London Art College Success Stories - Geraldine Boley

I have always loved drawing, but it took a back seat whilst bringing up my family, although I always managed some form of craftwork, including knitting, both by hand and machine, dough craft and needlework, I never quite had the time or inclination to get back to my real love of 2d art. Looking after three children and working seemed to be about as much as I could manage most of the time.

Then it all came crashing down, in 2002 I was diagnosed with cancer and after (successful) treatment and recuperation I no longer had a job to go back to, and as I was in my forties with little in the way of qualifications and not a great health record struggled to find employment. I completed an IT course at a local college thinking it would give me a better chance of work, although I had several interviews I never got the job!

So now finding I had time on my hands I started to sketch again, the cat, the dog, humans, even a chair or a table. I regained my long forgotten passion for art, and began looking at art and artists on the internet, stumbling across the LAC site I was immediately attracted to the Pet Portrait course, we always had cats and dogs as well as various rodents as pets and I love animals and nature in any form,  so decided to give it a go.

Little did I know it but this was to be a huge turning point in my life, inspired and enthused by Melanie and the forum, I made friends along the way, I struggled to keep up with the time schedule (that I had set myself) and it was often a case of one step forward and two back, I am sure every one on the forum at that time can remember my Scooby doo post, about a German Shepherd commission that I just could not get to grips with, but with the humour and encouragement on site I did it. I never quite got the hang of coloured pencils, or paint, but then I discovered pastels a medium that I could draw with in a painterly way, I was hooked.

I passed my Diploma and after a break of a few months decided I wanted more and enrolled in an Art and Design Diploma course at a college within reasonable distance. I did this for two years part time and achieved a pass with a Distinction in June 2009.  This enabled me to carry on into Higher education and I am now half way through a Foundation Degree in Applied Art and Design.

Alongside this I have managed a steady trickle of commission work, a large commission in coloured pencil for a local wildlife rescue centre and have recently exhibited some of my work with a local artists group in two local Exhibitions. I am starting to paint in all wet mediums, and short term I am planning on more experimentation, with textiles, collage, mixed media and anything else that inspires me, I am looking forward to getting my Degree and Exhibiting in the end of year show, long term who knows?

I enjoy the commission work, and I have lots of ideas for new work and other directions within the field of art, so I am still at the beginning of what I hope will be a long enjoyable journey and would like to say a big thank you to Melanie and friends on P.P.C. forums for the inspiration and support I have had and continue to receive.