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To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.

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sustaining practice


Painting and Drawing student work Spring 2022 thumb

Painting and Drawing student work Spring 2022

As Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Painting and the BA (Hons) Drawing degrees at OCA I am delighted to present a curated exhibition of the work presented by the students in both departments for the Spring 2022 assessment event.

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In-between: Wendy Healey’s Artists Talk – Wednesday 18 May 2022 at 6pm  thumb

In-between: Wendy Healey’s Artists Talk – Wednesday 18 May 2022 at 6pm 

Please join me to celebrate the achievement of level 3 Painting SYP student Wendy Healey who has just completed her final degree show with us and is soon to graduate.

Wendy’s OCA Artist Talk will comprise of an in-conversation talk with Psychotherapist/ Art Therapist Maureen Begadon, filmed at Wendy’s home studio prior to her degree show on 28 April -14 May at DAA gallery Sutton Coldfield. The film will be followed by a question and answer discussion. 

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Study tips for distance learners thumb

Study tips for distance learners

You’re a distance learner? Great! That means you can study wherever and whenever is convenient for you, right? Yay! But how do you stay motivated, beat distractions, and avoid feeling isolated or anxious? Here are a few tips that students have shared with me over my 14 years tutoring for the OCA. 

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Creative Arts, Part 3: Why are skills so important to becoming a creative artist? thumb

Creative Arts, Part 3: Why are skills so important to becoming a creative artist?

This might seem like an obvious question to answer, and perhaps I wanted to open a discussion on what opportunities there are for developing skills on the creative arts pathway.

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Student stories: Geraldine Leahy thumb

Student stories: Geraldine Leahy

A solo exhibition of work by Geraldine Leahy will be on display in Rush Library, Chapel Green, Rush, Co. Dublin  from the 4th – 14th April 2022 . Intriguing combinations of monoprint and paint reveal the devastating consequences of coastal erosion in Portrane, Rogerstown Estuary and Rush. The artist observes the entanglements of manmade and natural materials and the impact mankind has had on the coastline.

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Student stories: Wendy Healey thumb

Student stories: Wendy Healey

OCA students and tutors from all disciplines are invited to final year student Wendy Healey’s forthcoming exhibition to explore the fascinating world of the in-between. Direct Art Action UK (DAA) Gallery based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham will be showcasing her BA (Hons) Painting Degree Exhibition In-between. 

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The Patricia Farrar Award for Painting thumb

The Patricia Farrar Award for Painting

As Programme Leader for Painting I feel personally that Patricia would have had a continued influence on OCA as an alumni and I have tried to preserve that influence by instigating an award at OCA in her memory and as an ongoing inspiration. The award is given to a student annually who embodied something of Patricia’s spirit and creative concerns.

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Student stories: Arlene Sharp thumb

Student stories: Arlene Sharp

The Freelands Painting Prize has been developed to support artists at an early stage in their practice and all UK art colleges are able to nominate a single student in their final course of study to be considered for it. We convened a panel of all the tutors for the eligible students and undertook a two stage process to identify one candidate. We used a simple scoring system and, whilst everyone got some points, one person was a clear winner and that was Arlene Sharp.

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