Has anyone ever told you what actually happens after art school? The ‘are you going to be an art teacher?’ question is commonly asked by friends and family. What else is there really? This week Central Station has asked art school graduates to share what they’ve been up to since their graduation in the Life After Art School series.
Samantha Wilson specialises in large scale drawing and painting and is currently based in Dundee completing her MFA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. She received a first Class Honours degree from Duncan of Jordanstone and studied for one semester in Toronto at the Ontario College of Art. She was brought up in Elie, Fife and spent six years of her childhood in Portugal before returning to Scotland for University. Here she talks about her experience of graduate life…
Since graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in June, I have spent some time in the summer working and travelling to take a break from making art. This was mainly because I intended to return to university in September to begin a Masters in Art and Humanities at DJCAD, where I am currently studying.
Untitled (2014) Charcoal and Ink on paper 93 inches by 121 inches
Before returning to study, I exhibited with the Six Foot Gallery in Glasgow in July. The show itself was quiet, but overall it was a worthwhile experience because subsequently I was contacted by a publication called BleakZine (also based in Glasgow) who are interested in featuring some of my work in an upcoming issue. I mention this to consider that no matter how small an opportunity may seem, you never know what could come of it, so apply, apply, apply!
Dressing Up (2014) Charcoal and Ink on paper 44 inches by 80 inches
The time away from making has allowed me to really channel all of my energy back in to full time study where I am now developing a new body of work for the RSA New Contemporaries Exhibition in Edinburgh in March 2015. It’s fantastic to have somewhere to make work straight after graduating because the ideas and processes are still fresh in my mind after the degree show.
Dog Man (2013) Charcoal and Ink on paper 44 by 80 inches
Mermaid (detail) (2014) Charcoal and Ink on paper 44 by 81 inches
Since leaving my undergraduate study, I am feeling, even more so than during my fourth year at art school, the pressure of reality after school. Although I am studying again, it is a different experience to my undergraduate course in terms of feeling much more on your own. Art work is no longer something you feel you are obliged to finish because you want your degree certificate, but it is one step closer to being your ‘job’. It’s really ‘for you’ and not the grade. That brings a whole new perspective and emotional challenges to face every morning when you come into the studio. It can be very daunting but as long as you still enjoy the work, it’s worth it! I don’t know what else I’d be doing if I wasn’t battling away drawing and painting in the studio. In between studio work and studying, I am applying for artist residencies, publications and exhibitions.
For more about Samantha’s work, see Koren Dumbleton’s review of the DJCAD Degree Show here.
Untitled (2014) Oil on Canvas 240 inches by 60 inches
Comment below or on Twitter using #LifeAfterArtSchool & mentioning @CenSta with your experience after art school.
Stay tuned for updates from art school graduates all this week. In the meantime see a preview of what to expect from the Life After Art School features here.
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