Cass Art Painting Prizewinners 2018: Slade School of Art
Posted by Cass Art on 25th Jun 2018
At Cass Art we are proud to support the next generation of artists and we do this in a number of ways! One key avenue of support is through prize giving, and we give a variety of prizes to art students at different stages of their education. We caught up with the five winners of the Cass Art Painting prize for Slade School of Art. They each give us a small insight into their work, their plans after graduating and some tips for the art students of the future:
Above Image: Alexi Marshell The Girls Who Made Me, 200x310cm, linocut and ceramics 2018
Alexi Marshell
My practice centres around themes of spirituality, sex, adolescence and womanhood. My work tends to be quite labour intensive and detailed; I make large scale linocut prints on both fabric and paper, and have recently taught myself to embroider, incorporating this into my practice.
What are your plans for the £300 of Cass Art Materials?
I am so happy and very grateful for the funds. This summer I will be designing and printing linocut posters for my friend's charity 'Lovecycle', with profits going towards helping homeless women. So I will be spending some of the funds on printing inks, lino cutters, linoleum and a lot of nice thick paper!
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on staying in London and finding a studio, continuing to make work. A lot of graduating students will also be sticking around which is great because we have a community of people in the same boat; everyone is very supportive of each other. However I would love to travel and find some residencies abroad at some point.
And finally, what advice do you have for future art students!
Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone, make mistakes and 'bad art', it’s all part of the art school experience and allows room for growth.
Above Image: Ellie Wang, Top Heavy Music Stand, Oil on Canvas, 2018
Ellie Wang
I consider myself an interdisciplinary artist allowing characters and their reappearance through different mediums to solidify them in this world. I enjoy working with the performativity of different works and their installs, creating a situation for ‘cross-contamination’ and potential for movement within the space.
What are your plans for the £300 of Cass Art Materials?
I would love to use the £300 to continue material exploration and enjoyment. Learning how to use and manipulate new things is always exciting for me and I think this is a great opportunity to continue experimenting. I would like to create a form that I can then translate into paintings, more sculptures and prints.
What are your plans for the future?
I love working collaboratively with people and am excited about having more opportunities for doing this. I am involved with running a new space near Loughborough Junction/Stockwell called San Mei Gallery. We have a lot of exciting projects planned in conjunction with the space so I think I will be spending lots of time there in the future!
What advice do you have for future art students!
Learn from everyone around you whilst you can. It’s all about creating opportunities for yourselves and your peers and learning from everyone’s collective skills. It’s so exciting being around other people who love to make art and are interested in what you’re doing.
Benjamin Mousley
The works I make - the pictures and objects - are given form through different surfaces and framing devices which stems from a commitment to painting. They are modular, aspects are put together by hand but machine-led processes like vinyl cutting and inkjet printing may be sought to aid my means of distributing, showing and moving the imagery and text I select to interpret around.
What are your plans for the £300 of Cass Art Materials?
I’m currently using a lot of water-soluble paints, acrylic for canvasses and watercolours for making drawings. This award will be put towards these materials alongside other ventures.
What are your plans for the future?
To find space to make outside of art school, meet with friends and figure out new works to hopefully show and share.
What advice do you have for future art students!
Concentrate on real things to keep the social aspects of art production moving.
Above Image: Cho Hui Chin, A spoonful of Utopia, Oil, Acrylic, Leather on Linen, 300x150cm x2 2018
Cho Hui Chin
‘Sweet nerves’ is the central concern in my practice, I often express the idea of the darkest side of humanity through creating human-like figures, which could be viewed as adorable but grotesque. I am concerned about the meaning of materials themselves, especially the fetish for tactile materials such as leather, woods, or pure fabrics. I also possibly influenced by my cultural background, as I am from Taiwan and am a Buddhist and believe in reincarnation.
What are your plans for the £300 of Cass Art Materials?
I would love to spend the £300 on buying new materials that I haven’t had the chance to experiment with yet
What are your plans for the future?
I have been offered a place at the Royal College of Art this year, but I will be deferring till next year. I am flying back home to look after my health, and will also be partaking in three artist residencies, as well as exhibitions in Japan. After these I will be back in London in 2019 to start my postgraduate studies at the RCA!
What advice do you have for future art students!
Research and be influenced and inspired by other artists to establish a database for your own artworks but make sure you aren’t just trendy and don’t copy other people intentionally. Try to figure out your own style.
See more of Cho Hui Chin's work
Above image: Finlay Abbott Ellwood, Vulture Lynx Rabbit Rat, Oil, Clay and Chalk on canvas, 213x167cm, 2018
Finlay Abbott Ellwood
Each day I practice the act of walking, this can directly or indirectly inform my paintings, We cannot view the landscape in its entirety, it is only possible to see specific points as if looking through a telescope, therefore simply looking cannot be enough, a durational relationship is required, one that is not just visual or physical but also in some way trying to collect information and create narrative not just about place but between it. Thinking Condensing a 4 hour walk into one moment chimes accordingly with the act of making a painting.
What are your plans for the £300 of Cass Art Materials?
I’ll be stocking up on some oil paints and new brushes
What are your plans for the future?
I will be moving back to Cornwall to paint for a year or two before going on to post grad, probably outside the UK. In Cornwall I will be Painting from the land, the sea, and be calmed by the harbour.
What advice do you have for future art students?
LOOK out
Thanks so much to all of you for taking the time to answer our questions and the very best of luck as your careers continue!
Feeling Inspired?
Follow each of our Painting Prizewinners on Instagram and keep track of their artistic journey!
Alexi Marshall
Ellie Wang
Benjamin Marshall
Hui Chin Cho
Finlay Abbott Ellwood
Want to create your own masterpiece? Shop in-store and online for all of our latest art materials
