Students in Art 2 class spent the first semester exploring and experimenting with a range of media and materials. They used this experience to make choices about their Personal Project, in terms of ideas, materials and processes. They chose processes that enabled them to express the ideas they wished to convey, and they formulated these into text that accompanies the pieces below. These works were partly formed during the school closure and then completed on the return to the art studios.
"Lighthouse in the Storm" Acrylic on Canvas board Size: 40cm x 50cm
In the midst of a pandemic, this piece represents the strengthened ties in a family. I wanted to portray the different personalities in my family through the use of colours as symbols. My mother is fiery, my father is calm, and I am free. However during the coronavirus pandemic, we merged into one, facing the chaos of the world from the same window of the house we were locked in. Our rough edges were smoothed out and we came together to overcome the confusion and swirl of the outside world. During the past year, we guided each other out of the storm like a lighthouse in the night.
"His Eyes" Charcoal/ tonal chalk on paper Size: 28cm x 6cm My grandfather is the oldest member of my family but at the same time, he is the one who drives me to feel the joy and freedom of my youth. His eyes are full of my childhood memories. I remember making the decision to jump in the sea in the middle of the night, and wash our faces with salt water in the morning. To this day, some of my best memories are born out of a decision made from a shared look with my grandfather. I used charcoal on paper in a black and white setting, because even through its simplicity, my grandfather's joy and colourful personality shines through. I tried to capture the inviting, fun and daring look in his eyes in this piece. Because it is my grandfather who always reminds me to live life, and make the absolute best of it.
Lara T.
"Lockdown Motivation" Watercolour pencils on watercolour paper 21x29 cm
When you stare at a screen all day many feel like they lost a lot of motivation to do things. This could in many cases be school work or hobbies a lot of the time. Loss of motivation was one of the most common side effects of lockdown especially for younger people.
These artworks represent that feeling of inspiration loss and how we were inside and didn’t see or experience anything new outside our house for months.
Astrid S.
“Blue Isolation” Acrylic on paper; Gelli print, drawn with graphite 29 cm x 43 cm
I wanted to create a piece of art that reflected something that we have all been through during the past year: Coronavirus and lockdown(s). I know that a lot of people have not only suffered a loss during these hard times but have struggled with themselves and their mental health. I know a lot of people whose mental health has been hard to manage and so I wanted to focus my art on that idea. The idea of being isolated and having to deal with one’s own “blue” thoughts is what I hoped to capture in my artwork.
Christine O.
"Uxury" Collage 34 x 27 cm
Consumerism, capitalism, aestheticism, and materialism are beliefs found permeating today’s culture and corrupting and twisting the human experience. One of my work’s motifs is this corruption of humanity’s conscience as we have progressed as a species, and become more technologically advanced.
My piece was created with the intent on criticising hyper-materialistic culture. The collage was made from magazine cuttings promoting super-yachts, sports cars, and boutique holidays, which I found fitting for me to ironically turn on their head. I wanted to challenge how highly society values wealth and unrealistic, fake beauty by taking the portrait I began with and twisting it’s features to remove what beauty was there. I wanted to ridicule the out-of-touch, snobby culture that has emerged from our affluent society.
"Thanksgiving" Collage 27 x 24 cm
This work is commenting on the British obsession with the royal family and tabloid media in general. We revere these figures without asking ourselves why they are so deserving of such treatment. In light of recent allegations against the royal family of racism, it is difficult to still respect them. Among many, royalism is falling out of fashion.
Matt S.
"Solemn" Graphite on paper 41 cm x 29.4 cm, 29.7 cm x 21 cm
"Solemn - causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer. Gravely or somberly impressive; causing serious thoughts or a grave mood. An example of solemnity is how someone's face looks when worried about a sick friend. Synonyms - earnest, funereal, glum, pensive, somber, thoughtful, weighty".
There is no deeper meaning to why I used graphite to make this drawing. I just enjoy drawing with graphite. Daria S.
