lack of it, I tried to make them look staged as if they were stills from a film. I am mainly interested in mediums such as ink, acrylic paint and charcoal/pencil for my most recent pieces. My approach was to try and unify the portraits by focusing on the backgrounds, using similar colours to that of the image or complementary colours to make the images stand out.
Something I enjoyed about my experience at the college was the fact that tutors and fellow students were really supportive. I was given the opportunity to explore different styles and mediums which will improve the art I make in the future. I would like to try creating larger portraits with gouache or oil. After college I hope to try and sell my art through an online shop. I'd also like to use my art to help spread a positive message about animal rights.
Felicity Hills
Previous school: King's Academy, Ringmer.
I made portraits of my Grandparents with acrylic paint. I used vibrant colours to form the faces and darker colours to outline them. I mainly worked with a flat square brush in order to create smooth, clean lines. Because of lockdown, I have been unable to see them as much as I used to. I missed them a lot so I decided to paint them. The bright colours also represent the flowers I took pictures of during my walks around the village. The portraits seemed to work together to form a colourful pair that gives them both personality.
What I enjoyed about Fine Art is being able to try out different subjects and different styles so that, when it came to the main project, I was clear about what I wanted to do which was to create pieces of art that I feel proud of.
Katrina Whiting
During this period of lockdown I have been going for long walks on my own in the countryside near where I live. I have been thinking about all the places that I can’t visit and the fact that I am on my own and isolated. I have been thinking about landscape as a way of presenting my ideas about places: the need for tranquillity, they need to get things in perspective and also the way that night she can be a release From the pressures of the moment. I realise that everybody is going to this and my dreams are away with me externalising that and thinking about what it is like to be young and in lockdown and unable to get on with my life. Apparently tranquil drawings are at once and escape and also at the same time a way of showing you where I am.
Next year I will be working completely different courses at Plumpton College. I have really enjoyed I work in Fine Art and see everything is part of my journey.
Libby Carpenter
Previous school: Heathfield Community College.
I’m really interested in portraiture and landscapes and the different ways you can effectively portray them. Since being in lockdown I’ve practiced using different mediums, especially oil pastels which I’ve learnt to love. I have definitely broadened my knowledge and skills during this period. In my second year of college I want to learn about how to layer paintings to make them better.
Lily-Rose Chatfield
Previous school: I went to St Thomas A Beckett Catholic Primary School and after that I was home-educated.
I'm most interested in using watercolour or pen and ink, in developing my skills in the use of thick paint and exploring new techniques and media. I'm most interested in portraiture.
During my Second Year at college I want to have the freedom to try whatever I want and gain the knowledge and skills to create pieces of art that I can love instead of criticise.
Menna Evans
Previous school: Ratton School.
In my work, I have been trying to experiment with different media and to play with colour, light and shadow in new ways in order to challenge myself. In particular, I like to create a lot of contrast and use free bold lines and colours to make my work stand out. In the painting of my dad, I wanted to experiment with how perspective and contrast could affect the mood and presentation of the subject, I ended up with quite a dramatic, regal result. In the painting of my sister, I wanted to try using smoother lines and softer colours to convey this beautiful, dreamy sort of sadness.
I will be continuing to study Fine Art in my second year at college.
In my time studying so far, I have really enjoyed the freedom to create the kind of art that I want to and that makes me happy. I've been much more inspired and motivated as a result. I've also enjoyed being able to create larger scale, layered pieces and explore a variety of different techniques.
Milly Turner- Gutsell
Previous school: Beacon academy.
Expression of colour
Fine art, textiles and photography a level in second year
Finding out my strengths and being more experimental with colour and technique.
Scarlett Weg
Previous School: Lewes Old Grammar School.
These works were inspired by artists such as George Braque, Gerhard Richter and Ivon Hitchens. I used layers of thick acrylic paint applied with palette knives of various sizes and large brushes. My intentions have been to paint landscapes but not in the obvious or “traditional” way. I also wanted to experiment with bolder, brighter colours and more expressive strokes.
What I enjoy about Fine Art is the freedom I am given to experiment with styles and techniques while also being taught the skills to make my work better.
Sophia Lederman
Previous school: Beacon Academy.
I love painting portraits of women as I am a feminist. I like to also research women artists wherever possible.
I appreciate the creative freedom I have been allowed on this course and how much I have learnt as a result.
