Visual Arts

This year we have enjoyed developing the range of media and facilities in the art department. We have entered two design technology competitions coming first in the Young Engineers Challenge at Ratton School in January 2007. Our design and technology area has recently undergone an exciting re-vamp and master classes for the enthusiastic designers are held at the senior school.

The printing press and our artist in residence, Jackie Field, have had a great impact on the work we’ve produced. All year groups have benefited from either dry point etching, collagraph or lino cutting techniques, resulting in excellent work throughout. We have been very lucky to have Miss Field‘s expertise, with a Master’s degree in print making. She has worked alongside the children, demonstrating various techniques, including the application of specialist inks for a variety of effects.

Other specialists have included Carol Havard, bringing her paper making, screen printing and batik workshops into the department. During Arts Week we were joined by Hannah Mae, a sculptor and installation artist (an ex pupil at St Bede’s), developing aluminium light boxes with Year 5, and Anthony Hammond, ceramicist and Deputy Head at the Senior School, who led an imaginative workshop in decorative slab built boxes.

All children are encouraged to research ideas, develop designs and evaluate their work. Now that every pupil has a portfolio and sketch book/s these are filling up with a variety of work that reflect a great range of investigation and enquiry.

The projects we have devised this year have focused around the development of Fine Art as a subject that offers the opportunities for the individual to consider the world, around and within. Here are the examples of some of the projects we have covered-

Year 5
Created concertina style books that consider themselves and their likes and dislikes. We developed a variety of self portraits that considered measurement, proportion and fantasy, the letters of their name and their hobbies. Paper making, silk painting and batik, dry point etching and collage, drawing with pencils, inks, chalks and charcoal were all explored. We then went on to look at architectural forms and created lively mixed media townscapes. These individual buildings have been explored in clay to create a three dimensional city. And finally a graphic project that develops a painting based on facial expressions and cartoons.

Year 6
Using photography as a starting point, we created self-portraits that are carefully measured for accuracy. These were completed as dry point etchings. Expressive painting and self portraiture were also explored. We then developed drawing skills with pencils, making tonal gradations to create form. The work of Van Gogh has been interpreted using oil pastels that has inspired still life and landscape painting in acrylics on canvas board.

Year 7
Entered the Peace Poster competition for the Lions International; we gained a position in the regional final. They then developed a tri-chromatic collagraph in response to their observations of natural forms. We went on to consider architectural designs and developed our own architectural features as a three colour lino print and ceramic clay tile relief. They are now looking into the work of famous artists and designers and creating their own work as a response to this in sculptural form, using paper, wire and cling film.

Year 8
Looked at surrealism and made a variety of responses to the different aspects of this art movement that included mark making with paints, dry point etching from observations of the school surroundings, and hats built in papier-mâché, inspired by the surrealist theme. The cross curricular Shakespeare project ensued and three dimensional representations of the globe and Elizabethan costume designs were developed. The summer term opened with the fish project- using the beach as a natural resource to build up sketch books that explore the textural and structural information available. This will culminate in a land art sculpture and group withy sculptures based on sea creatures.