MA Fine Art: Reflections

Visit the MA Fine Art Exhibition here.

Completing a degree course is not only a significant achievement, it is also a point that marks a shift from study to new ventures and possibilities. MA Fine Art students Vivi Consta, Shelley Lafferty, Debbie New, Michelle Johnson and Yvonne Pethulis are that this exciting juncture, having graduated earlier in 2025.  Now that some weeks have passed, I asked them to reflect on their MA Exhibition and any plans they have for the future. 

Yvonne commented that the curation of her body of work for the online exhibition has enabled her to show and communicate a cohesive selection of work that has emotional and personal resonance. Working collaboratively to realise the exhibition, my peers and I have created a space that shares our individual and diverse work celebrating the differences and uniqueness of each artist.

Shelley’s experiences included feeling the end of the course had arrived prematurely. but she says it’s been instrumental, and she now proudly (and confidently) can refer to herself an Artist, which was not something she thought she would ever do! 

Shelley says ‘with many strands and project plans to progress, I’m excited by the speculative nature to it, driven by audience participation.  I now regularly submit for open calls and opportunities, and to realise some of my work physically as installations, funding and/or grants will be required, so I’ve focused efforts to these opportunities now, as well as whole exhibition curation submissions.

Consistency in submitting for open calls, exhibitions and magazine opportunities has resulted in some success of digital shows of my work, including exhibits in LA, New York, London and most recently, a successful submission to my hometown of Lincoln, at the Usher Art gallery for a physical exhibition entitled Art of the Now. I’m ambitious with where I’d like to take the works forward, which is solely down to this course and guidance from all the tutors.

Reaching the end of a course that has encompassed time and energy can bring reflection on where energies need to lie in future. For Debbie New, expanding her practice-based research is a priority as she feels that she has only scratched the surface in terms of her findings. This has led her to look for options for funded PHD programmes, rather than pursuing opportunities to exhibit at this time. For Debbie, her practice is currently less about the artworks, and more about the findings of the research. 

Michelle has taken a moment to pause, now that the MA Exhibition is live, and to reflect on what this milestone signifies. Her work embodies personal memory, transformation, and deep introspection. Now she is looking forward, not seeing this point as the end, but as a transition to new opportunities, new spaces, and a continuation of the conversation that started during the course.

Vivi explains ‘I am in Academia and this degree is an additional credential which has professional value; however, I did not enrol in this program for some professional advantage or to enhance my career. I enrolled in the University’s MFA program to cultivate my hidden talent; to nourish the spirit within me; and to pursue a personal dream’. Vivi’s statement is, she states, who she is. Her words include the following ‘the fluidity of my art is a testimony to freedom and to the beauty found in nature. Nothing is immoveable. This is how I choose to live life – fluid, open, with love and caring. This personal philosophy is expressed in my art through the language of watercolour’.

Vivi continues ‘Now, having received my degree, I have emerged anew. I trust myself. I trust my talent. I trust my education. And with this trust, I am not afraid to step into the unknown. I will pursue exhibitions, projects and collaborations with other artists. But, most importantly, I am free and have unlocked an artistic passion previously unknown. I embrace the future and I am excited to see where the flow of my journey takes me.  I will be forever indebted to my teachers and fellow students at the University’.

View the online MA exhibition here.