Student Testimonies

Eve Kelly, who works mainly in acrylics and has exhibited and sold her work at a gallery in Port Fairy, believes she has become a more disciplined and better artist as a result of her studies in the Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) at Deakin University’s Warrnambool campus. She has dabbled in mediums she would not have otherwise considered such as dry point etching.

From the perspective of a mature aged student, Eve described her time at university as ‘fantastic’ and one that demystified the world of academia. She believes her age and life experiences made her far more focused about what she wanted to achieve.

She found it exciting to work alongside the other students, many of whom were similar ages to her older children. A bonus was that her uni peers gave her a greater appreciation of what it is like to be a young adult in the 21st century. She stressed the importance of students choosing subjects and tertiary courses that they really want to do, not simply on the basis that they may lead to better paid jobs. People naturally excel and are prepared to put in more in the areas they enjoy most, Eve said.

Eve Kelly Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts)

This subject allowed me to use different means of exploration and experimenting with different media and materials. I became aware of the Artist's Book as an art form, as I had not previously known. This in turn opened a new avenue to create art, one of which will be useful in the future.

Beth Humphries on 'Visual Narrative' unit

There was room for imagination and exploration. Before this class I didn't know much about comics and artists' books. The unit eally opened my eyes to these artforms.

I was able to mix storytelling ideas with my drawings to create a comic book. The great thing about his unit is that you are also able to track the development of other sutdents' work as well as your own. There was a list of commentary and feedback which helped me develop my final piece.

Clea Chiller on 'Visual Narrative' unit

I found this class to be of great value to me, as it has paved the way for the development of my skills as an artist. It has opened up a door to a wide range of different techniques, whether dealing with abstraction, reality, ordinary or mundane. This subject is an exceptional building block to possible success in the art world. The teachers were great, and their knoweldge both wise and inspirational. Theave given me a tool, and taught me an invaluable lesson.

Stephanie Kalisz on 'Studio Art: Pluralism'

Throughout the course of Studio Arts, I have found myself enjoying as well as improving in many aspects. I have found the teaching staff to be very helpful and motivating, espeicially when struggling in certain areas and the proof of how helpful the staff have been, I believe shows through my work.

I have also valued and taken upon using my influencers and mentor artists much more than previously, therefore this improving my skills and helping me to learn and grow with my painting and drawing. Everything in the course has been extremely beneficial and I do believe that everything mentioned is indeed important.

So far, this subject continutes to be a favourite and I look forward to enjoying and participating in the second semester, especially learning and being inspired by John Forrest who took semester one.

Chloe Neistat on 'Studio Art' units

I have benefitted from the visual arts units last year and last semester mainly in terms of skills gained. Personally I already had a very solid grasp of artistic concepts prior to this course but was not confident in handling paint and colour mixing. I have had my eyes opened to the value of washes and layering of paint. I really appreicaite and learn most by observing how other students overcome problems and from the demonstrations carried out by the tutors in assisting in the resolution of problematic areas of painting.

The course is very structured and has limited mediums, however I can appreciate that this is in order for the students to gain skill and understanding of the painting process. This, I think, is the strength of the course - the groundwork laid down in first year, then more adventurous projects in second year.

Great course.

Leanne Giradi on 'Studio Art: Pluralism'

As a primary education student, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to undertake visual arts as a major study. The unit has developed my fine drawing and my painting skills, where I had previously lacked experience. The unit explores a range of topics; such as portraits, landscapes and sites. I enjoyed developing my own ideas in a subject where I was able to express my feelings and emotions in my work.

Jessica Moschitz

The course offers students much more choice than other "art-school" based institutions. Students from other disciplines can undertake visual arts subjects which become beneficial to them and the studio they are a part of. Because of this unique aspect of the course a lot of the work produced is quite diverse. The structure of the course itself also allows students to choose electives that are specific to their career choices.

Kate Martin