Talented artists at The Sixth Form College, Solihull have been rewarded for their exceptional artwork this week as the Arden Decorative & Fine Arts Society (DFAS) visited the College and awarded bursaries.
Three students were awarded prizes of £250, £150 and £100 respectively by the Arden DFAS judging panel. The final decisions were difficult as they were choosing between some of the best artwork from A Level Art students, in addition to those studying the BTEC National Diploma in Art & Design.
First prize was awarded to BTEC Art & Design student Briony Ebdon (aged 18, from Solihull). The former Tudor Grange School student impressed the judges with her thought-provoking work on the theme the life cycle, which the judges said was “explored in a detailed, intricate and complex manner”. She captured plant life in her artwork and impressed the judges with the variety of her work, which also included water conservation and box animation.
Second prize in the competition went to Matthew Drewry (aged 18, from Hall Green). A former St Peter’s School pupil, Matthew’s impressive portfolio included a full length assembled montage of a boy, demonstrating skillful drawing, and achieving what the judges described as “a wonderful feeling of movement”. Matthew is also a BTEC student.
Third prize was awarded to A level Art student Nicholas Wright (aged 18, from Solihull). The ex-Lode Heath School pupil used his interest in television as inspiration and created works of art that depicted people’s memories of iconic events. He also produced paintings showing the seasons and extreme weather conditions, which used colour to great effect. His work was described as “technically brilliant and most original”.
The judges commented: “We were most impressed with the overall high standard of art on display. The entries this year were truly superb, showing a wide range of creativity and impeccable painstaking execution by dedicated students, ably led and supported by their talented tutors. It was pleasing to see a marked increase in the number of ceramic works and sculpture. We congratulate all the students for their effort and talent and assure them that picking prize winners was very challenging.”
Indeed, so hard was it to pick just three winners that the judges also highly commended another two artists; Abi Wright (aged 18, from Acocks Green) and Teri Winnall (aged 18, from Kings Heath) also impressed the panel.
Ian Clayden, Curriculum Leader for Art at the College, added: “We are grateful to the Arden Decorative Fine Arts Society for their continued support. So much emphasis is placed on quantity in society today, but art provides quality in people’s lives and Arden DFAS’s support helps the College to bring that quality into people’s lives, enriching both the students and staff.”