During the October half term, a small group of A Level pupils studying Art and Photography, accompanied by Head of Art Mrs Hema Gillings, Head of Photography Mr Oliver Weait, Miss Suzy Andrew and Mr Keith Settle, gathered together to head to St Ives, Cornwall. The destination, famous for its scenic surroundings and picturesque sunsets, was to be home for the next three days for the group, who were using the trip to gain inspiration for upcoming projects and coursework.
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The five hour bus journey was broken up with a visit to the Eden Project, where artificial biodomes hold hundreds of tropical plant types, from all over the world. This gave the pupils the chance to photograph and sketch for inspiration towards projects.
Arriving in St Ives later that afternoon, the group had enough time to walk down to the harbour from the hotel and explore the town itself, before getting an early night ahead of what promised to be a busy few days! The pupils visited the Barbara Hepworth museum; once her home, the museum now holds many of her sculptures, and the Sixth Formers enjoyed spending time photographing and drawing interesting sculptures. The group also attended an art course held by local artist Sam Bassett, which focused on expressionism. The practical course gave the pupils an opportunity to use an assortment of media, such as wet ink, charcoal, acrylics and even coffee! Year 13 pupil James Hargreaves admitted that ‘most of it ended up on our clothes and faces rather than the artwork!’
Daniel Barnard from the St Ives School of Art took a group of pupils on a walk by the coast, inviting them to draw the sounds and feelings they experienced of the environment, building up an abstract painting in the style of local artist Peter Lanyon. Another group of pupils worked with Mr Weait, to build on camera skills and create effective HDR photos, as well as taking street photography to build upon new ideas for future projects.
The trip proved highly inspirational for the pupils, who left feeling enthusiastic about upcoming pieces. Thanks to James Hargreaves for providing details of the trip. For more photos, please click here.
