Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of an art student? What made them take up art? What motivates them to keep on creating despite the long, painful hours, the constant fixing of mistakes, the arm cramps, the paint-stained clothes… you get the idea. Well, wonder no more as this blog post will be all about our art students and what they think! We interviewed a few of them about their art journey and what drives them.
Meet Jaina! She’s 15 this year, and has been doing art since as long as she can remember. It has been over a year since she joined us here at Visual Arts Centre. Jaina usually dabbles with digital art, but since joining us she has ventured out of her comfort zone and is exploring new and different mediums of art. She is currently taking our oil painting course. Still, like many artists, she has dealt with many obstacles along her art journey. She faces art blocks, and sometimes feels that the final product of her art doesn’t meet her expectations. Regardless, she has persevered and has come a long way as an artist.
Up next, we have Xue An, who will also be sharing her experiences in art. She has been doing art since she was in secondary school, and is now 25. She started doing art mainly out of interest and continued the hobby till today. Xue An’s favourite medium to work with is watercolour, and she draws inspiration from post impressionists, such as artists like Paul Cezanne, or Vincent van Gogh. She too is a student of our oil painting course. However, like most Singaporeans, she lives a busy work life, and often loses motivation to draw. Thus, she puts aside time to have lessons here at the Visual Arts Centre to ensure she can continue and further her passion for the arts despite her hectic work schedule.
Now, we have Johannes, who is a student of our drawing and sketching class. He is 31, and has has only started drawing seriously since taking our lessons. With his friend Hamid, he has been our student for about 4 months, and started drawing as he was intrigued about how drawing uses different parts of your brain. Upon recalling that he did portrait sketching in secondary school, Johannes wanted to do a refreshment on art after 10 odd years. However, he finds that when drawing, he reproduces reality, and does not create it. Thus, his favourite medium of art to work with is actually clay, and he enjoys making pottery. He also does some photography in his free time. His art products may not be directly influenced by them, but Johannes enjoys viewing works done by expressionists, like August Macke, and also enjoys older styles of art, like those done by Lucas Cranach the Elder.
In terms of the struggles he faced during his art journey, Johannes is a very science and logic driven person, and he is often confused about how there is no real rule and no right answer to art. Art works heavily with concepts, and is really about perceiving, not entirely about technique. You just have to keep going back and forth until you somehow achieve the result you wanted to achieve, and for Johannes that is quite a novel experience.
Our fourth and final student is Hamid, a student of our drawing and sketching class. Hamid studied art history in university, thus has knowledge in a fair amount of art theories. He indulges in poetry and literature and is inspired by artists like Jasper Johns, Nancy Graves and Barnett Newman. However, Hamid had never really gotten to trying out art practically, and thus he wanted to push himself out of his comfort zone and give art a shot. He has been with us here at VAC, along with his friend Johannes for about 4 months.
To Hamid, the hardest part of art for him thus far is perceiving the different depths and dimensions since art can be and is often multidimensional. However, he points out that despite the difficulty in perceiving art, this helps to challenge different aspects of his brain, especially in how he views art.
Are you like these artists? Do you want to be like these artists? Here at the Visual Arts Centre, we can help to fuel your passion for art by providing you with the materials and resources you need to start, develop and polish your artistic talents. Feel free to drop on down anytime for a trial class if you are interested! Biscuits, tea and coffee are complimentary 😉
Contact us at info@visualartscentre.sg or 6255 0711/ 6733 2155 if you have any enquiries!
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10:30am - 12:45pm1pm - 3pm
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10:30am - 12:45pm1pm - 3pm
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Address:
10 Penang Road, #01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green,
Singapore 238469
Exit from Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station Exit B and turn left, we are there in 30m!
Address:
AZ@Paya Lebar, 140 Paya Lebar Road, #03-04,
Singapore 409105
Exit from Macpherson MRT Station Exit A and turn left, we are right across the road, 1 minute walk away!
Have any questions? Please drop us an enquiry form and we’ll respond to you as soon as we can!
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10 Penang Road,
#01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green,
Singapore 238469
140 Paya Lebar Road,
#03-04 AZ@Paya Lebar Building,
Singapore 409015
Dhoby Ghaut Art Studio
Monday to Sunday: 11am – 8pm
Closed on Public Holidays, except by appointment.
MacPherson [Office & Storage]
By appointment only
Visual Arts Centre is an exhibition gallery and art studio at Dhoby Ghaut Green supported by the National Parks Board and the National Arts Council.
Since its initiation on 31 January 2016, the Visual Arts Centre Exhibition Gallery has hosted over two hundred international and local art and design exhibitions, boasting a diverse range of art styles and programmes.
Email:
info@visualartscentre.sg
Phone:
+65 6255 0711
+65 6733 2155
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In the Batik Introduction Handkerchief Painting workshop, participants will learn the traditional art of batik, a wax-resist dyeing technique originating from Indonesia. The workshop begins with a brief history and overview of batik, highlighting its cultural significance and various techniques. Participants will then observe a demonstration of applying wax with tjanting tools and dyeing the fabric. Following the demonstration, each participant will design and create their own batik handkerchief, applying wax to create patterns and then dyeing their fabric. The workshop concludes with a group discussion, allowing participants to share their creations and reflect on their learning experience.