Art
Ceramics and Sculpture
Fashion and Textiles
Film & Animation
Painting Studios
Printmaking
The Studio staff are all teaching enthusiasts as well as respected artists in their own right. The highly creative and inclusive teaching environment is central to the success of pupils at all levels. Charterhouse Art Director, Helen Pinkney is a distinguished artist and teacher who puts creativity and learning at the heart of her own practice and teaching.
In Year 9 the pupils work within five-week intensive blocks and experience a foundation in Art, Design and Textiles as a preparation for GCSE. Pupils who choose to pursue art at GCSE level are encouraged to experiment widely and then specialise in an area where they learn to refine their practice and express individual ideas. An open and creative mind are key at GCSE level as pupils are taught techniques to express their ideas.
At A Level pupils are encouraged to aim high as they learn to take risks with wide ranging materials that they may not have experienced before. They research their ideas in depth and are encouraged by visits to inspiring exhibitions which challenge their own practice.
Study trips are offered at both GCSE and A Level. Recent destinations have included New York and St Ives. Trips with other departments are also favoured as students are encouraged to make connections across their subjects.
Full information on the GCSE and A Level courses is given below.
The Art Department (Studio) is a purpose-designed building with facilities for painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, fashion/textiles and digital work. The ever-expanding curriculum will be further enhanced by the new creative arts centre which is currently being built and due to open in September 2024.
Studio has a strong tradition of life drawing and visits to art galleries abroad (e.g. New York, Los Angeles and St Petersburg) and more locally (e.g. Tate Modern and numerous London galleries). There is a belief in active engagement with both contemporary art and art history.
Sixth Form pupils are exposed to an intensive and highly creative programme of workshop sessions which allow them to experience a much wider and personal range of expression. They populate their own workspaces with ideas, experiments and resolutions. Their sketchbooks play a key part in recording their progression and become individual to the student’s ways of working. Portfolios show casing a progression of ideas as well as making links to other artists.
Art in the Sixth Form has always maintained a high profile with pupils achieving top grades and entering Art College to study fine art, architecture, fashion and textiles, design, art history, advertising, film and photography. This year 2023, the A Level students achieved ten A* grades and five A grades. Five students were accepted to study architecture on high profile courses, one student accepted to study architecture at Cambridge. Students this year also went on to study history of art and film and animation courses. With creativity being a key element across a range of further education courses, A Level art, design and textiles has proved successful in enabling students to study a wide range of university degrees.
