Aluredian
38
A
t the beginning of March,
6th form artists were treated
to a day in St Ives, packed
full of a wide variety of
artistic variation. A tour of
the current exhibition at the
Tate Gallery really brought to life the intriguing
work of contemporary artist Dexter Dalwood.
His ideas and techniques sparked the
imagination of many of the group, and much
discussion was generated. Another stop on the
day was to Barbara Hepworth's former studio
and garden. With the Cornish sun shining, we
were able to sketch, photograph and enjoy the
experience of being able to see her sculptures
close up and in the context of a beautiful
mature garden.
The town has long been a magnet for artists,
and the association of St Ives with avant-garde
art began as early as 1925. Today the
concentration of studios and galleries in the
town and the active teaching of varieties of art
practice have combined both to reinforce a
distinctive tradition and to generate new works
and ideas. With this in mind, pupils spent
useful time exploring the numerous commercial
galleries, armed with sketchbooks and
cameras. A productive day was rounded off by
many with a well-earned sampling of the local
delicacies; ice cream and pasties!
Following the success of last year's trip, 4th
form artists ventured again to Montacute
House. They spent the afternoon drawing both
the house and the substantial collection of
historical portraits. The pupils discovered that
portraits can provide fascinating insights into
past times, and they were intrigued by the
extraordinarily fine detail in the faces and
elaborate costumes.
King's hosted an exciting exhibition during
Somerset Art Weeks 2009. Four emerging
artists were selected to show work in the newly
established Art School Gallery. Becky
Buchanan and Kitty Hillier exhibited their
mixed media paintings which explore
abstraction, surface and colour. Becky Swaine
is a photographer whose work explores
elements of time, the body and identity. The
final artist was photographer Laura Rouse, who
was selected as Somerset Art Weeks Graduate
Artist of the Year. Her work explored the
relationships between the body, space and
narrative. Pupils benefited greatly from the
opportunity to meet these artists in person and
question them about their ideas and practice.
The exhibition was open to the public as part
of the county events, but there was a very wellattended
special viewing of the work on Friday
2nd October, when the artists were on site to
discuss their work.
Alongside the SAW show and running through
the Michaelmas term, there was an exhibition
of angels created by the 3rd form. Pupils were
introduced to the idea of guardian angels.
They then designed their own angel to be cut
out of paper. Prototype forms were created,
and the eight favourite designs were
photocopied onto white card and cut out.
Names were printed for each member of the
school and teaching staff, which were then
stuck onto an angel. Everyone in the school
was invited to dedicate other angels if they
wanted to, and members of the public took