"Pan Y Trabajo" Acrylic and pencil on paper; Collage 45cm by 29cm
I wanted to create a piece of art that highlighted the beauty and struggles that come with industrialisation and modernisation in my home country of Argentina. The title, “Pan y Trabajo” translates to Bread and Work and it is an homage to a famous Argentine art piece by Xul Solar called, ‘Public Demonstration.’ ‘Pan y Trabajo’ depicts farmland followed by two stylised drawings of suffering men and then a colorful painting of Buenos Aires’s famous domes. Argentina is mainly made up of farmland, hence the painting of the farmland to the left of the piece. However as Argentina developed, particularly Buenos Aires, much of this farmland made way for the beautiful structures that now exist in the Argentine Capital. Midway through the piece though, there is the simplistic drawing of two distraught men, meant to capture the struggles of the Argentine public in the face of the development and industrialisation of the country.
Joaquin S.
“Ere’ We Go” Graphite drawing, photocopied and then selective use of watercolour pencil; Wash base, overlaid with graphite sketch and watercolour pencil. 29.7 x 42 cm
These two A3 pieces are both different interpretations, using different mediums, of the Ork aesthetic found in the warhammer 40k universe. This aesthetic, furthermore, is usually depicted as incredibly ramshackle: an amalgamation of mechanical parts, metallic plating and crude Glyphs to create crazed and brutal contraptions, in equal measure, that function despite contradicting all logic and reason. This theme of “function-despite-form” was one that could feel, at times, incredibly liberating to portray, as all the machines or glyphs which I created were representations of simply the shear force of will rather than based upon regimented structure and set knowledge.
Personally, I wanted to try and capture this aesthetic through mediums which I felt that I had more control, hence, the ability to more accurately depict my ideas. Through the use of both graphite, coloured pencils and watercolor washes I was able to depict many minute details, in both pieces, which, I feel, would not have been as easily or as effectively depicted had I decided to use more, unforgiving, forms such as acrylic paints where excessive planning was necessary in order to avoid irredeemable mistakes.
Edmond Z.
"A Bubble" Collage 25x31 cm
My piece is about feeling watched. Feelings of anxiety and paranoia aren't always rational, andI wanted to show the irrational nature that anxiety can invoke. Sometimes that feeling can make even something as inconspicuous as a school of fish swimming feel sinister. They might not be, but that's not to say that it cant feel that way at times. The feeling of being watched is unpleasant and uncomfortable, and this was something I thought would effectively emulate that feeling of discomfort. Oftentimes when I feel anxious it can feel like nothing outside of my anxieties and my head matter, I'm in a bubble with only my thoughts and feelings and discomfort. My goal with this work was to make people uncomfortable, i wanted people to feel unsettled and feel like something wasn't as it should be. I wanted to convey, at least in part, the way that anxiety feels to me.
Alina D.
"The story of the Gorgon Medusa " Graphite and watercolour (on cartridge paper) Size: 43x59 cm
The theme of my artwork is ancient myths, specifically Gorgon Medusa. In my artwork I illustrated Medusa and the warriors, turning into the stone; Athena, who was the goddess of battle strategy and wisdom, Poseidon, god of the sea. I visually divided the picture in three parts, by playing with the size and scale. My idea was to show the past and the future (the whole story of Medusa) all in one piece of artwork. The Medusa and the soldiers, representing the present, are shown either very big (Medusa) or in the front (like the soldiers), and the Gods in the back to show the past (Medusa became the way we are all familiar with, after Athena punished her, because of an affair with Poseidon). I also used graphite to emphasise the shadows and highlights clearer as graphite makes them look deeper.
Yulia V.
"Don’t Shoot" Acrylic on canvas, Gelli print, hand finished with graphite 59.5 cm x 42 cm
Systemic racism in the United States is an issue which every person of colour faces. This piece highlights those struggles and spotlights the biases which are sown into the foundations of America. The prominent “Don’t shoot” title is in reference to the many lives which have been lost as victims to gun violence and unnecessary use of force by those authority figures who see black men and women as nothing but threats to society. I chose to use the American flag due to the astonishing percentage of deaths related to systemic racism which have occured in the United States in recent years. The use of palette knives to create a rough texture with the acrylic on this flag, represents the continuing rough life which the majority of black men, women, and even children face solely due to their skin colour. The ‘Don’t Shoot’ logo on the shirt of the subject of this piece is in reference to the many pleas which black victims scream as they are being oppressed by authority figures and protectors like the police forces around America. I am personally appalled by the oppression of not only black humans but all minority ethnicities, and, even though society has grown from 100 years ago, there is so much more we could do to highlight these issues.