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OCA Drawing: Showcase

Posted: 11/02/26 09:51 | 0 Comments

We are pleased to share a showcase of work from the BA (Hons) Drawing at Open College of the Arts, curated by their Programme Leader, Emma Drye from work submitted at the completion of their course units.

OCA Painting: Showcase

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Posted: 27/01/26 02:51 | 6 Comments

We are pleased to share a showcase of work from the BA (Hons) Painting at Open College of the Arts, curated by their Programme Leader, Emma Drye from work submitted at the completion of their course units.

Lorna Hall – How Textiles Became My Creative Escape

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Posted: 26/01/26 08:00 | 1 Comments

My name is Lorna and I am just about to begin the last unit of a textiles BA Hons) degree. As a child, I always found comfort in repeated surface patterns, and since I can remember, I have enjoyed experimenting with cloth as well as drawing. I went to art college when I was young […]

Felicity Talman – How My OCA Degree Led to Postgraduate Study

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Posted: 26/01/26 07:34 | 2 Comments

My name is Felicity Talman, and I recently completed a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree with the OCA. I started studying with the OCA in 2019 after moving to Wales and deciding to pursue a creative education—something I had always put to one side. At the time, I had two young children aged four and […]

Alix Brown – Flexibility, Feedback and Finding My Voice

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Posted: 25/01/26 08:31 | 4 Comments

I’m Alix Brown, and I’m currently studying Creative Arts at OCA. At the time of writing, I am partway through Unit 3.2, and working on external projects related to Photography and Illustration. Originally, my plans were to write for children as well as illustrate, but during Unit 3.1, I fell in love with the visual […]

Angharad Thomas – Creativity and Life Long Learning

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Posted: 24/01/26 08:26 | 0 Comments

I’m retired from a mixed career in teaching, youth work and textile design. I always intended to do more drawing but, without some sort of structure and deadlines, I never got round to it. In my mid 70s, I decided that a course would provide those incentives so I searched and found the OCA Foundation […]

OCA Creative Arts: Tutor News – Rachel Smith

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Posted: 12/01/26 11:46 | 2 Comments

Congratulations to our Creative Arts tutor Rachel Smith for being one of five nominated artists in the UK, to be considered for the Women to Watch exhibition series, which will be held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC in 2027.

In Conversation: Nina Milton and Lizzy Perkins

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Posted: 10/12/25 09:33 | 3 Comments

Reaching the final unit of your stage 3 (HE6) studies is a thrilling moment, but filled with some trepidation. In the Creative Writing Department, The final unit, 3.3 asks the student to create a self-directed outwardly facing project, by clarifying what they want to do as a creative practitioner, so that they graduate knowing where their writing can take them, and how to approach readers, agents, editors, publishers, audiences and producers in a professional manner.

Making Meaning: The Journey Through MA Fine Art at OCA

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Posted: 14/11/25 09:44 | 3 Comments

In September 2025, a cohort of internationally based OCA students completed their MA Fine Art degree. Over a period of two years, they have studied together, engaging in various forms of learning, including critiques, discussions, presentations, lectures, and interactive workshops.

OCA Creative Arts: In Conversation – Rachel Smith and Melanie Jeffrey

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Posted: 12/11/25 04:44 | 1 Comments

As a theatre production teacher and student of the creative arts, I work across several disciplines, including theatre design, textiles, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and film. Most of my work involves textiles in one form or another, but I would not limit myself to textiles alone and often my work involves combining disciplines to achieve an effective outcome.

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