Art

Art at King's seeks to inspire and nurture creativity through exciting projects, exhibitions, workshops, trips and lectures. We encourage all pupils to explore and experiment with media to grow in confidence and ambition through their work. The basis of work in the department is fine art, and we develop traditional skills of drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and textiles alongside contemporary media such as digital photography, film and IT. Courses are structured so that pupils are supported to find their strengths and develop artistic skills to express themselves visually.

The art school houses its own gallery, and we regularly welcome visiting artists to exhibit and discuss their work with pupils. This provides a very valuable opportunity for all pupils to see and learn about contemporary art. In addition, there are regular exhibitions of pupil work throughout the school and all ages have their work displayed. Study visits are organised to support the curriculum and enrich pupils' experience of art at King's.

The department occupies a unique building, and studio spaces are spread over four floors. Specialist facilities are available for drawing, painting, printmaking (intaglio, relief and screen), photography (including a darkroom and digital facilities), ceramics, textiles and sculpture.

Staff profiles

Head of department is Kate Wood, BA in History of Art (University of Warwick), MA (University of the West of England), Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking, PGCE (Wales). I have a broad interest in contemporary art and craft. Fundamentally, I am a mixed media artist and enjoy using materials inventively. A residency at an art school in Venice led to a series of work for my Masters degree and a deepened fascination for the city and its unique sense of place. The exploration of this theme in my work is ongoing and is presented through a series of work, which attempts to reference the architecture, history, traditions and experience of being in the city.

Industry glass techniques have been used alongside more traditional etching and fusing. Surfaces, transparency, reflection, mapping, layering, façade, decoration and echoes of the past are key concepts which I have explored through my work through diverse media, including paint, glass, ceramics and photography.

Lucinda Randell graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a first-class degree in Visual Communication. She specialised in graphic design, producing handmade, illustrated books, hand-rendered typographical pieces, and art-directed photography within the fashion industry.

More recently Lucinda has been focusing on children's picture book illustration, as well as returning to her fine art roots in photography and painting.

Clare Schmidt, BA in Fine Art (DeMontfort Leicester), is a practising mixed media artist who brings a wealth of teaching experience and expertise in her subject to the Art department at King's. Through her own work, Clare explores the possibilities of combining photography with painting and collage to create images with unusual luminosity and vibrancy of colour. Her work is exhibited and sold throughout the South West.

Technician Maggie Vile has been part of the King's art department for 12 years. Her special interests relating to art lie in dressmaking, knitting and handicrafts, with which she is able to give specialist help. She has a particular interest in watercolours, and coaches netball in the Lent term.

John Warner has been cleaning in the art department for six years, and has a special interest in photography and drawing, steam trains and trams.

Click here for details of the 3rd form curriculum.

Click here for details of the GCSE course.

Click here for details of the A Level course.