Sixth Formers Inspired by Landscape

Our Lower Sixth Art students have returned from a weekend residential in West Penwith, where they immersed themselves in the landscape that influenced and inspired generations of artists. The weekend was filled with creative workshops, including ink drawing, night drawing, colour mixing, and creating ceramic forms inspired by the Cornish Coastline.

One of the highlights was a natural pigment painting workshop led by artist Pete Ward. He demonstrated how to gather pigments from the landscape and transform them into usable paint for his own artwork. Additionally, the students had the chance to practice their plein-air skills around Cape Cornwall and visited the gallery of renowned plein-air painter Kurt Jackson.

A special treat awaited them at Tremenheere Sculpture Garden, where they were given a private guided tour by the founder and owner, Dr. Neil Armstrong. This beautiful garden provided a setting to explore the works of some internationally renowned artists and sculptors, including James Turrell, Shaikha Al Mazrou, David Nash, Alastair and Fleur Mackie.

Head of Art, Dave Meads, expressed his enthusiasm for this event, highlighting its value in allowing the Lower Sixth students to immerse themselves in the landscape and become familiar with world-class artists who draw inspiration from the work around them. The trip also creates an exciting opportunity to work as an art group, building strong bonds between the students and staff and encouraging students to think more deeply about what it is to be an artist.

“We hope that the experiences gained during this excursion will inspire our A-level students to explore and develop their own ideas further and fill their minds full of creativity and possibility ahead of a busy term.”

Some of the collaborative work created during this excursion will form part of a retrospective exhibition by Pete Ward entitled ‘Expressions of an Intimate Ecology’ opening in the Heseltine Gallery on October 19th.