Mr.X

I'd rather have some time off from the stress! Just finished up my last application the other day, was hoping for some down time to not think about it and get some more painting done. Now I'm back in to worry mode, especially if Yale is coming up possibly on Friday :/ Oh well, nothing we can do now! And good luck with RCA yourself!

Well, that makes it all the much tougher. Here I thought I had a few months to distract myself.

Like the two previous posters, you have to ask yourself if you like doing art. I got great grades in Math, loved the hell out of it, but wasn't passionate about it. What are you passionate about? How old are you? Don't go into something you just got good marks in. Do something you absolutely LOVE to do, that you couldn't think about not doing because the absence of it in your life would make it not worth living. Watch this, hopefully it can spark something in you:

Thanks bannedinbc. I appreciate it. Yes, it annoys the poop out of me too. Happens when you constantly rework parts of sentences. Thanks for catching that! I was annoyed with that as well, there was something.. palatable that was missing. Is this better? "Opening a gallery has been one of the steepest learning curves I have faced, yet has provided me a gluttony of idea-colluding and process-defining conversations with an array of artists." Taken out. I've reworked this one as well. Does it read better/more in-depth to you now? "My recent work observes the moment of choice against the visualization of their outcomes: temporal planes coexisting on a singular surface. Influenced by quantum mechanics’ theory of a multiverse, I paint figures with varied levels of connection to reality. When every single direction exists in one parallel life or another – each influencing and being influenced by an infinite amount of others’ actions – our process of free will as well as concepts of space, time, fate, and self fall into question."

Round two. All critiques welcome. Anything and everything is helpful. Formally educated in Communication Design from Emily Carr University, I pursued my artistic merits on my own. This has only come to benefit me. Approaching painting with the same lens I use to resolve design problems and develop multi-discipline projects, I am able to use my practice to innovate ideas and solutions from a form-follows-function directive. From persistently ideating concepts; to maintaining a critical eye for balance, colour theory, and composition; to drawing from a background that emphasizes interdisciplinary pedagogy; studying design has provided me with a skill set that has a rich resource pool to extract from. Cultivating a growing drive that design was unable to facilitate, I turned my attention to my artistic pursuits. Simultaneous to focusing on painting, I opened an independent art gallery in Vancouver. Providing a platform to voice and support emerging artists, I have worked hard to facilitate ideas in the discourse of contemporary art in the city. Opening a gallery has been one of the steepest learning curves I have faced, yet has provided me a wealth of enduring connections with artists across all genres. Within my work I use my structured paintings as a vehicle for exploring psychological and sociological struggles in modern society. Blurring lines between explicit and undefined helps probe the internal and external dialogue faced in the multi-directional narratives. My recent work pits the moment of choice against the visualization of their outcomes: temporal planes coexisting on a singular surface. With the notion of quantum mechanics having every possible outcome to a situation realized in splintered universes, I paint figures with varied levels of connection to reality. To call into question our process of free will as well as our concepts of space, time, fate, and self; if every decision comes true in one parallel life or another, are we as free as we think we are? While painting from staged photoshoots allows me to control every detail of the final image, when I put oil to canvas a lot is left to grapple: the results produced from constantly erasing, scraping, layering, and smearing. Consciously and unconsciously I provide structure that allows for instances of spontaneity – the juxtaposition to build representationally and the destruction of it abstractly. Drawn more from European traditions of impressionism than North American photorealism, the ideals of both amalgamate distinct and seemingly adverse vocabularies to invoke a resonant dialogue with the viewer. I want to be in the heart of an artistic giant. To eat, sleep, and mold myself to not just be a great painter, yet an extraordinary artist. This is why I am applying to XXXX SCHOOL. I want to immerse myself, grow my technical and theoretical skills, and contextualize my work more within the thematic exploration of self in contemporary art. I want to become a strong addition to a mutually supportive community of creators and devote faculty. TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE SCHOOL. This is how I plan to shape cultural landscapes, to provide alternative truths to ingrained paradigms. Thank you!

Haha, whodda thunk? I'm sure our paths have crossed at some point too. Anywho, thanks both of you for the feedback. It has really helped a ton. I'm rewriting it now, and should have the next draft done in a couple days... I'll put it back up here to be picked apart again. Also, if you're both still in the Vancouver area, and have old work kicking around the studio you want to sell, I'm putting a quick show together at my gallery in December. Details are here: http://positivenegativegallery.com/December-Art-Sale . Send me a message or an email if you'd like to put some stuff in. Thanks again.

Like the others, in the process. I've narrowed down my list of schools, I've researched everything they need, I'm writing my statement right now, getting my profs to write their letters of recommendation... I should be all done by mid-December. That's what I'm hoping for anyway. Then it's just a double check and sitting down to upload and submit everything.

