Talented local artist Andrea Wright will be exhibiting her artwork at Bath Spa University’s MA Degree Show this September, after deciding to move to the city to pursue her creative passion two years ago.
At the exhibit, visitors will have the opportunity to view new and unique paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, drawing and film, created by this year’s talented graduating Masters students.
Andrea, who lives in Camden in Bath, will unveil her latest works, based on concepts of three-dimensional drawing and the transient nature of light and shadow.
Two years ago Andrea took the plunge and chose to move to Bath to study for a Masters in Fine Art following a career in music and fashion which had taken her to New York and London, and she hasn’t looked back.
Andrea said: “Bath is an inspirational place to live and study and be creative. Studying fine art at Bath School of Art and Design has given me the opportunity to challenge my practice and radically change my own perspective, moving from painting to sculpture.
“There didn’t seem much point in continuing what I was already doing and the course demands a more academic and conceptual approach to art.”
Last year Andrea was chosen as a resident artist as part of the prestigious Bath Spa Porthleven Prize.
The Porthleven Prize is an opportunity for students to take part in a fully funded ten day residency based in a Cornish studio to produce a body of work portraying Cornwall as people have never seen it before.
Andrea was inspired by the people that she met as much as the place itself. She said: “Though I walked for miles along the stunning coastline, I mostly found myself content just to be in the village itself, speaking with the people there.
“The harbourmaster, the local history society, the shop owners and the life-long residents, they were fiercely proud of their stories of battles won and lost and the changes of time.
“It is their stories and those of the village, the industry and the geology, that inspired my work.”
Part of her project involved taking casts of the underside of the boats, which to her represented the story of Porthleven.
Andrea said: “I spent the last day of my residency casting in liquid latex the hull of a small boat that was sited in the main boatyard. The idea was to lift a trace-like skin from the hull in order to preserve some of the patina encrusted to the surface.
“This boat had been used for decades in the harbour, traversing the waters, ferrying fishermen to their craft.
“The latex skin was suspended and lit from behind to reveal the detail of rusted nails and encrusted paint.”
The residency culminated in an exhibition which toured in Oxford and Bath.
During her MA, Andrea has held a group exhibition at Bath Artist Studios, participated in Fringe Arts Bath, and has sold her paintings at Verve Living, an interiors and lifestyle shop on London Road.
Andrea said: “It is important to keep an eye on what happens after the MA and getting involved in the vibrant and developing art scene in Bath has enabled me to see a future for myself as a working artist.
“My hope is to apply for other residencies, collaborate with other artists and potentially to be represented by a gallery.”
The MA degree show exhibition is free and will be open daily at Bath Spa University’s Sion Hill Campus, from Saturday 24th to Wednesday 28th September, open between 10:00am and 5:00pm.
The exciting and diverse work being exhibited is a culmination of a year of intense full-time study and allows the postgraduate students to exhibit their creations for the first time.
This year over 30 artists and designers will be showcased from a variety of courses including, MA Fine Art, MA Design: Fashion and Textiles, MA Design: Ceramics and the MA Curatorial Practice.
Professor Anita Taylor, Dean of Bath School of Art and Design, said: “Our postgraduate courses provide a distinctive and lively hub of creativity, research and entrepreneurial activity.
“I am always impressed and inspired by the creative energy, imagination and high quality work of our graduates and I look forward to welcoming visitors to our MA degree shows as we present work by this group of highly talented and inspirational emerging artists, curators and designers.”
