IB Visual Arts: Artist Paul Brandford Visits Halcyon |

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IB Visual Arts: Artist Paul Brandford visits Halcyon

Grade 10 and 11 Visual Arts students had an excellent opportunity to get their hands dirty - with charcoal - by learning from the very best in the figure drawing world. Paul Brandford (Royal Academy of Arts) made a special visit to Halcyon to offer guidance on the techniques and concepts that form the foundation of figure drawing. Giving our students the opportunity to catch Paul’s words of wisdom and translate them into artwork is just one of the ways that we seek to bring a fuller understanding of Visual Arts to our school. 

 

As part of the IB Diploma Programme Visual Arts course (currently studied by Grade 11), students must understand how art is a tool of communication, develop an awareness of the social values surrounding pieces and master practical techniques. Students approached this task with a positive attitude: see how carefully our Grade 10 and 11 students (pictured above) blend contrasting shades on an array of multi-coloured paper to express their different perceptions of the model’s mood. Halcyon’s students were, as usual, prepared for a challenge. 

 

Visiting artist Paul Brandford experienced first-hand how Halcyon’s learning principles of collaboration have helped to foster our students’ prepared attitude to their work: he made sure to highlight the significance of how “some of the kids actually made our meal at lunchtime”, the mark of a “real community!” 

This supportive environment has been fundamental in allowing our resilient students to flourish and “achieve so much in such a short space of time”: a level of achievement that we hope will be lifetime-long. From our Explorations to our range of Extra-Curricular Activities, our students are always encouraged to support each other in expanding their learning horizons.