Tom Payne
Previous school: Dorothy Stringer
My work is about the importance of family and friends, of my “blood”. The portraits are of me and people close to me, I used oils for skin tones and also vibrant colours, applied using a lot of techniques with pallet knives. For my next project I want to explore human anatomy in more depth using vibrant colours and unique techniques, I have enjoyed learning to work on bigger scales and trying out different mediums to vary my work.
Yifei Zhou
Previous school: China.
My image represents the health-care worker, who wears protective suit, face mask and goggles. I used acrylic paint in a range of rich colours and applied them with effective brushstrokes. The main colours I used were ultramarine blue and lots of white. As for my techniques, thickly-layered acrylic applied in loose but well-structured marks creates a balance. I did my piece layer by layer and utilised the palette knife as well. Small but visible brushstrokes were also applied to build up the painting and soften the imaging.
The reason I chose health-care worker as my subject was that, in the past few months, the whole world has been undergoing a really tough time. These doctors and nurses are the ones who contribute and sacrifice the most. When this pandemic comes to an end, no-one will really remember who the heroes were. I did this painting in order to remember what they have contributed, This image also shows my personal expression, which mainly is represented by the colour blue.
I have experienced how uncomfortable wearing protective stuff for a long time is. I would say none of those doctors or nurses are willing to cope with the Coronavirus but they are absolutely afraid of it. However, they have to fight on the front-line as no one else will take these high risk jobs. The blue shows that they are afraid just like the public but they are absolutely brave to fight with the virus.
In the future, I will try more different materials and various media. The most vital thing I wish to improve is to represent my personal feeling and special atmosphere into my artworks. I really enjoyed Fine Art this year. I have tried many forms of art that I haven't tried before. I started accepting my weakness and trying to improve it. My teachers are awesome. Both of them have helped me a lot and I really appreciate that!
Second Year
Alexandra Warner
Previous school: Ratton.
My work is about the different faces in lockdown. There are people who have clouded minds and those who have lost their mind. I like the simplicity in line drawings as you can convey so much through so little.
Gap Year - doing volunteering work to help with my University course.
I look forward to the skills I can learn and the chance to create something completely different to another student’s reaction to the same topic. I appreciate the support from the teachers when I was creating an alternative painting that was very different to everyone else’s.
Becca Wells
Previous school: Ratton School.
Portraits using mostly acrylic paints.
University - Veterinary Nursing and Bio-veterinary Science
I enjoyed the fact that, once I found what I was good at, I was encouraged to not only excel in that subject matter, but to also expand it and try out multiple techniques to improve my portraiture throughout the two years.
Eloise Taulke-Johnson
Previous school: Seaford Head
I’m mostly looking at landscape, exploring different forms and techniques. Seeing how I can use these different methods to express different emotions and how effectively I can communicate with the audience.
I’m going to University to study zoology.
I feel that studying Fine Art has helped me expand my own ideas in art and broadened my use of techniques. It has helped me find my own kind of style and allowed me to develop that even further. It has also made me more comfortable with starting on large blank pieces of paper. The many different areas that we have covered and the freedom we’ve had to explore them, has helped me become more independent. I feel that I’ve been encouraged out of my comfort zone to try things I wouldn’t normally try. I’ve enjoyed having the different views and opinions of multiple teachers and have felt well-supported throughout my two years.
Freya Clayton Harding
Previous school: Ratton.
My painting is a self portrait in oils, which portrays myself as pregnant, (which I currently am not.)
This year I have become very interested in how fertility is portrayed in art. I wanted to produce a painting with a slightly provocative subject matter but executed as if the portrait was almost depicting a saint/goddess figure.
I attempted to achieve this through the use of soft, light brush strokes, a bright colour palette and a composition evocative of divine iconography. I think that this creates quite an impactful piece of work. I really enjoyed twisting and distorting my own image to create this painting - seeing myself as pregnant has curiously become less and less abnormal
throughout the process.
I have done my Fine Art A-level. It was so enjoyable! The best thing about it was learning and watching my skill-set progress. I feel that I have come such a long way over the last two years.
Also the people I have met on this course have been so amazing! I’ve definitely made friends I want to stay in touch with for life.
Next year: Foundation Diploma in Art and Design in Hastings
Freya Whitelaw
Previous school: Seaford Head Secondary School.
