Within the field of Visual Arts, my primary motivation has always been to draw upon the influence of my own personal experiences whilst exploring different artistic mediums in order to create imagery in my own artistic style; essentially to carve my niche within the world of art.
The ‘arts’, in their broadest sense, have always been my passion and are incredibly important to who I am; regular opportunities to visit galleries and exhibitions at the Tate Modern, to attend performances of plays at theatres and to immerse myself in our cultural heritage through visiting sites of historical significance have all contributed to the knowledge and understanding which inform and influence my own image making process. In particular, artists such as Francis Bacon, Hieronymus Bosch and H.R Giger are all currently influencing the development of ideas for my final A Level major project ‘The Stuff of Nightmares.’ The meaning and symbolism of their imagery cannot be separated from the influence of the historical, social and religious contexts of the period of time in which they worked. An understanding of such social and cultural contexts and the relationship between ideas and images leads to the development of an enquiring mind and the acquisition of critical thinking skills essential to the creative process and image making.
To be able to pursue my own career in the visual arts is something I am both determined to do and am incredibly passionate about. This objective was solidified by the opportunity to use my drawing and painting skills whilst working at a local primary school on a voluntary basis over the past four years. Over this time, I was able to develop my artistic skills further through producing a number of painted displayed boards for different year groups; illustrating different aspects and concepts of a whole variety of topics with the objective of both engaging and intriguing the pupils in their learning through the imagery. This ultimately led to my first ever artistic commission; to design and paint a mural for the new school library. This amazing experience required me to utilise my own literary childhood in order to illustrate the iconic characters of classic children’s literature. This experience taught me about professional practice in terms of meeting the requirements of a design brief for a client as well as how to manage my time to meet a deadline. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to experiment with both the illustrative and graphic communication aspects of this commission.
My enthusiasm for studying the visual arts was also reinforced through participating in two UCA summer school workshops; one of which in animation led to the successful completion of a Bronze Arts Award. Photography is also an integral aspect of my image making process and one which has been developed further my self- taught skills in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Lightroom, studies at A Level photography, through a UCA Masterclass in cyanotype paper and through a summer evening photography workshop at Belmont House, Faversham.
In addition to my academic studies, my inter-personal skills have been developed through different student leader opportunities as both a senior school prefect and assistant to the school librarian. This led to a peer mentor role in which I supported younger pupils to navigate their transition to a secondary school setting and to a MHFA Youth Mental First Aid Champion qualification. I feel proud that I have been able to act as a role model to support younger pupils whilst representing the larger school community as a guide at both parents and open evenings. The opportunity to participate in the charity event ‘Stay-A-Wake’ to raise much needed funds for Demelza was a highlight of my sixth form experience; from which I was invited to visit the hospice and to meet the children. A truly humbling experience and one which highlighted to me the importance of the care this charity provides for terminally ill children in my local community.
My academic career to date has been enriched by a number of opportunities at my school. These have enabled me to develop my interests in other subject areas which in turn, influence my artistic image making process. As a member of the Roman and Latin Civilisation Society I was able to undertake additional Latin qualifications not offered as part of the GCSE curriculum. As Senior Editor to the school newspaper I was able to develop my digital arts skills by utilising Photoshop to redesign the entire layout and front cover of the online newspaper; an achievement which was recognised with a Highly Commended commendation in the Shine Media 2020 Awards. As a member of the Creative Writing club I was invited by the English department to participate in an Erasmus international writing event in which my poetry was shared with all participants in the online European website. This creative writing opportunity also led to the publication of one of my short stories and a poem in a Young Writers Anthology and to a semi-finalist position in the Jacob Illahi’s Creative Writing Competition.
My personal interests also include participation in other aspects of the arts. At school and at home I have pursued my interest in music; specifically singing and learning to play the keyboard. This has led to successful examinations at Grade 1 music theory and Keyboard and a GCSE in music. It has been my privilege to be a member of the school choir, samba band and orchestra; representing my school in every spring and winter concerts, carol service, local community school singing competitions and participating in the annual Canterbury Festival as a member of the schools samba band. In addition, I have participated in two performing arts tours, representing my school in performances in both Germany and Paris. All of these experiences continue to enrich my life, extend my knowledge and understanding and form a strong foundation on which to develop my critical thinking to express myself through the visual arts.
Finally, the opportunity to participate in the Kent University Succeed Programme in 2020, allowed me make the decision to go to university and to ultimately pursue my passion for art further at degree level.
Ellen Louise McDermott 