An inspirational 4th Form Art Trip to St Ives

After the easing of lockdown restrictions on Sunday 6^th June, fourteen 4^th Form artists and two teachers embarked on a three-day art adventure down to the North Cornish seaside town of St Ives, surrounded by sea and golden sands. 

St Ives has a special quality of light that makes it unique. Against all the odds a fishing village was transformed into an artist’s community. Indeed, this special quality of light is renowned for having attracted generations of artists to the town. 

Our trip began with a visit to the Barbara Hepworth Museum, a key figure in the story of St Ives and Modern Art. We had an opportunity to learn about her working practices and themes within her work concerned with form and abstraction. The many sculptures created and placed by the artist in her exquisite garden primarily deal with relationships; between two forms, human figures and the landscape. She had an international reputation with works exhibited around the world, giving pupils a chance to record and make connections to their own project themes. 

Flickr album: 4th Form Art Trip to St Ives - June 2021 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin

As we continued to soak up the Cornish scenery, meandering through the cobbled streets and trekking up the hilly terrain, we set our sights on Porthmeor beach. At high tide we hired some wetsuits and bodyboards, making our way into the Atlantic Ocean for a refreshing fun-filled hour or so, attempting to catch waves and document our experience through a series of short films. That evening we went out for a meal on the harbour front, finishing the day with a game of rounders and frisbee. Rounding off an action-packed day from sketching, surfing, ice-creams and a whole lot of enjoyment and laughter! 

Monday morning gave rise to more fun in the sun as we embarked on another creative day exploring the town and galleries with a planned printmaking workshop. We began by creating a series of first-hand experimental drawings followed by a chance to create land art on the harbour beach to coincide with our theme ‘Journeys or Identity’. By mid-morning we split into two groups, one group had a two hour long print workshop with renowned artist Rachael Kantaris, at Porthmeor studios. Pupils created multiple vibrant mono-prints using Heron and Lanyon as inspiration. The other group toured around the Tate Gallery, with pupils recording ideas for their project. They alternated activities so the other group had a chance to print. 

In the evening we took a short trip to Minack Theatre to watch ‘The Cameraman’ which was hilarious. To sit and watch the performance looking out to sea at dusk, makes this plein-air theatre perched on the Cornish clifftops such a unique experience. Pupils really enjoyed this Buster Keaton-style stage performance, offering a comic view on the digital age with a touch of nostalgia for our analogue past. The performance was full of laugh out loud moments and audience participation with a welcome spotting of seals getting in on the action. Whilst fuelled on treats and the fresh sea air we made it back to recharge for our final day. 

On Tuesday morning, we packed up and said a fond farewell to our lovely hosts at Cohort Hostel. We headed to Penzance to take in the Penlee House Gallery and Museum. This gallery is renowned for its collection of The Newlyn artists based on the English Riviera, depicting scenes of hard-working individuals in a more authentic outdoor setting, with attention on natural light, produced around the late 19^th Century. Our journey continued with an informative guided tour of Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. We meandered along the narrow woodland garden pathways discovering local and international artists’ works from Sheila Williams, Richard Long and Phillip Ray-Scott. A highlight shared by all included a moment to sit in James Turrell’s, Skyspace. This permanent installation gives rise to the magic of light as the oval shape of sky revealed by its open roof interacts with subtle lighting to slow you down and open your eyes and mind. 

On Tuesday afternoon, we headed back to St Ives for our final visit of the trip to the Leach Pottery to celebrate their centenary anniversary of inspiration and exchange. Founded by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in 1920, built with an experimental and progressive spirit. We were lucky enough to have a series of interactive workshops exploring throwing techniques on the wheel. Followed by dynamic hour-long session, whereby pupils crested their own relief tiles using slips and sgraffito techniques. 

A huge thank you to all involved for making this wonderful experience full of memorable moments and inspiration. Enjoy browsing through our photographs and short film from the trip. 

George Cole - Artist in Residence