My self-curated fine art degree
Two years ago I set out to self-curate my own fine art degree. After wrapping up a 34 year career in the design sector, I wanted to go back to my art school roots and reconnect with the personal creativity that had inspired me as a teenager.
I began exploring a full-time degree within the HE system as a mature student but quickly realised that the investment required was very unlikley to live up the expectation. I was lucky enough to go to Bourneville School of Art, Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in the 1980s and know that I had benefitted from some of the very best that an art school education had to offer. Soon to be 60, I wasn’t in need of another qualification, but was hungry for new knowledge about different disciplines, techniques, processes and materials. I wanted to know about the craft behind the art and felt sure that, while I was learning, I would find my own path to a new creative destination.
I didn’t know what I wanted to focus on: drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, sculpture, mixed media, but wanted to experience them all again to refresh my memory and rekindle my own creative spark. Decades of relentless work with demanding clients and employees had left me running on empty. It was the promise of a ‘more creative life’ that had kept me going through the pandemic and last few years of my professional business career while I negotiated my exit.
For many years, I have studied life drawing with Niel Bally in Wales at his beautiful studio and home in the Brecon Beacons. Two to three times a year, I would join a group of about 8-10 other artists, some amateur others very experienced, and Neil would share his deep love and knowledge of painting and drawing from the model. I have slowly improved, one drawing at a time, under Neil’s expert and patient tuition. Driving to Wales felt like a lifeline to my true self and for many years, this was my only creative activity as the pressures of work and parenting were all-consuming. Niel and his wife Sue kept my creative ambition alive and slowly the dream of pursuing art full-time began to emerge.
More recently, Instagram had shown me that there are many other skilled artists with their own well-established professional practice who are sharing their knowledge through occasional workshops and courses. There is a glut of online courses that have emerged more recently. There are also a small number of creative entrepreneurs who have established businesses and venues to host these events and welcome participants from all over the world.
In October 2024, I started my self-curated fine art degree in earnest. I committed to spend the same as a three year, full-time degree at an HE institution would cost (£30,000) but would select the tutors and courses that interested me most and would treat the travel as part of the broader learning experience.
Below are some of the courses I have attended with my thoughts about the value of the experience.
Neil’s studio in his garden, filled with light and air, showed me how important a dedicated creative space was for an artist and I just lived being there.
Two years ago I set out to self-curate my own fine art degree. After wrapping up a 34 year career in the design sector, I wanted to go back to my art school roots and reconnect with the personal creativity that had inspired me as a teenager.
I began exploring a full-time degree within the HE system as a mature student, but quickly realised that the investment required was very unlikely to live up to my expectations. I was lucky enough to go to Bourneville School of Art, Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in the 1980s/1990s and know that I benefited from some of the very best that an art school education had to offer. Soon to be 60, I wasn’t in need of another qualification, but was hungry for new knowledge about different disciplines, techniques and materials. I wanted to know about the craft behind the art and felt sure that, while I was learning, I would find my own path to a new creative destination.
I didn’t know what I wanted to focus on: drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, sculpture, mixed media, but I wanted to experience them all again to refresh my memory and rekindle my own creative spark. Decades of relentless work with demanding clients and employees had left me running on empty. It was the promise of ‘a more creative life’ that had kept me going through the pandemic and the last few years of my professional career while I negotiated my exit.
For many years, I have studied life drawing with the artist Niel Bally in Wales at his beautiful studio and home in the Brecon Beacons. Two to three times a year, I would join a group of about 8-10 other artists, some amateur, others very experienced, and Niel would share his deep love and knowledge of painting and drawing from the model. I have slowly improved, one drawing at a time, under Niel’s expert and patient tuition. Driving to Wales felt like a lifeline to my true self, and for many years, this was my only creative activity as the pressures of work and parenting were all-consuming. Niel and his wife Sue kept my creative ambition alive, and slowly the dream of pursuing art full-time began to emerge.
More recently, Instagram had shown me that there are many other skilled artists with their own well-established professional practice who share their knowledge through occasional workshops and courses. There is a surplus of online courses that have emerged more recently. A small number of creative entrepreneurs have established businesses and venues to host creative retreats and welcome tutors and participants from all over the world. The opportunities are endless.
In October 2024, I started my self-curated fine art degree in earnest. I committed to spend the same as a three-year, full-time degree at an HE institution would have cost (roughly £30,000) but selected the tutors and courses that interested me most and treated any travel as part of the broader learning experience.
Over the past two years I have attended the following courses:
Life drawing in Arezzo Italy with Martin Campos - a 6 day retreat organised by Art Escapes Italy
Drawing the Figure in Motion at the Royal Academy - a 2 day course
Life drawing with Heatherley School of Art in London - regular drop in sessions on Friday
An introduction to Printmaking at Leamington College - a 10 week evening course
Abstract Landscape with Anita Reynolds at Newlyn School of Art - a 3 day course
Expressive Landscape with Luke Knight at Newlyn School of Art - a 4 day course
Collograph print making with Jenny McCabe at Phoenix Studios - a 2 day course
Botanical printing with Su France at Harriman & Co - a 1 day course
Mixed Media at West Dean in Sussex - a 4 day course
Landscape painting with Helen Simms - a 1 day course
Enamelling with Jessica Turrell at West Dean Sussex - a 3 day course
Monoprinting and embossing with Caroline Wendling at West Dean, London - 2 day courses
Creative textiles with Matthew Harris at Court House Farm - a 4 day course
Embroidery with Richard McVetis, London - a 2 day course
Alongside regular drawing in person and online with the artists Niel Bally, Adele Wagstaff, Bethany Kohrt and Neil Moore.
I have one more year to go and lots of courses booked.
Life drawing with Niel Bally, Talgarth, Wales
Niel’s studio, filled with natural light and the paraphernalia of a serious artist, showed me how important a dedicated creative space is and I just love being there. After my first visit around 2010, I made myself a commitment that one day I too would have such a space. At times of intense pressure during my professional career, I would escape to Niel’s studio and calm myself. Frequently, I would go there in my head as a way of stepping out of reality to what has always felt like a safe space.
Niel’s life drawing weekends are held three to four times a year and involve 3 consecutive days of drawing from the model 10.00am to 4.00pm. There’s a core group of around 10 artists who regularly attend, and there’s always one or two new faces. A lovely rhythm establishes itself as we start each day with a series of short poses to loosen up, working up to much longer studies in the afternoon. There’s usually some hilarious debate while we try to work out the poses! The day is interrupted with lots of breaks for coffee, tea and cake. We always share a delicious, healthy lunch together at a big refectory table in Niel and Sue’s beautiful dining hall. I’ve made good friends through a shared love of drawing.
Using diverse visual references of other artists’ work, Niel encourages us all to build technical skill and develop our creative expression. I’ve now have an expensive habit in Unison chalk pastels thanks to Niel and am slowly becoming more comfortable with handling colour. He has a sharp eye and a very gentle manner and always manages to land the right balance of encouragement and fair critique! Over the three days, the walls of the studio become covered with our collective drawings and the energy in the room can be electric. You always learn a lot from the other artists around you too.
Attending these intensive life drawing sessions regularly over 15 years has given me an essential foundation in drawing. It’s taken many, many hours wrangling what I see on to the page and I’ve often struggled. But, the effort has paid off and I can now draw with a degree of confidence that is entirely due to Niel’s patient and skilful teaching. Read my next blog to find out more.