Julie on the importance of learning art

Julie Myck

"Studying art in IB was definitely not an easy course to take, but one which I can confidently say is necessary. It resulted in a kind of relaxation from the rest of the stressed caused by school, work or any other factors. The focus and concentration lead to forgetting about anything else on your mind and drifting away into another dimension.

Almost like meditation, I learned the complete importance of taking time for oneself , to have the power to stand above a situation and have control of your decisions. Always take time to breath and look around you.

It seems difficult to describe how art contributed / contributes to my life in a short statement but the best I can say is everything which art is (spiritually, metaphorically, physically) is what you learn or get out of it.

This allows you to take a step further and analyse the world around you in a different light, perhaps an essential light. We are all built to use our senses (to see, feel, hear....) and art, design, beauty, matches these senses.

Relating to where I am right now, I have really pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I am now studying interior architecture, taking on modelling and also conquering the business world and getting as much experience as I find I have the appropriate energy for! My days are usually full but I always manage to find time for fitness and health and being with people who truly matter to me in my life.

How did art contribute to this? Honestly, I would not spend my time writing this if I believed art (or any course in IB) didn't impact where I am now. Art is taking something you love, and continuing to work on it regardless of other happenings around you.

The same as working on a painting for example, you have a vision, or a concept even, and you work on it, slowly and with patience and you begin to see outcomes and something beautiful appears. This applies to myself; Things take time and require patience. Nothing fantastic will happen without the appropriate work or effort or finally without the positive energy to it.

With uni work, rather than trying to be the perfect student and match exactly what the paper says, I want to know what I can learn from it and I do not visualise the final outcome, it is about going step by step. I am after all taking an educational course, not a competition.

Modelling is something I find beautiful because it is like a minimalistic form of acting (an art). To be able to reenact a style, mood or a concept and express this through a photograph or film is fantastic. It is also a direct link to fashion which is something I am hoping to get strongly into in the future.

This leads on to me having the ability to travel in and out of London. I am slowly gaining great contacts and networking. I am very self driven and would love to one day run my own business - hopefully one day I will be there.

 Just like art, I learned that to get something you want, something you truly desire, you must be patient and keep working hard (but not over working yourself) and eventually, without question, you will get achievements, each one better or higher than the next."

Julie left St. Julian's in 2012. You can see more of Julie's modelling work in her facebook page here.

THANK YOU JULIE!!!!!!!

Margarida Fernandes advises our current students

Margarida Fernandes studied IB Visual Arts with us and achieved the top grade (a 7) in 2009.  She has just graduated from the London College of Communication. Margarida has written a few words of advice to our current year 12 students about life after St. Julian's towards a creative career:

"When I left St. Julian’s in 2009, I took a Foundation year at Camberwell College of the Arts – while it was an enjoyable experience, and especially helpful for getting adjusted to London life. I think that, if you have managed to reach a high grade in Visual Arts at IB level, you are most likely already well-prepared enough to start your studies at BA-level; most UK students take a Foundation year as a time of exploration – if you are still unsure as to what you might want to do, taking this degree might be the right choice. The perks of entering at foundation is that you will most likely get in, and when you finish the degree and are applying once more through UCAS, you automatically get to the portfolio review stage of applications for any of the UAL colleges. (St. Martins, Wimbledon, etc.) However, you are not guaranteed an interview.

I’ve only just recently finished my BA(Hons) Graphic Media Design degree at the London College of Communication. It’s a three-year course, but you have an option to undertake a one-year ‘Diploma in Professional Studies’ (DPS) – basically, a year in industry but for creatives.

The LCC is a massive university with great facilities – printmaking, bookbinding, and so much more.  There are hundreds of students, so you have to take an interest and persist to get attention and learn how to use the facilities. Don’t be a wallflower.

At LCC students are very much encouraged to be independent – if you have had a chance to visit any student shows in London in the past, you would be able to notice that there is not one defining ‘look’ to the student body of work. This is one of the strongest selling points of being a student there – at Chelsea or St. Martin’s there is very much a ‘look’ that comes from having attended the college, and the tutors regularly let you know what is ‘wrong’ or ‘right’.

If you are interested in interaction and moving image, I strongly suggest looking into the IMI course at LCC – it’s still small and has been getting great reviews – a very hands-on course that’s doing a lot of very forward thinking stuff.

I took a year out because I needed a break from university life and to explore my options for the future, while building my CV. The course director for DPS has a number of connections, and essentially bombards you with emails for the whole year. Like everything else at university level – it is what you make of it. Having a plan of action for the future always makes things easier, but also being open to opportunities you didn’t foresee also comes in handy.

If you are interested in a Visual Arts degree, you have a great vantage by having done the IB – you most likely have a more well-rounded knowledge base to inform your future projects and interests, can manage your work load and are used to working both in groups and independently – you will be amazed at the amount of visual people who have problems in communicating their opinions to an audience, in things as simple as class presentations. Being able to talk confidently will get you very far and your teachers will take an interest in you for starting a discussion in the classroom.

I strongly recommend you look at creative blogs, websites such as Creative Review, and see their blogs on degree shows around the country – you’ll get a better sense of the body of work of each place."

Thanks Margarida!

A sculpture that Margarida presented in her final show at St. Julians.

An image of her most recent work

Farewell to David Smith

Our Headmaster David Smith is leaving and tonight we had a farewell party in the patio of the school. There were some amazing musical moments and I was thrilled to find an old friend in the crowd, who I hadn't seen in several years. Terry Williams came all the way from Bristol to say hello and join us in the party. I met Terry in my first year at St. Julian's. I was the Art technician and early in the first term I found myself involved in the making of a large number of props for the play "His Dark Materials" directed by Darren Scully, our Head of Drama at the time.  Terry was with me most of the time, drawing and making props as well. I quickly discovered Terry's great talent to draw and capture the most genuine, often unflattering traits of all of us who lingered around him for long enough. I spent most of my time laughing with his sketches and his hilarious sense of humour.  How great to see him today!!!!
 Saying this, I am sorry to have to say goodbye to David, for me, the only headmaster in the place where I have been for the past eight years. I have enjoyed so much working under his wing. Thank you David!

 

Above are two different but equally faithful depictions of David by Terry Williams.

FABULOUS!!!!!!

GCSE Exhibition

The vernissage for the 2014 GCSE exhibition was a wonderful celebration of the many hours of hard work that the students put into their course. The Quinta dos Caniços was an idyllic venue and highlighted the exceptional standard of the work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Ceramics in year 8

Awhile ago, in 2009, we explored ceramics in year 8, as we usually do in most year groups actually. I used a portuguese artist called Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro as a source of inspiration. Most people in Portugal are extremely familiar with this common design:

 Bordallo Pinheiro designed the well known cabbage motif that exists in the shape of bowls and plates but that was just a simple and more commercial design which has been produced in mass in the well known factory of Caldas da Raínha. Bordallo Pinheiro was also a very famous satirical cartoonist in the late 19th century. (look at examples of his work here)
I focused on more elaborate pieces such as the ones below, to inspire ou year 8 students to create their own pots and decorate them with animal or vegetable elements.

Here are the fabulous pots our talented students created: