From an early age I have always had a strong interest in art, and have been involved with it in some form all through my life. In year nine I realised that it was something that I might like to pursue as a career, I started taking it more seriously. The Chase's art department encouraged me very well and helped me develop my art skills

 

I am currently studying Art at A-level and have had my work exhibited in a gallery and in local industry buildings as part of the 'Art in the Workplace' scheme which is organised by my college. The piece of my artwork which was displayed, and used in a business's workplace was a painting inspired by an Art Department trip to Italy. In my spare time, I enjoy running my own comedy website with my friends, which has enabled me to learn good organisational skills. Aside from art, I enjoy playing basketball with other students from my college every Wednesday afternoon. I have found this to be a welcome break from normal study, allowing me to exercise at the same time as relieving stress

 

My present interest in art is more graphic/typography based, although I do enjoy all areas of art. I have been designing graphics on my computers from a young age and have work published in national magazines. Not all the graphical work I do is computer based, I enjoy using traditional mediums in a clean graphical way, as I find it more satisfying working on a larger scale and producing something more"real". My current course has helped me "branch out" more; I have experimented in many disciplines successfully producing paintings, pastels and drawings, which I had never really developed fully before

 

I have had two part-time jobs involving computer related work, in which I have been able to bring art influences into. When working for Retail Futures, an e-commerce company based in Malvern, I designed their corporate image, and websites for clients such as Coalport and Parcel Force. More recently I have taken another job with a more technical slant, for another e-commerce firm, eplexus. I still do design work, in which I have designed websites and images for"Highwaycode.com", and Anglo Digital a successful venture capitalist firm. Alongside my practical experience, I am also studying Computing at my current college, which aids me to learn the fundamentals of computer usage and programming, an area that I am interested in

 

Whilst in the lower sixth, I was asked to help with an activity arranged by Shell Oil which was aimed at capturing the interest of pupils around the age of ten and eleven by involving them in scientific activities. Throughout the day I acted as a teacher for year six pupils from various junior schools. Working in a group, we had to demonstrate the building of a 'balloon boat' and then supervise the children whilst they attempted to build their own. This helped me to use my communication skills in explaining the theory behind building the boat to young people who had possibly not yet encountered that stage or type of science

 

Throughout my time at both school and college, I have been involved in a number of activities, and have also made an effort to maintain a good balance between this and my academic work. Being involved in and having the ability to give something back to my college has always been important to me, and it is something that I am keen to continue at College. My passion is art and I look forward to further developing my ability at foundation and degree level.