A Level

Maryam Al Hashemi Age 18 Bahraini

Art is a subject and hobby that lets me express myself through shapes, different art styles and the use of contrasting colours; bright and colourful, dark and mysterious. Of all the art styles I have experimented with, hyper-realism was my favourite style. With hyper-realism I am able to create fine details that make the painting look 3-Dimensional. As a hobby, I like to paint landscapes, however, as a subject in school, painting glass (reflections) and buildings was something I enjoyed. I was able to show all of the intricate details, and create dimension through the layering of objects.

Razan Al Sayed

Age 18 Bahraini

Art has always been constant in my life, amidst all the chaos and the changes that surround me, art has always been my safe space, something I never changed, something I could always go back to; a haven. As cliché as it sounds, I have truly been drawing ever since I could hold a pen, as if it was the missing piece to a puzzle, it completed me. Taking Art GCSE and A Level was a no brainer, I had a goal of transforming a mere hobby into a career. I wanted to grow not only in my art but also as a person, and I can confirm that art truly shaped me into the person I am now. Both Art GCSE and especially Art A Level pushed me out of my comfort zone; which was quite frightening for someone who never felt brave enough to explore different art styles thus I prefer realism. Something about having clear structure and rules made it easy for me to paint. I am thankful to my father who pushed me to become a better artist and supported me every step of the way and to my mother who sat with me hours on end, helping me and guiding me through the difficult times.

“Anything that you try and you don’t succeed, if you learn from it, it’s not a failure.” - Bob Ross

Danah Almousawi

Age 17 Bahraini

Art has always been a part of my identity as a passion, talent, and kind of escape from reality. My skills and style have evolved during the past two years of studying A-level art. I’ve found myself in challenging situations where I had to step out of my comfort zone to employ techniques, materials and topics that felt foreign to me. My second topic, meat and bones, presented the most obstacles. Artists like Chaïm Soutine, whose concept is linked to expressing emotions onto paintings of raw flesh, made me discover ones that are related to my own work. I've used Victoria Reynolds' painting techniques to look at the whole subject from an alternative and alluring perspective, and am pleased I came across this topic and learned skills I never realized I had. My final project, flowers, oddly enough was a pleasant journey considering it my exam topic. I prefer to work with harmonious colors and present surreal paintings.

I’d like to thank my family, peers, and Mrs. Prinsloo for the endless support and encouragement throughout the years.

Ebba Berglund

Age 18 Swedish

“If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” - Edward Hopper

I have always liked to express myself through creativity and art is a great way to keep your mind calm and relaxed. I have learnt so many new techniques and ways to create art after these two years, I would never have imagined myself being where I am today. My favourite type of artwork are sculptures. Artists such as Fenella Elms and Tadashi Kawamata really inspire me to create more, I love the detail and precision they put into their work. Art has always been an emotional rollercoaster but at the end of the day I will always remember it as something positive I looked forward to. I want to thank Mrs Prinsloo and Ms Pardoe for the support we got and the motivation to always keep going.

Lerman

Age 18 Braziliani

Visual arts have always been part of my life. I was introduced to and have been surrounded by art from an early age. Exploring and understanding my art style and how it translated against artists' expressions and techniques is an ongoing process. Through A Level Art, I've truly grown into myself as an artist. This experience has also allowed me to distinguish which subject matter I prefer working with. A theme I have explored in great detail was buildings, especially the connection between culture and architecture. I've also found myself producing still life of reflective objects as I revel in exploring the abstract forms created through distortion and reflection. The creation of these still life pieces also felt very personal as I was able to perfectly manipulate and place each object, as well as include items that have sentimental value to me. I also looked further into culture when I focused on material culture, particularly objects associated with the Middle East as it helped me appreciate a culture that is very different from my own. Overall this has been a very meaningful experience to me and I can’t wait to develop my love for art in the future.