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.
Catherine Ross is a painting graduate of this year from Gray’s School of Art. Her work is made up of paintings and models which relate to her own experiences and ideas to do with ‘North’. She tells us what’s happened since her degree show.
Earlier this year I was shortlisted for the Woon Art Prize, which was exhibited at Gallery North, Northumbria University. I applied for this opportunity during my final year online. At the installation of the exhibition in Newcastle, I met the nine other students in the show who were from schools from all over the UK and I was awarded the Judges prize of £2500.
Bound
Following this, I can now understand the value of the online exposure which can be gained from events such as this. I now maintain my own websites. At the end of the summer, I was approached by Arusha Gallery in Edinburgh, who had read about my work online. They asked me to exhibit one of my final year models as part of their Autumn exhibition.
For the Washing or the Waves
Some friends and I also put on a small exhibition together following our degree shows. Since graduating, I have continued to sell existing work to those I met at my degree show as well as new acquaintances. This has included selling work to clients in both France and Italy.
It Snowed in my Garden
Found Land
At the degree show, I was given the opportunity, as an invited graduate to take part in The Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour Winter Exhibition and Graduate Competition, January 2015. I was also selected to make work for the Royal Scottish Academy’s New Contemporaries Exhibition. I have been concentrating my efforts on my studio practice and on making this new body of work, which will be shown at the RSA in March 2015.
Sketchbook
For more about Catherine’s work, see this review of the Gray’s School of Art Degree Show
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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