Art

We use art to encourage our students to develop and express their ideas through a variety of media.

Key Stage 3

Art at KS3 is a broad based course with a wide variety of activities. We start in Year 7 by developing drawing and painting skills which underpin the teaching in year 8 and 9 of sculpture, more advanced painting and mixed media. The curriculum also enables pupils to develop their presentation and research skills.

Students carry out substantial research and development as part of their work. Each term a new area of focus is taught to develop new practical skills and challenge the students to consider the complexities of visual communication in the modern world. Cultural and artistic influences are taken into account as visual outcomes are developed with the resulting skills and knowledge providing the basis for progression to GCSE.

Key Stage 4

The GCSE Fine Art (AQA specification) allows students to develop their own interests and skills using a multimedia approach that offers opportunities to use traditional and contemporary methods. The disciplines of drawing and painting are popular areas of study for the majority of students however sculpture, mixed media and digital work have also been selected by some students to develop specific ideas.

The Fine Art course is assessed through a combination of coursework and an externally set task

• Coursework (60% of the GCSE) Students in Year 11 submit a folder of coursework that covers the four assessment objectives. This includes a sustained project evidencing the journey from initial engagement to realisation of intentions and a selection of further work undertaken during the course which often takes the form of a mini project.
• Externally Set Task (40%) Students respond to a task set by the examination board (AQA) which assesses their ability to develop an artistic theme leading to the creation of an outcome. Students will choose one starting point from a selection of seven.

The breadth of the course provides students with opportunities to develop very distinct lines of creativity preparing them for more specialist study at college, university or careers in the creative industries.

A level

Fine Art (AQA specification)

The Sixth form course builds on the skills and understanding gained at GCSE but encourages a greater level of ambition as the students become increasingly aware of their individual artistic style and creative influences.

Students are expected to contextualise their work taking inspiration from the work of others and learning how the art world is heavily influenced by cultural, social, and political issues. There is an expectation that some written analysis supports the creation of a substantial amount of practical work. The course allows students to work and select from a wide range of media and disciplines which includes; painting, drawing, sculpture, digital media, photography, animation and mixed media.

Year 1 – Autumn term

In response to a set theme students will develop a set of work that builds on their strengths whilst learning new skills and approaches. In recent years we have used an off site exhibition as a point of focus providing students with the experience of presenting their work in a public setting.

Building on and extending their artistic skills is seen as fundamental to the start of this course.

Component 1: Personal Investigation – Spring and summer terms

Students conduct a practical investigation into an idea, issue, concept or theme supported by written material. The focus of the investigation will be identified independently by the student and lead to a finished visual outcome or a series of finished outcomes in appropriate media. There is an expectation that this unit of work is informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists, photographers, designers or craftspeople.

Year 2 – Autumn term

Refinement of the Personal Investigation alongside the creation of a highly developed and innovative visual/creative outcome.

Component 2: Externally Set Assignment – Spring term

Students will choose one starting point – from a selection of eight set by the examination board – to develop over a couple of months of preparation time leading to the development of a final outcome during 15 hours of supervised time.

University Successes

Recent students have continued their Art & Design studies at degree level at a range of universities and colleges including; The University of Portsmouth, The University of Southampton – Winchester School of Art, Arts University Bournemouth, The University of Chichester, and West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, Brighton University, Kingston University, Falmouth University, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

Awards and Exhibitions of our past students

Alumna Daisy Jacobs recently won at the BAFTAs, Edinburgh Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination for her work on the animated short film, ‘The Bigger Picture’. You can see more of Daisy’s work on The Bigger Picture on her Vimeo channel at: https://vimeo.com/thebiggerpicturefilm (link opens in new window).

Eve Leckey was one of 39 young artists selected by the RBA – The Royal Society of British Artists, to exhibit their work at The Mall Gallery and ROSL – Royal Over Seas League in London 2020. The initial recommendation was put forward by The Arts Society (Solent).

One of our exhibits from our 2019 exhibition at Fort Brockhurst, Gosport by Cristelle Gryte.  The piece was created in response to the English Heritage site.

For more information on the Art department please visit our Twitter feed: @BayHouseArt