Open Studio — Portfolio Preparation Course,
Creative Practices 2020–2021

We Lost You For A Moment There

It gives us great pleasure to share the work of this year’s students who have studied with us on our Portfolio Preparation Course – Creative Practices. All have shown a prodigious amount of dedication to their studies during very challenging times and have embraced working online with us, establishing remote working spaces, with continued enthusiasm and commitment. They have all been remarkably abundant in their making and created portfolios of work that are diverse and engrossing; whilst supporting each other in their learning, being extraordinarily good natured and kind throughout.

Our primary focus is the creation of a unique and distinctive fine art, design or architecture portfolios of work, for both ‘Digital ‘and ‘Full’ Portfolio submissions for Further and Higher Education Courses and other directions. Students studying on the Portfolio Preparation Course work in a Studio Environment this year online, within which every student is supported in developing their creative skills, through the application of a wide-range of imaginative, technical and practical processes. The diverse online studio-based learning and teaching activities, have been and are designed to assist students in simultaneously developing experimental and innovative work as well as acquiring a strong work ethic.

This year being online has given the students this opportunity to showcase their work via the GSA Website at the end of their studies, self-selecting and curating their own work and promotional material, providing a professional experience where the emphasis is on learning and thinking through doing, and the site will be available for the public to view for a year.

The majority of our students go on to study Undergraduate Degrees, plus some Postgraduate Degrees in either Fine Art, Design or Architecture, at institutions across Scotland, the UK and Europe. Other trajectories include being self-employed, running their own creative businesses and undertaking internships.

This year’s students are all currently being invited for interviews and receiving offers, considering other and all their options and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for choosing to study with us and we wish them all the very best for their futures.

Deborah Holland + Joanie Jack

Joint Course Leaders
Portfolio Preparation Course – Creative Practices
Open Studio

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Scarlett Freeman

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Zoom in of moldy lemon paintings to highlight interesting application of paint.

Mold Progression

Documenting a lemon as it molds over multiple weeks.

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A painting created using a slow-drying white base coat, with acrylic paint worked into it.

Bruise Game 1

Bruises painted onto old playing cards.

Bruise Game 2

Bruises painted onto old playing cards.

Bruises

Visual exploration of bruise cards through window exhibition + typography.

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Acrylic paint applied to paper cube and recycled bag.

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Acrylic paint applied to a paper cube to create an interactive painting.

Flesh Cube

Sculpture made using paper, acrylic paint, and hair.

A Hearty Meal

Further exploration of hair.

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Partly inspired by Cecily Brown and painted using acrylic paint.

Nose Bleed

Exploring the links between my art and my regular nose bleeds.

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Paintings created using household items such as a feather duster, brush, and sponge roller.

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A zoom in of interesting patterns creating with paint.

Hide and Seek

Tonal paintings aiming to capture the atmosphere of playing hide and seek in the home.

Hide and Seek 2

Close up of larger painting, acrylic on paper.

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A1 charcoal drawing of a sculpture I made from recycled materials.

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Pencil drawing of a different angle of my sculpture, done with pencil.

Cans

Analytical drawing of a sculpture I made from recycled cans.

Sitting Pose

An example of my life drawing, done using charcoal and a reductive technique.