1 May 2018
At the recent private viewing of her 'Catch 22 Crash and Escape' Exhibition, former Woldingham Artist in Residence, Alice McVicker, shared her experience with current students, discussing her painting techniques, inspirations, ways of working and how to overcome creative block!
A Woldingham Old Girl, Alice was awarded a WSHA Leavers’ Scholarship when she left in 2011, which helped her set up with equipment and paints. She then attended City and Guilds of London Art School, specialising in oil painting, graduating in 2015 with a first class degree. Following this, Alice completed a Masters Degree at West Dean College, part of the University of Sussex, since when she has exhibited and sold her work widely.
Alice found her residency at Woldingham inspiring, explaining: 'It has been a privilege to work at Woldingham, and this residency has given me the opportunity to work on a large scale and to reflect on both my own practice and my own research. The time I spent here not only informed my artistic practice, but the dynamic energy and diverse and creative learning that is embedded within the art department has also changed my outlook on life, and inspired me to go into teaching myself. This new outlook has intrigued me to observe things in different ways, and to consider painting’s role within relational aesthetics, where the artist then becomes the facilitator rather than solely the maker. The artist, in this sense, gives audiences access to the works, as I have tried to do using titles as keys to understanding; this can be seen in Catch 22, but also within my compositional studies which aim to deconstruct the perception of colour piece by piece.'
Head of Art, Miss Lottie Reay, commented: 'It was a delight to hear Alice speak about her work and her chosen path into teaching. The event was a fantastic celebration of Alice’s achievements and a joy for me to see her not only as a great artist but also as an inspirational teacher.'