Breaking Barriers
It gives me great pleasure to present ‘Breaking Barriers’ Student Exhibition 2023. Another wonderful engaging group that has embraced the spirit of this course, with a willingness to question, experiment and explore their arts practices with fresh and open approaches whilst exploring different ways of working. The process began with sharing my journey as an artist, by recalling those special places that have touched my soul and made my heart sing, where shapes and forms could spill out into my world of memory mapping, as the essence of a special journey based around ‘time and place’. Their journey unfolded, based around the connection to their environment and surrounding landscape, where potent moments of clarity came from a deep and personal level, then creating works from bold and brave heartfelt places, where the mark making and narratives turned into ‘aha’ moments. Confidence and courage echoed with that ‘what if? and ‘why not’ approach by just giving it a try, by breaking some rules, embracing imperfections and to reveal special unique qualities with their investigative and layered approach, to discover stronger voices, bound by their visual language.
This strong, supportive group were open to learn, share and grow as artists. From beginners to the more experienced, it was a delight to see each artist push boundaries by letting go of pre-conceived ideas and expectations to get out of their comfort zone from the very start. Especially with that desire to explore their own visual language. Breaking barriers with a layered approach, became a cornerstone in their artistic aspirations, that will see them forging forward with into their artistic future with passion and belief. This excites and inspires me most of all as a tutor, by learning and embracing this time and place together. It is with gratitude that each of these artists have trusted me in this journey. I am both humbled and proud of those that took the time to submit these exciting works. So please take your time to enjoy the works created by each artist in the ‘Breaking Barriers’ Student Exhibition 2023. With special thanks and gratitude to the highly professional team at Fibre Arts Take Two.
Lorna Crane