Student Stories: Jenny Bailie

OCA Student Association
Jul 10
3 min read

I am on the OCA BA Fine Art, currently studying Fine Art 2.2 student, I am retired and live with my husband and little dog near the beautiful Mourne Mountains in Co Down, N. Ireland. I love walking in the nearby forest and along the coast, and draw inspiration from nature around me.

What is your previous educational experiences and what drew you to OCA?

Although I worked as an engineer and then psychologist, I have always done something creative. Now that I have retired from full time work, I am enjoying studying fine art and I now have time to make art a major part of life. I started studying with the OCA during lockdown.

Can you describe your OCA journey?

I had a major life change during an early stage of my journey with OCA. I left my full-time job, sold my house and moved country. This meant taking a break from studies for a while to get set up in a new place. I’ve had another house move since and for a short period between selling one house and buying another, we had nowhere to live and so studying was just not possible. Having the ability to take a break from studies each time was invaluable.

Can you describe the tutor/ peer support at the OCA?

When I moved house for the second time, my tutor Cheryl Huntbach, encouraged me to take a break from studies. I hadn’t thought it would be possible as I’d already had a break about 3 years previously. Her encouragement meant that I did take the break and I found both my tutor and the student services really understanding and helpful at this time. It took so much pressure off and I was able to come back to my studies calmer and ready to start again.

What are the things you like about studying with the OCA?

There are many things I like about studying with OCA. I like the flexibility of part-time study. I would find it hard to attend university full-time so being able to study from home is invaluable. I like being part of a community of people who have come to studying art at a later stage in their lives. I am gradually assimilating ‘art student’ and ‘artist’ in my sense of who I am, my identity and I like it!

Any advice?

My advice would be to join in with the online student events and get to know other students. As a result, several of us now meet fortnightly or monthly. There’s no agenda, and it's a great way to share concerns and get advice from others.

What's Next?

Currently, my goal is to increase the number of hours I spend doing art. I attended an OCA event recently and really liked the advice: ‘just make the work’ which I understood as getting into my studio (a small spare bedroom) and making art, it doesn’t matter if there’s no goal or purpose, just making art is what’s important. I’ve really taken that into my practice now and I’m making art just for the sake of it. I love the way that making art creates opportunities for new directions and experiments and, as a result, I've created work that I hadn’t expected.

Where can we find you?

Instagram: jpbailie_printmaker