BA (Hons) Fine Art recent graduate Clare Massey received three awards this summer, The Joe Cole Award, The Middlesbrough Art Weekend New Graduate Award and The Daniel Ross Fine Art Prize for Consistent Excellence the last two are shared with fellow graduates with fellow students Nikki Widynska and Carl Truscott. In response to winning the New Grade Award and The Daniel Ross Fine Art Prize she said “I felt very proud that my hard work and commitment over the last 3 years was recognised and celebrated. I am particularly excited about the new graduate award and feel very grateful for the opportunity and plan to embrace the residency with full force, take on all the support and advice, hone and develop my practice further as well as being part of the Middlesbrough Art Weekend festival in September.”

Reflecting on The Joe Cole Award she said that she felt really proud to win the award, “especially after learning about Joe Cole. To be part of continuing his legacy was a privilege. It’s always a lovely feeling when someone buys my artwork, so having my work bought, owned and displayed in the Northern school of art was fantastic and I felt very humbled and grateful.”

Claire joined us as a mature student and said she chose to study Fine Art at the school after she looked around a number of universities, and found that “The Northern school of Art appealed to me because it was smaller and had a warm friendly atmosphere. I instantly felt comfortable, and this is important to me especially when creating art. I also liked the smaller class sizes which meant I would get more 1 to 1 time with a more personalised approach.”

Speaking of the degree she said “I really enjoyed the programme, it was challenging and took me out of my comfort zone through organising and curating group exhibitions. I really appreciated and enjoyed the critique sessions and 1 to 1s which helped to push and move my work forward.”

Reflecting on her FMP work she commented “I really enjoyed the FMP project as I was really able to hone in on my practice. A light bulb moment for me was when I learnt about Agnes Martin in my second year at university. I was in awe of her work, concept and thought processes around the grid and she became a big influence in my work. It is here that I began to really explore the grid as a framework for my own practice. My dissertation also focused on the grid.”

“My work consists of a playful improvisational approach to the grid along with geometric shapes and line. I often begin with small studies on paper, employing grids, stripes and the interplay of geometric shapes as my primary compositional structures. These studies explore the possibilities and potentialities within these frameworks – sometimes challenging them, and at times leaving them intact. These frameworks are then coloured either instinctively and playfully or in a highly considered precise manner, always in the hope that the compositions can become a tool for self- expression. I have also begun to explore a variety of surfaces and mediums which have been challenging at times but have presented exciting contrasts and tensions.”

When asked what her favour memory of the school is she replied “there has been so many great memories, it’s hard to pinpoint one. It has felt like my second home and second family. I have loved organising our group exhibitions and having family and friends celebrate our work.”

Clare will be taking her research up to the level starting her postgraduate programme, “I am looking forward to starting the MA in September at the Northern school of art and continue to develop my practice.”

Her advice to new students starting their degree in September is to “start as you mean to go on, embrace the experience. Take the advice and critique as motivation to develop your practice. Get excited about art. Be curious and don’t be afraid to create work you’re not happy with. You will learn something from everything you create!”

Find out more about Clare and her work here you can also follow Clare on Instagram @clare.massey.art.

If you are interested in a career in fine art our degree programme our degree is a well established and dynamic course, that offers students the freedom and resources needed to define their practice. find out more about BA (Hons) Fine Art now!