Waddesdon Year 13 Tutorial

Screenshot from web meeting

At the end of February I met with two year 12 students from Waddesdon School. Both are completing a project towards their coursework for A Level Art on the theme of altered images, a variation on the term abstraction and possibly easier to digest as a starting point.

I have met these students online and through visits to the school over the last few months. They have been developing their own subject matter within sketchbooks, fabric and larger paintings. Each student talked through their project so far, holding up their work to the webcam. The purpose of this meeting was to provide another viewpoint for the student, outside the school environment, suggesting other techniques, materials, artists relating to their project.

The first student has been concentrating on various perspectives and enlargements of flowers, particularly roses. The centre of the flower becoming the focus , magnifying the area to fill a composition. Lots of experimenting with layers of papers, painted surfaces torn and collaged, fabric prints,combing textures together. Its interesting how this student has been concentrating on the structure and texture of the flower more so than colour, creating quite a sculptural feel to the project. This is leading to a very personal and unique interpretation of familiar subject matter. In fact constructions of the flower have been made and photographed and the results used to direct painting compositions. This continuous development of process informing the next is something informing my own practice. Building and understanding subject matter by testing a variety of viewpoints and dimensions, repeatedly.




This work reminded me of an artist Junko Mori, who creates series of small scale metal constructions, who has exhibited at Crafts Council. Both student's work relate well to the techniques and materials being used by artists from the 'Out of Ordinary' exhibiiton held at the V and A museum recently.

Junko Mori's website

Out of the Ordinary exhibition

The second student is looking at altered images of the body. Researching artists like Christopher Townsend and Bill Brant. Arranging her own compositions, concentrating on various body parts like feet, hands and back. Again a good variation of style. These tonal black and white images are well contrasted with other painterly, colourful compositions. The challenge will be to combine these approaches together in the final piece.