Course summary

This is a Level 4 stand alone qualification that is basically the first year of our Degree Programme which is focused on Fine Art practices. The course can be studied on a full time basis over one academic year, or part time over two years and will enable those students who are unable to commit to studying for a full BA Honours degree. Studying traditional subjects such as still-life and figure painting, students learn through experimentation in a fun and inclusive teaching environment to manipulate paint, drawing and printmaking. Representational drawing skills through close observation of real life are given equal significance to conceptual approaches for making contemporary fine art. Painting, drawing, printmaking, installation, site-specific art and cross-disciplinary fine art are embraced in this expansive discipline to enable specialisation, and to address individual preferences and the possibility of working across boundaries and technologies to pursue your personal interests. The staff are professionals with ongoing and international exhibition profiles. Our art school offers you individual workspaces and specific studios for life-drawing, painting, and a dedicated print studio for woodblock, stone lithography and etching. The course supports the development of your studio practice with an emphasis on craft and skill. Lectures and contextual dialogue enables you to position yourself and your practice in terms of art history and contemporary critical thought, so that you will be equipped with the tools to map and research your own interests. Opportunities for public exhibitions and events prepare you professionally for a wide range of potential careers. All these skills are transferable across a range of professional contexts.