Hi! I've written out my first comfortable rough draft of my statement, and was hoping some of you could part with some intelligence and critique on it. I know I can get a bit wordy, as I feel as if I have to write more academic for things like this. I need to fine tooth through it shortly and ask the tough writing questions, but wanted to put it through others' wringers first. This is my first draft, so any and all criticism is widely appreciate... Also, you can view my recent work here to lend visuals to the words: http://alupton.com/art/new-work/ [Catchy Intro, leading in to second paragraph] My university education pursued the study of communication design, leaving my artistic pursuits to the extended studio hours. This has only benefited me. Drawing from designerly convergent and divergent thinking, my processes to identify and ideate solutions provide me with a different lens to view situations. The same lens inserts itself in my art – much like the Bauhaus’ influence – on balance, colour theory, and composition. Having to self-motivate my artistic pursuits culminated in my overwhelming desire to give voice to ideas that design wasn’t facilitating. After an intensive backpacking trip through Europe, I returned to Vancouver to explore the potency of image making, while opening an independent art gallery to facilitate in the larger discourse of contemporary art in the city. I use my constructed images as a vehicle for exploring relationships in modern society, through the influx of interpersonal, intrapersonal, and technological psychological and sociological struggles – overtoning current issues while creating a conversational point for critical reflection. My recent work pits the moment of choice against the visualization of their outcomes: temporal planes coexisting on a singular surface. I paint figures with varied levels of connection to reality. Within that parameter I am probing the dialogue – internal and external – faced in the multi-directional narratives that question our own process of free will as well as our concepts of space, time, fate, and self. While painting from staged photoshoots allows me to control every detail of the final image, when I put oil to canvas a lot is left to happenstance: the results produced from constantly erasing, wiping, layering, and blurring. Consciously and unconsciously I provide structure that allows for instances of spontaneity, moments when something greater bends my grid and transforms the application of paint into abstracted reality. Within my work, the ideals of abstract and realism don’t have to settle at a common ground; they are not mutually exclusive from one another. Coexisting and complementing they create a dialogue between that extends into a contemporary culturally accessible point, the personification as an inviting notion of familiarity. I want to be in the heart of an artistic giant, and eat, sleep, and mold myself to be great. This is why I am applying to XXXX SCHOOL. I want to immerse myself, grow my technical and theoretical skills, and contextualize my work within the larger discourse of contemporary art that XXX can facilitate. I want to become a strong addition to a mutually supportive community of creators and devote faculty. TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE SCHOOL. This is how I plan to shape cultural landscapes, to provide alternative truths to ingrained views. Thanks a lot!

How many schools is too many to apply for? I'm sitting right now at 12, and am going to pair that down to an even 10. Is that average? From what I've seen on here, it seems a bit high, but I've read about some people applying for 15+. What I'm looking at: New York Academy of Art CUNY - Hunter College Yale Columbia University Royal College of Art University College London (Slade) RISD Tyler* SVA* San Fransisco Art Institute* CalArts* Rutgers* The ones with stars are more fringe schools....

Hey. I've been doing some research into overseas schools, and the best ones I've found are Glasgow School of Art, University College London (Slade), Royal College of Art, and Goldsmiths. All have their various reasons. There's some information if you search the forum, as well as an article which I have uploaded here: http://www.alupton.com/files/gimgs/schooling.pdf Hope that helps.

Hi everyone. I'm still in the heavy research phase of finding schools and finding something that resonates with my work, so I thought I'd open it up to opinions here. What I've whittled it down to thus far is: NY Academy of Art Hunter College RISD Rutgers University College London (Slade) Yale CalArts The majority of everything I've seen from instructors and students while researching is abstract work, and since mine being much more representational, I'm finding it hard to connect with programs... so that's in reason why I've gleaned the top rated schools. I care much more about being in the program and what that can help me acheive (opening doors) than just getting myself any Masters degree. Location, therefore, is important for me. Any input or crits, however harsh, are greatly appreciate. You can find the newest work here on my Tumblr: http://adamlupton.tumblr.com/ Thanks in advance.

Hello. Been perusing the forums the last couple weeks, and had a question I can't seem to find any answers to. Is it worthwhile to apply/pursue a MFA in Lodon? I've researched around, and there doesn't seem to be any definite guides like there are for US schools. London clearly has a large art scene, as done to an extent Paris, but are the grads there comparable to grads from New York or LA in terms of exposure and credibility? So far, I've found these to be the best listed London schools: University of the Arts London University College London (Slade) Oxford Royal College of Art Brunel Although, I'm having a hard time finding MFA programs on all their websites (Oxford in particular). If anyone has any expertise or experience with London or European schools, that'd be great. Thanks!