ST IVES A STUNNING BACKDROP FOR OUR YEAR 10 ARTISTS
prolific, we were given an insight into the life of a painter working and living in St Ives. Artist Naomi Frears spoke candidly about her painting process, while also letting us have an intimate look through her personal sketchbooks, prompting boys to question her process and her day-to- day inspiration. At the end of the three days, the boys’ sketchbooks were bursting with expressive landscapes, a diary of Hepworth’s garden utopia and an idea of how artists live and work col- laboratively in the historic landscape of St Ives. We were immensely proud of the boys’ endeavour, endless enthu- siasm and impeccable manners throughout this trip. At every opportunity the students worked tirelessly on their drawings using gestural mark making, layers and texture with a naturally inspired energy from the St Ives legacy. ◎
Mary Jo Doherty explores the enduring appeal of West Cornwall to the artist
W est Cornwall’s extraordinary quality of light and inspiring landscapes have attracted painters to St Ives since the beginning of the 19th century, and they provided a stunning backdrop for Dulwich students to absorb themselves in their sketch- books, drawing the rugged cliffs, mesmerising sea- scapes and delightful details that could be found in and around the town. The weather was kind, and right from our arrival, the landscape, galleries and artists reinvig- orated, challenged and engaged all our Year 10 artists. The students were on top artistic form and within one hour of being in St Ives, the sketchbooks were well on their way. The Tate St Ives Gallery has dedicated spaces exploring the history of art in St Ives, giving key artists Ben Nichol- son, Alfred Wallis, Barbara Hepworth and Peter Lanyon a permanent presence in the town where they had lived and worked. The Gallery provided boundless information and context for our young artists, but it was the retrospective of the work of iconic artist Hepworth, who was based in St Ives for most of her life, that was truly remarkable. This exhibition was an intimate exploration into her multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach to work. It brought works back to the place where they were made, reuniting pairs of sculptures (like Pelagos and Curved Stone with Yellow, last seen together in 1954) and exhibiting letters, photos and other archival material alongside. Students were able to marvel at a range of Hepworth’s drawings; her series of hospital observations are reminiscent of Henry Moore’s tube shelter drawings in the Second World War; and her moon and celestial lithographs are just gorgeous. Barbara Hepworth’s Museum and Sculpture Garden was also a beautiful experience. Students responded to an
array of her work in the bliss and serenity of the curated gardens where her sculptures still make the most sense, particularly those that are derived from and influenced by the Cornish landscape. The students were on top artistic form and within one hour of being in St Ives, the sketchbooks were well on their way A tour of the Leach Pottery gave us a new insight into the huge artistic heritage in this historic town. Buried within the stream behind the pottery lie the cast-offs from Leach’s era, and Lily, our guide, spoke of her admiration for Janet Leach, acknowledged in her own right as one of the lead- ing potters of the second half of the 20th century. Fiercely independent, she was a potter with a powerful identity. At the Porthmeor Studios overlooking the beach, in the same studio where Francis Bacon had once been so
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THE ALLEYNIAN 711
TRIPS
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