New adventures in art
Four 2024 graduates featured in last year’s guide look back on their degree show and what they’ve been up to since. Introduction: CHRIS SHARRATT
As Duncan of Jordanstone graduate Lewis Cavinue so eloquently puts it, “It’s a tricky one this post-university life, isn’t it?” After three or more years of the structures, rituals and designated studio space of higher education, here you are, out in the big bad world, on your own, facing an uncertain future and – probably – years of student debt.
Only of course you’re not on your own at all – you are one of many recent graduates, all grappling with similar issues, similar worries, similar doubts and hopes.
You’re not on your own in other ways, too, not least because of all those artists already making their way in the ‘real’ world, all those artist-run initiatives creating opportunities and offering advice, all those artist organisations – like a-n – that you can connect with, learn from, work with.
This, then, is your new community: bigger and more dispersed than at university, and perhaps a little scary at first. But here it is, waiting for you to make the most of.
None of this is easy. The shock of no longer being a student can be disorientating and strange. And, as Brighton University graduate Alice Triff says, it may be “harder than you think and you may not get to where you want to be immediately”. But remember, she adds, “you can change things with time”.
So, welcome to life after art school. Let the new adventures begin.
So, looking back to last year, were you pleased with your degree show?
Lewis Cavinue: I was very pleased. After many months working on the show, I truly think I achieved what I had originally envisioned. Much changed from when I spoke with a-n for last year’s guide, but I love how the work was able to grow and change with the exhibition space. The performance element to my work exceeded my expectations. It was a durational work across the entirety of the degree show run and I was cautious about pulling it off, but the reactions and conversations I heard while in the space gave me such validation for my work.
Gwilym Pearce-Jones: We were quite a big group of graduates so slotting us all in took some time, but thankfully our lovely technicians and tutors had a plan from the start and it was just a case of hanging, looking, re-hanging and so on. I was so pleased with the work I ended up displaying, which was quite different to what I submitted for last year’s guide. I was given an entire span of wall to display on, which really worked with my focus on narrative art and ‘reading’ the paintings from one end to the other.
Amy Lee-Julian: The degree show was a great success and we all worked together really well to put on a great show. My main focus was on delivering paintings that portrayed my initial intention to ‘challenge society’s misperceptions of disability’. I had six paintings featured and they seemed to resonate. The private view had a fantastic turnout, with visitors engaging in thoughtful discussions about the diverse artworks on display. This was one of the most rewarding and successful aspects of the show – it was a meaningful experience to see the audience interact with the art pieces, and to have the opportunity to speak with people about my art and listen to their interpretations. The day felt like a collective celebration for everyone’s achievements.
Alice Triff: Putting on the degree show was an invaluable experience. I especially loved curating the space and navigating the practical and aesthetic needs of each project. As a year group we dedicated a full day to painting the walls – we played loud music and it brought everyone together.
What have you been up to since graduating?
LC: It’s a tricky one this post-university life, isn’t it? You work so hard, for such a dedicated number of years, to be then thrust out into an art world that is completely different to the one in art school! It’s a constant cycle of learning to unlearn and relearn. So of course I became a full-time barista at my local coffee shop – I can officially add ‘Latte Art’ to my artist CV! But I genuinely felt I made great connections with people in Dundee while still in art school, and I have since joined the operational committee at Generator Projects, one of the oldest artist-run initiatives in Scotland. People have asked if I’m doing/why I’m not doing a masters, but honestly Generator is my masters in disguise. Being on the committee is an opportunity for me to learn absolutely everything about how artist-run spaces operate and also how the art ecosystem in Scotland operates. Having the space and chance to programme ideas and projects that you feel passionate about is the most rewarding experience ever. I am genuinely so excited and proud to be on the committee and hope I can continue to add and advocate for the legacy of such a vital space for emerging and early-mid career artists.
GP-J: On graduating from Carmarthen School of Art I applied for the residency available on campus, which would allow me a year of facility usage and a studio space. I was successful and have been working from there since September. I felt this was definitely the right move for me, not just because of the studio space or the facilities, but because staying connected with an art community face-to-face had become something I really couldn’t imagine my practice without. I feel like it goes hand in hand with my work.
AL-J: After graduating in November 2024 I took a break – I felt it was needed after a busy few years. I have decided to not go into a postgraduate course, instead I plan to continue to focus on my practice and work with and learn from other artists. I am in contact with a local landscape artist and we plan to collaborate. I have stayed in contact with artists from university and have networked with artists from the Artemis Collective Plymouth, and exhibited my paintings at many of their open-call exhibitions.
AT: When I graduated it took me some time to find stability. I currently juggle two jobs, as a café worker in the hospital and as a studio photographer for a commercial photography company. Despite having a job related to my degree it’s not creative and sometimes leaves me feeling unfulfilled. The things about photography that I’m passionate about – darkroom printing and shooting film – are not things you can easily make money from.
Have you been able to continue your art practice to the same extent as when you were an undergraduate?
LC: I have a shared studio in Dundee, which I am very grateful for as I know this is very much a luxury for a newly-graduated artist. However, in terms of new work I have created in the studio, it has been fairly minimal – nothing more than some gorgeously crafted emails and far-off ideas on some post-its! I have been doing a fair bit of freelance art making for different projects too, so I guess my art practice also involves collective making rather than just a solo practice.