This piece was influenced a lot by Gustav Klimt, with the use of gold and intricate patterns. I wanted to explore a wide range of media, so here I have used acrylic paint, watercolour paint, pen, brush pen, and pencil.
Art foundation at East Sussex College, Eastbourne Campus
The course has given me the freedom to experiment within my own passions and art style. I find it really interesting how a whole classroom of students can be given the same brief yet come out with completely unique pieces of art!
Jerry Main
Previous school: Oathall Community College.
I used quite an expressive, loose approach on this portrait and then built up layers of detail on the face, especially the eyes and mouth. The portrait is of my sister, who has been working extremely hard throughout the pandemic, in St Thomas’ Hospital in London. I wanted to create a flattering, bright image of her to remind her of the good times we had before the pandemic and hopefully more to come after lockdown has been lifted. I also wanted to show how much I miss her so it is a very personal portrait as well. The background I left very expressive and loose, while keeping her face more calm and bright, to try and reflect the fact that she is so positive and calm in the face of adversity. I am hoping to do an apprenticeship in Architecture next year, so I have no doubt my artistic skills learned at the college will help with that!
Lucy Wells
Previous school: Ratton School - Eastbourne.
My pieces reflect the different interpretations of the word 'Haven'. Haven is a safe space, whether that be real or fake. A place where people will go in order to feel at home, in order to escape reality and in order to be happy. These places are different for everyone. In the case of these pieces, they are ideal destinations/landscapes. Places you would rather be at instead of the setting you are in right now.
The course has helped me to express myself in a way I couldn't with my other subjects. Art allowed me to experiment with my ideas as well as develop my confidence in myself.
Studying BSc Criminology and Psychology at University of Southampton.
Martha Hellet
Previous school: St Richards Catholic College (Bexhill).
My work is about this current 'unprecedented' time of the coronavirus. It shows my family in a zoom call which takes place every Sunday. This is contradicted with a candid picture I took at Christmas just before we had Christmas dinner. I'd like to think it shows that we are adaptable as humans and how grateful we should be to have technology that allows us to communicate during this time. It is also to show that in the future we should never take for granted something which before this pandemic, a Christmas dinner, seemed so normal. On Fine Art, I have really enjoyed learning how to paint and consequently developing a sort of style with my work.
Plans for next year: Foundation course at Hastings College.
Millie Thorpe
Previous school: Willingdon Community School.
The use of ink and water blending together with a simple line drawing.
The Art Foundation course enables you to explore your own techniques and gives you the freedom to try new resources.
Olivia Pelham
Previous school: Ratton School - Eastbourne.
I have really enjoyed working on Fine Art A level and have learned a lot about painting and developing my own style through using technical aspects of underpainting, glazing and building up areas. I also enjoyed looking at other artists’ work and seeing how they used the visual styles of their paintings to make meanings for people to see. Plans for next year: Art Foundation course in Eastbourne.
Radha Lingham
Previous school: Varndean.
My work is about experimenting with different techniques to express the beauty of nature and candid moments in nature. Fine Art has been about enjoying the freedom of expressing yourself through art and not having to worry about your art being better or worse than other people’s because everyone is on their own individual journey. Plans for next year: Apprenticeship in tattooism.
Tabitha Baker
Previous school: Priory School, Lewes.
This painting captures the two most important and pleasing things in my life - my dog and my plants. I wanted to portray my Shih Tzu as a moody, Victorian-esque portrait painting, but amongst houseplants.
Painting allows me to express my emotions through my use of colour and texture so I thoroughly enjoyed creating pieces which show what my interests are.
Next year I am starting my course in Textile Design at Norwich University of The Arts, and I will most certainly use my painting skills in that area of interest.
Tom Watson
Previous school: Cavendish.
Race, culture and equity
Hopefully university (London met)
Learning new techniques and the opportunity to experiment freely
This work represents flags and, comments on the isolation they can impose. It features a central motif built up of rectangles which are warped as if by the wind to create the link to flags and make an abstract form.
The colours of flags are removed and replaced with grey tones from charcoal marks smudged together, portraying my desire to live in a world where people come together with love and are not judged for their race and/or way of life.
The rectangles are still discernible upon viewing and studying the work in the same way that studying other cultures and walks of life leads to respect, understanding and appreciation.
I am (hopefully) going to London Met to do jewellery and accessories next year and I’m starting learning about jewellery and am doing the odd commission before that.
