Former BSSC Art student, Kaitlin Linke, took time out from her busy schedule at the Victorian College of the Arts to talk to current BSSC students last Monday about her work and the demands of a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art.

A recipient of the Mason Trust Bursary, and now in the second year of her Bachelor degree, Kaitlin was one of our top Art students in 2015, and continues to push herself and develop as an artist across a broad range of materials and media.

She explained to students the day to day requirements of a degree at Vic College—the range of classes and electives—and showed examples of her work which has ranged from paintings on glass and slogans produced by injecting ink into bubble wrap, to large-scale installations and a series of pieces inspired by the ‘accept and reject’ culture of social media.

Kaitlin also showed some of the hundreds of drawings she has produced over the year and talked about the importance of constantly editing and evaluating work.

“It’s important to bring things from your own life into your work—things that you’re passionate about,” she said. “These are the things that drive your artwork and give it meaning.”

For Kaitlyn, one of those driving forces is her partner’s background as an Afghan refugee on Christmas Island, and the struggles faced by his family and friends back in Afghanistan.

“The headlines and confronting images that pop-up in his news feed have inspired many of the glass paintings,” Kaitlin said.