GP-J: I would have to say I’m working a lot more independently, especially on the more practical side of things. The construction and preparation of my boards and materials are now totally done by me, and while I’m definitely not as skilled as the university staff in these techniques, due to my residency I know I’m in a place where I can always ask somebody for their expertise.
AL-J: I haven’t been able to continue my art practice to the same extent as I was during the final year, as I don’t currently have a studio space to work in. I commissioned an easel to use after uni to help me continue painting; I collaborated with the woodwork department on designing an accessible easel for powerchair users like myself. The easel has allowed me to have better access to the board or canvas and work to a larger scale.
AT: Having lost access to the university facilities and creative peer groups I have found it difficult to motivate myself. However, I am making steps to change this, for example I joined a creative solidarity group recently. Now that my degree doesn’t confine me to purely photographic art, I have taken up other mediums such as painting.
Have you been in any exhibitions, or sold any work, since you graduated?
LC: I have not sold any of my work since graduating. (My degree show work was performance and video, so fairly unsalable). However, I was included in the RSA New Contemporaries exhibition in Edinburgh (22 March – 16 April), which I was fortunate to have been awarded for my degree show. I made new work for the show, as my practice is beginning to shift slightly due to both lack of facilities and access to material. But I am enjoying this change. I’m reevaluating my work and my place as an artist, moving towards something more socially engaged and participatory.
GP-J: I’ve had some exhibiting opportunities directly from the degree show, things like the graduate shows ‘Blaguro’ at Cardiff MADE and ‘Portal’ at Llantarnam Grange arts centre. I’m always pushing myself to say yes to everything, and I apply for everything even if it isn’t exactly convenient or comfortable. I’m not able to say that I’ve sold any work yet, but in the meantime my production has not slowed down one bit, so when someone comes along with an interest in my pieces they’ll have one hell of a catalogue to look through.
AL-J: I have exhibited some paintings digitally and in person since graduating, and I was selected for CVAN South East’s Platform Graduate Award 2024, which was an amazing opportunity to showcase my paintings with students from other universities. Disabled Women Make History (And Art) digitally showed Taking Up Too Much Space with Disability EmpowHer Network at Toledo Museum of Art, and the same work was chosen for the Curator’s Prize at the online ‘Art As A Response To Mental Health’ exhibition for Doncaster Art Fair. My painting Empty Powerchair will be shown digitally for the Outside In National Open Exhibition, ‘Shelter’, at The New Art Gallery Walsall (27 June – 19 October) and Christie’s, London (12-22 January 2026). I plan to hopefully attend both opening days.
AT: I am proud to have been nominated for the Platform Graduate Award which led to an exhibition in September at Phoenix Artspace in Brighton. Aside from that, through mingling at exhibition private views I’ve met artists who have subsequently asked me to assist them with the installation of their exhibitions. Helping other artists with their own practice has kept me engaging with my creativity in a less pressurised way than making work of my own.
Finally, is there any advice you would give this year’s graduates?
LC: If you’re graduating this year and you haven’t yet been to an opening or event at your local artist-run initiative, GO! If you haven’t met some people working outside of the art school at different organisations or studios, etc, GO MEET THEM! Without going out and meeting those other folks working and celebrating art in the ‘real’ world, it’ll be a lot stranger to function as an artist on the ‘outside’. The people at openings, screenings, workshops, performances, festivals are your colleagues – you’re all artists trying to do the same thing independently, so why not figure it all out together?
GP-J: Say yes to everything! Every opportunity gives your work a new audience with new perspectives, which can totally impact your drive to keep making. Every artist wants their work to be seen, for themselves to be seen, so allow yourself the thrill of exhibiting, anywhere and everywhere you can. Another thing to remember is that doing a degree in the arts is potentially just the beginning of the journey. You don’t really know what it’s like being a working artist until you get to be one, so have patience with yourself that you’re always improving. It’s a lovely feeling.
AL-J: My advice would be, ‘Don’t stop painting!’ Try not to take a long break after graduating, continue where you left off, keep the momentum going so you can build on what you have already created. Also, take time to reflect on the artwork you have made, really look at it and let it speak to you, give yourself time, problem solve narratives with paint. This reflection can help you understand what you have learned and identify areas you would like to explore further. Try not to overthink things. Follow what interests you and what you feel connected to.
AT: Manage your expectations for postgraduate life – it’s probably going to be harder than you think and you may not get to where you want to be immediately. Come to terms with your present circumstances, whatever that may be, knowing that you can change things with time. And don’t let the inner critic’s voice get too loud.
Class of 2024: Who’s Who
Lewis Cavinue, BA (Hons) Fine Art, Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art, Dundee
Gwilym Pearce-Jones, BA (Hons) Fine Art Practice, Carmarthen School of Art
Amy Lee-Julian, BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printing, Arts University Plymouth
Alice Triff, BA (Hons) Photography, University of Brighton
Top image: Gwilym Pearce-Jones, Breton Women, Paranormal Investigators, 81.5×40.5cm, acrylic and coloured pencil on paper and board, 2024
