Art
Mrs N Gudge BA (Hons)
Head of Art
ngudge@colfes.com
The Art Department at Colfe’s is an exciting, creative space that values imagination and intuitive responses in both group and individual work. It is a safe place to explore ideas that will often evolve into inspired and imaginative pieces of artwork. You will learn to read and communicate with images as skilfully as when writing or reading text.
We teach technical, thinking and planning skills that enable pupils to form their own ideas into objects or images. As our students progress through the school, we teach them to manage their own projects and time effectively – working towards a stunning show of personal work should they choose to pursue the subject at GCSE and A-level.
In Years 7-9, pupils will work through a series of projects to explore two and three-dimensional skills. During Year 7 we explore black and white line work, mark-making and colour theory. All of this will equip our students with the skills and understanding of the formal elements. Year 8 examines the work of Picasso using processes such as oil pastel, scrafitto and watercolour work; pupils will also create a clay unit inspired by the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Year 9 pupils’ work links to GCSE projects and assessment objectives and pupils will learn to critically evaluate artists’ work in relation to their own ideas and responses. Students have the opportunity to explore photography both digitally and in the darkroom.
The GCSE Art course at Colfe’s is an exciting multimedia course which aims to enthuse, develop confidence and encourage students to explore their own interests and lines of enquiry. There will be a visit to the Tate Modern and several exciting workshops run by visiting artists. Students work in large sketchbooks exploring a range of themes and starting points. At the end of Year 11, pupils will hang an exhibition of their work.
At A-level, there is a choice of three endorsements – Art, Craft and Design, Graphic Communication or Photography. All courses have joint trips and discussions throughout the year. The Year 12 courses in all areas consist of two components: ‘Materials and Processes’ and a ‘Personal Contextual Study’ where students are encouraged to explore an artist(s) and theme of their own choice. In the final year pupils are encouraged to pursue more personal lines of enquiry and an exam-based theme. Pupils will also curate their own end-of-course exhibition. Students are given support and guidance in development of portfolios and the application to further and higher education courses in the Creative Arts. A-level Art students at Colfe’s often go on to study degrees in Fine Art, History of Art, Architecture, Graphic Design, Advertising and Marketing, Animation, Set Design and more.
A-level course details:
Co-curricular Art
All pupils are also encouraged to take part in Co-curricular Art.