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Local bank manager becomes artist


October 2008

Local bank manager hangs up suit and picks up paintbrush

Lesley Marshell banker turns artist

*****


Lesley Marshall a Wellington bank manger, with many years in the banking industry decided she’d take a break from studying financial statements to study art and design, a move she hasn’t regretted.

“I had worked in the banking industry for many years. I'd got to the stage in life where I began to wonder is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life”. says Lesley.

“For many years it has been a dream of mine to become a practicing artist. I decided to put myself to the test and chose WelTec’s 12 week art and design programme. That way if things hadn't worked out as planned, I would have the opportunity to return to the workforce without losing my skill base”.

“What really attracted me to the programme was the fact that I would be able to try out different media. I studied painting, drawing, digital media, design, printmaking and contextual studies”.

“I had originally thought I would like to be a painter but the more I learned about art the more I wanted to experiment with other media as well. The course completely changed my understanding of what I thought art was”.

“For me it was great to be in a position to be fully immersed in art, not to treat it as a hobby but as a career”.

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“The tutors were all very helpful and inspiring. They all had their own artistic practice so they knew what it was like to function within the art world and could share their experiences and knowledge”.

Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) Creative Technologies staff are impressed with Lesley’s work, “It was immediately obvious to us that Lesley had potential. Lesley is now one of the top students in her year and is producing incredibly exciting work in a range of media. We are very proud of her achievement to date” said Lorraine Rastorfer, Programme Manager of Visual Arts at WelTec.

“I'm now in my second year of a Bachelor of Visual Arts and at the end of this year I will have gained a Diploma in Visual Arts, with one further year for the bachelor's degree.”

“A career as a visual artist is no longer just a dream for me. I feel very confident that, when the course is over and I go out on my own as an artist, I will be very well prepared”.

ENDS

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