Laura talks all things Art
Laura Gataveckaite, an upper sixth pupil at the school, has recently completed a series of stunning pieces as part of her A-level coursework and examination.
Classmate and boarding roommate Jessica Mai interviewed the 18 year-old about her work, her time with us and her hopes for the future:
Has Art always been something you have been interested in?
Art has always been a subject that has remained a constant passion of mine. My passion for Art first developed at the age of 6 when I began participating in extra lessons. Since then my interest and desire to achieve in the subject grew.
What has your work been about this year or what themes have concerned you?
This year I wanted to focus my art project on cultural identity, in particular Africa and China. Both of these cultures stood out to me because of their distinguishable traditions and features. The aim of my project was to allow viewers to recognise the culture I painted, without actually naming it, just through the details such as animals, race, clothing and even colour palette.
Is it important for your work to contain a photographic likeness or look realistic?
Whenever I paint I always tend to focus on a certain things and make it as realistic as possible, for example in my African painting the eyes of the lion was my main focus and then everything else that followed. However, in most of my paintings it is never my intention to provide a photographic element, I like to create a raw and strong impression in my paintings through tones and brush strokes rather than seeking the perfection that a photograph does.
What has been like studying Art with us and would you recommend it?
As a foreign A-level student the most difficult part of doing art was Critical Studies, writing has never been my strong side! Although over these three years, Mr Sherrington and Mrs Morris have helped me massively. Overall, the best part of doing art is the amount of support I received from those two teachers, sometimes it even seemed that they were worried about my achievements and success more than I was!
Will you continue to paint?
Even though I did not choose to continue Art at university level, Art is something that will always remain an important part of my life, and the desire to develop it further (even if just part time) I am sure will help me grow as a person.