Our highly qualified and experienced teacher and artist will help students to develop themselves into creative, independent, motivated critical thinkers, within the Visual Arts. Courses run consistently throughout the year.

Students will have more opportunity to successfully create challenging works through the natural artistic design cycle, using a variety of techniques and media in conjunction with chosen conceptual elements.

The courses and work that will be covered will include various forms, scales, techniques and materials of:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Sculpture
• Printmaking
• Mixed-Media in both two and three-dimensional forms.

All work will be linked to Contextual and Critical Studies, in their work journal, contemporary and historical (these are links to other artist’s work, cultural, historical references, as well as concepts on a broader and significant scale), which are essential components that need to be evident in their learning and experimentation processes.

In addition to the Art courses, Gail teaches, giving specific help to students building their IB, BTEC, GCSE, IGCSE, A level, AP coursework portfolios. She will review, build and help strengthen their portfolios to ensure that all appropriate examination criteria are fully satisfied. Students are guided and supported to develop and strengthen their interview skills, tailored in each case for their chosen art course or further education requirements.

Each student will start their tutorial sessions (for IB, BTEC, GCSE, IGCSE, A level, AP), by having a one to one session with Gail, where the student will discuss their ideas and show her their artwork. Gail will then have a clear insight into the intentions of the student and the direction of their work. This will allow Gail to give specific support to each individual.

Teachers are also welcome to communicate with Gail if there are areas of concern in a student’s work that needs to be addressed.

Preparation for art college portfolios and applications – things to consider

• Art is like any other creative field such as Music, where the more you play your instrument the better you get. Art needs time to nurture, expand and improve skill sets, consolidate understanding of transition from one work to another and to develop understanding of the sequential conceptual processes involved (ie. the design cycle). For quality, it is not something that can be rushed and produced at the last minute.
• A strong and competitive portfolio can take up to one and a half academic school years to create.
• College and University courses are looking for creative, broad and balanced work, that includes a range of disciplines such as drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture on both large and small scale. In addition, they will be looking at work-journals which will show evidence of connections with the works of other artists, as well as showing where the concept has stemmed from and how the student has developed it.

Current students from

• Chinese International School
• Hong Kong International School
• South Island School
• West Island School
• KGV School
• Shatin College
• Canadian International School
• Australian International International School
• German Swiss International School
• Victoria & Shanghai Academy
• The Harbour School
• French International School
• Kiangsu & Chekiang International School
• Creative School
• As well as many local Chinese schools.

Why are we different and unique?

HKAT’s art courses differ from those around in HK. Frequently these courses teach through a medium process, be it acrylic oil or watercolour- in many cases when artists are being ‘taught how to use acrylics’  they are copying photos or other secondary source material. This is more of a craft process as opposed to an Art one. Art in it’s true form shouldn’t be taught in this way. The medium (the material used) is secondary as it should be chosen and used to suit the need of the piece being created.

Art, be it drawing, painting, printmaking or sculpture, should have some form or level of conceptual element. If Art is taught properly the artist may well start with a theme or some sort of project brief. This should be interpreted individually by the artist, who should be encouraged to use their own ideas and thought process. Established artists’ work should be brought in and used as a form of inspiration. Other elements such as issues to do with the environment, emotions, politics, lanscape, media (the list goes on and on) can be present to give the work extra depth.

When the Art has gone through these stages and have been sequentially developed, the artist will resolve their ideas, research and drawings into a ‘final piece’ which can be in the form of a drawing, painting, printmaking or sculpture. As all work is created by individuals who are encouraged to be creative therefore everybody’s work will look very different from each other. On many occasions one artists might be resolving their ideas in the form of a painting, another might be sculpture or printmaking. Being taught in this way enables the artist to have a greater understanding of what they are trying to achieve, gaining a greater connection with their work.

This process should be taught to all ages whether they be 3, 7, 10, 15, 25 upwards, only the depth of each stage should be altered and differentiated- not the sequential process.

HKAT is run by a practising artist who has taught Art in international schools for over 18 years. Gail understands curriculum, moderation and what is needed for students to reach their potential.   Over the years many of Gail’s students have gone onto study at the worlds top art colleges such as Central St. Martins, Chelsea College of Art and Design, School of Art Institute of Chicago and Sydney College of the Arts.