Art

Tanya Sarton

It has been a very productive year in the Art department, with students across all year groups, and subjects producing wonderful work. As a result, we have had multiple exhibitions throughout the year, to showcase everything from print block patterns and light trails, to oil pastel food drawings and still life paintings. Our students have really enjoyed seeing their work up in the galley and also on Instagram which we have made use of as a way of sharing what different students have been creating this year while in bubbles.

The Art department has been busy as ever during lunchtimes, with many GCSE and Post 16 students choosing to use these times to develop their work. Year 7 students have also had the chance to join our and creativity club on lunchtime a week, which is designed to be a space where students can explore their ideas and have fun making artwork outside of lessons. They have made some fascinating pieces, and seem particularly fond of glitter!

A particular highlight this year, with the rise in working online, has been the amount of students who have embraced digital media. Many of our students have utilised remote access to the student portal to use editing software outside of lessons. We have loved seeing students’ exploration of digital art, from drawing using tablets, to creating their own gifs. We really hope this is something they will continue with in future. This year we have run our first ever Knole Portrait Artist of the Year competition. In the spring term our students were tasked with submitting a portrait in a media of their choice, any size up to A1, and they did not disappoint. The standard of the submissions was extremely high and it was a tough decision for our judge Mr Massey. The winner after much deliberation was May in year 11, with her exceptional portrait “Countervail”. Whilst we could not have our usual summer exhibition, we have still had the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our Year 13 students.

We have displayed work by each of our Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Photography and Textile Design students in the Gallery, showcasing their talents and the varied work they have produced this year. Miss Sarton also presented certificates to the students with the highest attainment and achievement in each specialism, which was a lovely way to end the course. Clockwise from top right: Portrait – May Smith, Textile – Kyle Tremain, Photograph – Sam Richards, Pear – Andrei Cioroaba, Blue Tower – Ewan Gavin