Solihull artist in national finals

Student painting in line for top award.

A talented 18-year-old student from Solihull School is through to the finals of a national art competition with her painting of a man’s journey through Alzheimer’s disease.

Amy Mitchell-Meads’s painting, Loss of Self, won first prize in the NADFAS (National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies) West Midlands Art Competition and will now be entered for the national finals next year.

“For the A Level art exam there are a number of titles to choose from to serve as a starting point,” she said. “I chose to highlight Alzheimer’s disease because my grandfather suffered from dementia and because of my interest in psychology.

“Dementia is a prevalent subject that needs addressing and I hope through this painting I can raise awareness,” said Amy, who hopes to study psychology at Warwick University next year. “I’m dyslexic, so music and art are a way for me to express myself. I love music and playing the saxophone and the piano; and I also enjoy song writing. In my spare time I sketch a lot, especially drawing faces,” she added.

Amy is full of praise for the head of art at Solihull School, Donna Trim. “Mrs Trim has been a big inspiration. Before, I used to just paint what was in front of me but she showed me how to express myself through art.”

Mrs Trim said: “We are delighted that Amy has won first prize and that her work will now go through to the national finals next May. Her painting is a thoughtful and sensitive piece responding to her research into the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Amy wanted to capture the progressive loss of memory in her compositions and the range of emotions that a person experiences and I think that the painting achieves all of those aims. We are very pleased that the judges at NADFAS agree.

“Amy is a very talented student with strong painting skills and her portrait work demonstrates an attention to detail that is rare at A Level. We wish her every success for the future and in the national stage of the competition.”

Amy, who won £100 for herself and £100 for the school, said she was hoping to either take a postgraduate certificate in education in art, or go into a career in educational psychology or art therapy. She will be receiving her A Level results this summer.