‘To understand something by piecing together clues or other bits of information’. And so it can be, when pursuing something creatively! It is a delight to share these works with a broader audience. For this exhibition, participants were asked to consider what their work meant to them as artists and their personal experience of how art and design had come together through gel plate printing. It was not an easy task!
The Art & Design course shines a spotlight on artists from the past and present. Using the versatile gel plate as our primary tool, we harness those
inspirations to create starting points (or dots). Equipped with various techniques, participants explored multiple themes, from reducing waste and reuse, to the changing seasons in nature, the interplay of shapes, colour, the wonder of a layered print, or places visited and enjoyed.
While scrolling through the Facebook group, I loved reading words like fun, happy, explore, addictive possibilities, and pure pleasure of ideas. Many experienced the joy of having a fresh purpose in their lives—the enjoyment of diving deeper into creative rabbit holes, the freedom to create with intention. The clues were presented, and the information gathered as the dots began to emerge and connect!
This exhibition reflects the talent, dedication, and spirit of inquiry that defines our student community. I hope you enjoy “Joining the Dots” as much as I have.
Tara Axford