Hello, I’m Tara one of the Year 13 Art Scholars studying Art, Chemistry and Biology. I’ve been at Blackheath since Year 7 and I have always had an interest in Art. My passion for the subject really blossomed over the course of my GCSE, where I was able to explore and experiment with a huge variety of mediums and techniques that otherwise I would never have had the opportunity to create with.
A particularly memorable project is the kintsugi inspired pieces I made during Year 11. In the classic kintsugi style, I took old China cups and saucers, smashed them with a hammer and reconstructed them into new and interesting sculptures interwoven with gold paint.
Another thing I love are the Art trips designed to supplement our work with real life inspirations and in-situ documentation skills. Those trips introduced me to sketch-drawing from life, which in turn inspired me to spend more time sketching at home which has really improved my accuracy and speed. One of my favourite trips was to Kew Gardens at the beginning of Year 12 – it was amazing to really focus on documenting different species of plants in such diverse ways; photography, graphite drawing, fine-line pen drawing and timed drawings. Then when we got back into the classroom, it was interesting to see all the different directions I could push in – from my Kew work, I created a large-scale pastel drawing and a sculptural project using sublimation inks on paper to create a huge range of colours and patterns.
A-level Art is now giving me a new level of freedom, independence and exploration. The deeper focus also allows me to move forward at my own pace – I get to investigate deeply, push a project as far as I can, then move on to the next thing that excites me. I also feel really lucky that my scholarship allows me to explore my art outside of lessons, expand my artistic vocabulary even further, and try new mediums and techniques. I chose to paint in my final A-level Art exam because the Art Scholars’ sessions enabled me to try the medium out in a relaxed environment before pursuing it further.
See some of my A-level collection below and also highlights of our Art & Textiles Exhibition 2026.
Written by Tara, Year 13 Art Scholar
