Students showcase creativity at annual art exhibition

With Carnegie’s annual creative arts exhibition now underway in the Kingsgate Shopping Centre in Dunfermline, for many students it is a way to celebrate the end of their year of hard work and study. While some will be returning to Carnegie in August for another year, others will be taking different routes to achieve their creative potential. Mature student Alexander Coll from Steelend, at 62 years of age is about to fulfil his dream of becoming a university student after over 40 years working as a scaffolder. Alex came to college last year studying on the HNC Art & Design course and recently received the great news that he has been offered a place at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee to study Fine Art & Sculpture and will begin his degree studies after the summer. When he was younger in the 1960s, Alex had to give up a place at art college and went into the building trade working as a scaffolder. However, he never gave up painting, even expanding into garden sculpture, which he has built into a small enterprise. With his family no longer dependent on him, Alex decided to devote his time to pursuing what he sees as his original true vocation and expand his creative talent and took up a place at Carnegie. Like most people who have been out of education for some time, returning to learning made Alex want more, and after being on the HNC course only a couple of months, he decided to apply to university to undertake a Degree course. Alex’s tutor, Diane Templeton, who encouraged him to apply to university, said “Alex has extraordinary artistic skills, his paintings are proving popular and he has already sold several pieces. For him to now go on to study at university will only further develop his skills and turn him into an even more accomplished artist.” Some of Alex’s work is on display in the Kingsgate Shopping Centre as part of the annual Creative Arts Exhibition See more students' work at the Creative Arts Exhibition Wednesday 2 June – Saturday 5 June, 9am – 5pm. Photograph: Alex Coll in Carnegie’s MediaSpace art studio   Posted 1 June 2010