What made me – a Business Management graduate who had worked for over 3 years in marketing – finally decide to study Fine Art? A triggering factor was a 5-day Portraiture course at Central St Martins I took last summer under the tutorship of Roger Gill.
I have always been fascinated by the human figure, and how much life one can recreate on a two-dimensional surface when making a portrait. This is the reason why I chose this summer course and then enrolled in September 2019 in the Portraiture diploma at the Heatherley School of Fine Art.
I felt much more alive and in cohesion with myself during those five days than I had felt for the last three years
I have loved drawing and painting ever since my early childhood, but it was the first time I painted so intensively (five days in a row), and it was an eye-opening experience. The week went by so fast, I couldn’t count the hours while drawing and painting all day long. I started imagining a different, more fullfilling life, where Art was at the centre and not just a side hobby.
This short course came at a time when I was pondering over my career. By the end of the course, I realised I had felt much more alive and in cohesion with myself during those five days than I had in the last three years in my various marketing roles. That’s when I decided to study art full time.
The whole course consisted in drawing and painting portraits of sitters from life/direct observation. The two last days of the course at St Martins were dedicated to a long pose portrait in oils on canvas.
Following this course, I did some research on art schools in London and found out about Heatherley’s. Their focus on painting from life strongly appealed to me so I applied straight away, got an interview, and was offered a place a few weeks later!
I am very grateful to Roger Gill who taught me a lot during the St Martins short course and who encouraged me to follow my passion.
