Saul the artist

I was contacted by someone who has a son called Saul. He had come to a point in his life where he wanted to study art. He wanted to go to Art College but had little previous art education. I was asked to help and I spent some time going through the elements of art with him so he could develop a basic visual understanding. He also came to my studio to sort out artwork for his portfolio. His interview came and despite the odds, he got a place!

I really enjoyed seeing this young artist feel enlightened just by understanding a few basic concepts. He was actually very open minded and he was literally blank canvas... this stood strongly in his favour.

Below is a testimonial from him mother:

When my son was near to finishing his A levels’, he began to question the subjects he had taken. In truth he had never been enthusiastic about school. Like many boys,in middle school he was encouraged by teachers to apply himself to science, not art subjects. He was underachieving in his A level studies and this reflected his lack of interest in the subjects. In addition, he had, throughout his school career really struggled with organisation and was prone to ask numerous, seemingly irrelevant questions in class. His brain just didn’t work in a linea way and he became upset that he didn’t quite ever meet the schools expectation of learners. This was reinforced when he was diagnosed very late on with ADHD but without hyperactivity, just a strong difficulty in focussing in some environments. Following treatment for the condition, he was able to express that he wished his life would reflect his love of creativity but he felt trapped in subjects he didn’t care about.

When he contacted Penny, she spent time with my son and was able to help him to see that although he had not taken art as a GCSE or A level subject, he had a natural understanding of artistic concepts. His confidence was boosted no end when he realised, with Penny’s help that his previous “problem” of being an out of the box thinker, his difficulties and reluctance to accept stated “facts” and ways of doing things at face value, could be an asset in art!Boosted with this new realisation, he set about building a portfolio. It was rudimentary and in truth, I was concerned that his hopes would be raised and dashed, but with Penny’s help, he was able to develop it and talk about it to the extent that her applied for a place on an extended diploma in art, using the portfolio, and has been accepted! He will be completing his existing A levels before starting the new course, but I cannot thank Penny enough. She has built his confidence by showing him how his slightly different style of thinking fits perfectly with his love of art . This has given him the confidence to change direction and continue his education (something I thought he would never do!), but in pursuit of a subject that he loves and which will enhance his life.

I asked Saul if he would explain how he feels about art, this is what he wrote: