Returning to full time education.

November 2024

At the age of 60, I’ve embarked on a long held ambition of going back to study art. I’m going to study Contemporary Art Practice a four year honours degree at The University of the Highlands and Islands (Perth Campus) in Scotland. Living in Scotland means that my university education is free. Without that financial support, I could not afford to go.

Arthritis and fibromyalgia has meant that I’ve had to take early retirement and as I only qualify for a student loan if returning before the age of 61…the universe has spoken.

My aim with this blog is to reflect and describe this new chapter of mine. Along the way I hope to share this adventure, the highs and the lows of being a mature student with disabilities.

All of the opinions expressed will be my own or of fellow students with their permission.

I will also be learning how to manage having and maintaining a website of my own.

The first few weeks of a four week mini project on ‘What is Abstraction’ which is basically how to study at HNC level. (Higher National Certificate) This has been a maelstrom of new experiences. From having to provide an art portfolio in 8 weeks that I thought I could build up in several years, to tackling the intricacies of learning about virtual learning environments.

The way the course has been structured is by dividing the years studying into 5 mini projects all of which have to be passed up until Easter, then a graded project which will be externally assessed.

All through the mini projects which will be based on a theme, I will be studying

1. 2 dimensional (2D) (painting and drawing) Exhibition delivery

2. 3 dimensional (3D)(sculpture) and Public Art

3. Digital Media (digital photography and digital media software)

4. Life drawing

5. Print making and developmental drawing

6. Context and Theory

All of these are delivered over 2 and 1/2 days on campus and the rest of the 40 hour full time course is self directed study.

This all seemed eminently doable and then..each of these subjects set weekly assignments, as well as the project brief of researching 5 abstract artists, a 2D abstract painting a 3D sculpture and 2 abstract collograph prints. I must admit that my head felt like it was splitting( I chose that image to create my 3D sculpture)