Meet Carla

When Carla first joined the Art programme, her creative world was quite contained. She’d been to art sessions before this, but only worked within her comfort zone, making colourful stick figures using familiar felt-tip pens. 

That started to change when Carla took the lead role in a dance theatre performance with the Royal Academy of Dance. The experience gave her a new spark of confidence, and her tutor encouraged her to join the ‘In the Mix’ mentoring programme to nurture this growth. 

With guidance from her mentor, professional artist Thomas Groves, Carla was introduced to new materials and techniques. One conversation about colour-blindness tests, those dotted circles that reveal hidden shapes, particularly inspired her. She started experimenting with ink and oil pastels, making intricate drawings filled with abstract forms, depth, and surprising bursts of clarity. 

The programme also had an impact on Carla as a person. As the weeks went on, she became more adventurous and independent. She developed self-awareness as she began trusting her own spontaneous creativity, and resilience as she learnt to embrace mistakes as part of the process, rather than as setbacks. She chose her own materials, worked for long stretches without support, and could clearly express her ideas and plans. Her confidence blossomed, not only in the studio but also with her peers, staff, and family. Her communication improved too, as she grew more articulate in expressing her choices and intentions. 

Carla’s journey culminated in two public exhibitions of her work, first at the We Are 336 Art Gallery in the summer of 2024, and later at The Foundry, Vauxhall from November 2024 to February 2025. These shows celebrated her striking visual language which is tactile, imaginative, and captivating, and marked her growth into an artist with a voice uniquely her own.