We had end of year parties this week! I managed to remember to get class photos of most of the groups- we had quite a few artists missing though as they were already off on holiday. Have a lovely summer everyone!
This week, our classes investigated the work of Los Angeles based artist Jen Stark. She uses various materials, including paper, wood, metal and paint, and her works often resemble organic, molecular, cloud-like structures.
You can find out more about Jen Stark’s work on her website.
Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists worked on creating 2D and 3D patterns using a series of neon paper squares . We followed some step-by-step instructions to produce various folded structures, then experimented with the pieces to produce our own creations.
Our year 3 and 4 artists looked in particular at the concentric forms that Jen Stark creates using many layers of coloured paper. We produced two pieces of work- one showing a layered mountain range, and another made by cutting an initial shape, sticking it onto a second piece of paper, then cutting around it again and repeating. It was fiddly work but the results were very effective!
Our year 5 and 6 artists were inspired to create 2D and 3D artwork of their own, using coloured paper. We got some great results after experimenting with different techniques for joining and manipulating paper strips.
This week Indigo class had a visit from Peterborough based artist Tony Nero! Tony has been an artist for many years and is on the committee for the Peterborough Artists’ Open Studios. He exhibits regularly and visits other local arts events with his camera, documenting as he goes. Tony spoke to us about his work and the techniques he uses, and showed us some of his paintings.
A big thank you to Tony for joining us- it was a really interesting evening!
This week our students have been investigating the work of American sculptor Alexander Calder, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential sculptors of the twentieth century.
Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists discussed Calder’s preference for primary colours and identified some of the shapes he used in his work. We made our own sculptures using aluminium wire and shapes which we cut from craft foam.
Our year 3 and 4 artists made similar sculptures- we decided to use a wider variety of colours for our own interpretations of Calder’s work!
Our year 5 and 6 artists and some of our Arts Award students focused on Calder’s wire portraits. We looked at different examples, then practised creating a portrait from one continuous line using fineliners on paper. We then created portraits of our own using coloured aluminium wire. We got some great results!
This week, Sapphire class went on a trip to Stamford Arts Centre to see an exhibition of GCSE Art and Photography work. We chose pieces that particularly appealed to us, and we have written reviews of the exhibition for our Arts Logs (below).
‘We visited Stamford Arts Centre and looked at some GCSE students’ artwork. We took photos of some of our favourite pieces of artwork. We found out about creative classes that run at Stamford Arts Centre. I chose two pieces as my favourite- one was so detailed and the colours were blended to seem like a night sky and the other was crazy and chaotic which made me like it even more. On the whole I thought that everything was good but there could have been more paintings and not pictures. I thought everything was laid out personally (as the artist would have wanted). I would recommend this exhibition because it is a chance to see the varieties of different artworks. It has some very different styles.’
‘It was very interesting to see kids’ creativity. We all took photos of different unique artwork. We all had different opinions on the artwork. We found out about creative art classes that take part in the centre. My favourite picture was the unicorn because it has very simple colours, but it looks so detailed and serene. Everything was very good, the set up was perfect and all the art was different so it was amazing to see young people’s creativity. I would recommend it to others because it is a chance to see young people’s artwork actually displayed in an art gallery. You could also be inspired by them.’
We went to Stamford Arts Centre to look at GCSE artwork photos and pictures. It was fun to go to the exhibition, I would recommend it. The pictures I looked at were bright and bold to capture your eyes. I chose my favourite- I liked it because it was unique and the texture on it was good. It was all done by paint. The exhibition could be better because it should have more artwork and more painting than photos, and less gory work. If the work is gory, maybe there should be a sign to say it’s gory. I would recommend it because it’s stuff you don’t really see every day so it will be exciting to go there. Also you could get inspired by the artwork to do more art.’
‘My group visited Stamford Arts Centre. I wasn’t able to go but they showed me some pictures, they saw an exhibition of GCSE art. I really like the unicorn because I love how the background blends in.’
This week, our classes continued creating their Hundertwasser-inspired houses. We painted patterns and details similar to those used in Hundertwasser’s buildings, and invented some of our own too!
Our finished Hundertwasser village- we think they look fab!
Sapphire class took part in a workshop run by the wonderful Clare from Paisley Art this week! We learned how to create beautiful beetles using inks- we especially enjoyed using pearlescent colours to add a shimmery quality to our work.
Clare runs wonderful adult art classes- you can find out more about them on her Facebook page, Paisley Art.
A big thank you to Clare for visiting- we really enjoyed the session!
This week, all of our students have been working on a collective project inspired by the architectural artwork of Austrian-born New Zealand artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. We investigated some of his colourful painted buildings (see below), then began creating our own mini houses inspired by his work, using cardboard boxes and offcuts. Our individual houses will then come together to create one big building!
Our studio assistant, William the basset hound, also made an appearance this week- you can spot him in some of the photos!
Cyan class have been researching American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly for part C of the Bronze Arts Award. We made some sculptures of our own inspired by his work. We used painted acetate sheets, which we cut into different shapes and threaded onto skewers. We got some beautiful results!
You can find out about Chihuly’s work on his website.
Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists worked on their collaborative Chihuly inspired sculpture this week. We cut the painted plastic bottles into spirals, then each student used a glue gun to fix their bottle onto a board. We’ll be hanging it from the ceiling for our exhibition on 8th July!
We also watched a video about Chihuly’s expressive drawing style, for which he used up to 50 pencils at once, and then had a go ourselves. You can watch the video below.
Our year 3 and 4 artists finished off their Chihuly inspired bowls this week. We used a heat gun to melt the plastic into wavy shapes, emulating Chihuly’s glass bowl series. It was really fun to watch the plastic start to change form- we never quite knew what it was going to do so every bowl was a surprise!
Our year 5 and 6 artists continued with their Chihuly inspired sculptures. We cut the painted acetate sheets we prepared last week into different shapes, then threaded them onto a skewer. It was a very effective process- we got some beautiful results!
We had a visit from illustrator Craig Pattrick this week! Craig showed us lots of his development sketches and talked about the importance of perseverance when designing new characters. He also showed us some of his fantastic plasticine sculptures, and we had a go at making a Minion!
You can find out about Craig and his work on his website.
Artivity 