Leamington art student earns her first professional sale after winning prestigious arts prize
An art student from Coventry has been announced the winner of a prestigious Warwickshire art prize and earned her first professional sale before continuing her studies on a prestigious BA fine art course at one of the UK’s top art and design colleges.
Poppy Hinde, 19, from Coventry, has won the award for the Best Foundation Student for Warwickshire College of Art, which is based at Royal Leamington Spa College, part of WCG.
Poppy’s work which includes notebooks, oil paintings and embroidery, was shown in the School of Art’s end of year exhibition.
One visitor was so impressed she decided to buy one of the project’s oil paintings for her house, giving Poppy her first professional sale.
A total of 42 students on the college’s Art and Design course were in the running for the award, with the originality of Poppy’s work and her dedication to learning winning her a unanimous first place.
The award and bursary scheme are supported by The Arts Society, Royal Leamington Spa and the winner is selected by a panel of judges which include tutors at Royal Leamington Spa College.
The prize includes a £850 bursary award which will be given over a three-year period to support Poppy during her studies at the celebrated UAL Camberwell College of Arts, where she will study a BA in Fine Art, Drawing.
Poppy, who previously completed a UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Practice at the college, is the 23rd recipient of the prize.
She said: “I was delighted to have won the award, it is great to be recognised by my tutors and I’m really grateful to The Arts Society for the award and the bursary. The bursary funds will help with building up my arts supplies and materials throughout my course.
“The college’s course has been perfect in allowing me channel my creativity. The tutors have been really supportive helping me explore different mediums.
“My final year project is a series of self-portrait inspired by how memory and transparency are seen through imagery of childhood, hair, and eyelashes in sunlight, and how colour reflect emotions.
“I am really excited to get into Camberwell College and my three years of studies at Leamington have been amazing in helping me develop my artistic style and also gave me my first sale as an artist.”
The Arts Society has over 500 members and the prize at Royal Leamington Spa College is the longest standing award presented by The Arts Society Royal Leamington Spa.
Keith Roberts, chairman of The Arts Society, Royal Leamington Spa, said: “Poppy’s project is such an evocative series of art. The Society is committed to encouraging the arts and supporting young people across our region, including students on Royal Leamington Spa College’s courses.
“We are delighted to continue our long running partnership with the college and be able to support local innovative artists and help young people as they begin their careers.”
Natalia Gasson, course manager, added: “Poppy has been a dedicated student throughout her three years at the college and it has been wonderful to see her grow in confidence and her work develop in its complexity.
“Her final project is an engaging piece, discussing memory and childhood using a bold colour palette and working across multiple mediums to create a cohesive narrative.
“Her work is curious and compelling; Poppy had worked on ideas of memory in an earlier project and she has continued to progress to taking on new tools and exploring different facets within the same motif.”
To find out more about art and design courses at Royal Leamington Spa College visit www.wcg.ac.uk/study
