PICTURES: Young Art workshop for Steyning students

The Arts Society Steyning provided the funding for two workshops for GCSE students at Steyning Grammar School.

Sarah Pimenta from Social Fabric was invited to run the workshops, having met Hannah Albrow, learning leader art and design, at a teacher day at Hurstpierpoint College in November.

Hannah said: “We had two different groups. One was a group of students who needed a bit of a boost. Printing has a very quick result so they have had a direct solution.

“The second group was the ones we wanted to encourage to do A-level by showing them techniques they had never used before.”

The focus was the use of various printing and screen printing techniques, followed by the use of digital technology. The themes were out of place, detail, surroundings, shelter, assemble and angles.

Hannah explained: “They have just been given a trial exam paper and started to select the area they want to cover for their GCSE.

“The Photoshop allowed them to be more creative and it is different to using the press.”

Sarah had some prepared images for the students, or they could choose something from the internet, to use to make a hand-cut stencil.

She said: “They did a real print using different techniques then put it into Photoshop. They could then manipulate it and take their artwork forward. It is just another process and it is quite nice to work together with the computer and actual printing.

“They did really well considering they have never used a press before. It is quite straightforward. You can achieve quite a professional result through some fairly simple processes and there are lots of things you can do with it.”

This is the third Young Art project funded by the society, formerly known as Steyning Decorative and Fine Arts Society. The first was at Steyning Grammar last year and the second at Steyning Primary School in February.

Chairman Ann Blakelock said: “We as a society don’t always have a huge amount of money so we decide each year how much to allocate to a Young Art project.

“This year we have been able to fund one at Steyning Primary School and two workshops at Steyning Grammar School. We won’t necessarily be able to do that next year.”

Pam Childs, Young Art co-ordinator, said the projects chosen had to be something extra to what was already available at school.

Pam said: “Hannah felt this workshop would benefit a wide spectrum of students, giving them an exiting look at techniques they cannot readily offer them in school.

“Once again, the society has raised the funds to support and inspire young people in the community. The committee are pleased that we are able to support the school again, in a time when the arts are generally underfunded.”