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sustaining practice Blog Posts- Page 21 of 22 - The Open College of the Arts

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sustaining practice


Student stories: Andy Be, Photography. thumb

Student stories: Andy Be, Photography.

But here’s the thing I believe: creativity isn’t always a choice; for so many of us, it’s a need. And when you don’t satisfy the things you feel compelled to do, life doesn’t work so well.

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Student Stories: Ghada Ahmed Al Qassimi, Photography. thumb

Student Stories: Ghada Ahmed Al Qassimi, Photography.

“Before OCA I tried other online courses similar to OCA but the difference was that OCA offers rich contents and broader art information. Other online courses concentrate more on techniques only.”

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Group work: Writing for oboe – Introductory workshop thumb

Group work: Writing for oboe – Introductory workshop

The session will have a practical focus and is primarily aimed at helping students develop their ability to work with the instrument in a composition or orchestration context, however, anyone who wants to learn more about woodwind instruments in any capacity is very welcome to join us.

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A tale of two residencies – Part 2 thumb

A tale of two residencies – Part 2

Following on from my previous blog, I’m going to discuss my second residency in Finland. This was at Saari, which offers two-month residencies for artists of all description, not just writers. I applied to work on a very new project, Vegetal Souls, a book which I hope will consist of poems, short essays and short fiction, all exploring what it might be like to be a plant.

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A tale of two residencies – Part 1 thumb

A tale of two residencies – Part 1

This year, for the first time in my life, I was awarded an international writing residency. Then, in quick succession, I was awarded another! My life is not usually so glamorous, but this double stroke of good luck meant I spent August at Varuna Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains of Australia, followed by September and October on the shores of the Baltic Sea in south-west Finland. I had a week in-between to do my laundry and get my head together!

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In conversation with: Joanna Whittle thumb

In conversation with: Joanna Whittle

Joanna Whittle is a painter based in Sheffield. Joanna studied at Central St Martin’s and the Royal College of Art and her work has been included in the Royal Academy Summer Show (2019) and the John Moores Painting Prize (2018). She recently won (jointly) the Harley Gallery Open Prize and the Contemporary British Painting Prose (both 2019). Her work is exhibited widely and is held in many collections. Joanna was recently awarded one of five career development bursaries granted by the Freelands Foundation in conjunction with Site Gallery in Sheffield.

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Food for thought thumb

Food for thought

Food has always played a role in art. From the Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s witty portraits composed of fruits and vegetables and the beautiful still life paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, through to Wayne Thiebaud’s iconic painted pies and cakes in the pop art era, artists have used food to express their pleasures and preoccupations.  

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TWO-FOLD thumb

TWO-FOLD

At HE6, students on the painting degree are required to consider what the public or wider relevance of their work is and how they might explore and develop that through some form of presentation – usually an exhibition. They are also asked to consider the importance of their peers in terms of their degree but also in sustaining a practice post graduation. Here, new painting tutor Keith Ashcroft describes an exhibition he curated recently. He details how he arrived at the curatorial premise and how setting up the exhibition allowed for a development and further chance to investigate the shared theme of representation through twofoldedness.

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In conversation with: Drawing degree tutor Simon Manfield thumb

In conversation with: Drawing degree tutor Simon Manfield

The broad and experimental character of the drawing degree is supported of course by the curriculum, and a big part of that is the lovely new drawing degree unit called ‘a personal approach to drawing’ (DR5PAD), so I am delighted to have a chance to have a conversation with one of its authors, Simon Manfield, about his practice.

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Study event: OCA East of England –  Cultivating a reflective practice thumb

Study event: OCA East of England – Cultivating a reflective practice

As there is a strong emphasis on reflective practice in our learning logs, this workshop will be of interest to students on any course. Participants are asked to bring a couple of examples of their own work to aid discussion. Notebooks, pens and handouts will be provided on the day.

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