My Experience with Arts Award Explore by Tegan H

Earlier this year, Net School became an Arts Award centre, and we began by offering Arts Award Explore in the summer term. In this month’s blog, student Tegan H shares her experience of the course and where it may lead her next…

Unlike some Net School students, I had never heard of Arts Award until it was introduced as a brand-new course for the summer term. Though I was aware I had other lessons to juggle, I didn’t want to let an opportunity like this slip away – and I’m thankful I did it.

The five of us who joined each had our own personal favourite activities, and I for one believe that the most rewarding part of the whole experience was the chance it gave me to experiment with a broad range of techniques. Whether they were completely different to what I usually opt for in my own art – such as using small stones and leaves to create intricate designs – or mediums I was well acquainted with, like air-drying clay (which I have been toiling with for well over a decade), they all taught me something different. Most notably, all the activities in the course forced me to commit to my work, even when the end results didn’t look how I had hoped. Though this was somewhat frustrating for a perfectionist like me, I can’t deny how the practice has helped to broaden my horizons of what ‘art’ truly is. It doesn’t have to be flawless!

If I had to choose one activity from the course to call my favourite, it would have to be my final piece (shown left). It was obvious to me from the beginning that it should encapsulate my overall Arts Award experience, and what better way to honour the course than experimenting with some more techniques new to me?

After some planning, I chose to incorporate two mediums I’d been eager to try: linocut and cyanotype printing. I felt that these mediums would help to stay true to the bold, graphic shapes and continuous theme of nature within my other pieces, respectfully. Though it took multiple test runs and many hours to finish, I’m proud of the results! This activity has encouraged me to give linocut another try sometime in the near future, when I can experiment with a variety of designs, either complicated or simple, but most importantly: personal to me. I’d also love to test cyanotype printing with man-made materials rather than the natural ones I used in my final piece, after being inspired by other artists online. If I’ve learned anything from this course, it’s that I should experiment more in my art, try new things, and simply see where the process takes me.

Tegan H

If you are of school age and interested in working towards Arts Award Explore like Tegan, or taking Arts Award at Bronze or Silver level, please get in touch with us at office@net-school.co.uk to find out more!