Art
9.5.25 Amazing Artists Summer 2025
Teachers have chosen their Amazing Artist for this term. The standard of art work across the school is fantastic and it was a difficult decision. Our Amazing Artists' work is on display in a frame on The Art Gallery wall and every child has received a certificate.
Congratulations to:
Nursery: Caleb Fox
RS: Aalashan Salam
RG: Jimmy Hughes
1S: Niamh Mc Curley
1G: Oscar Small
2S: Freddie McCormick
2G: Violet Russell
3S: Edith Booth
3G: Logan Robinson
4S: William Binks
4G: Leah Muir
5S: Matilda Shield
5G: Charlotte McCann
6S: Jack Graham
6G: Sienna Wilson
11.4.25 Drawing Locomotion No.1 first hand
Drawing from direct observation is an important skill we develop throughout St. George's. This week Year 1 children were fortunate to be faced with the first ever passenger steam train at Hopetown museum. They looked very closely at the shapes, lines and textures, as well as the scale and proportion of each component part. Every child captured a unique version of Locomotion No. 1 in a delightful drawing. Well done everyone!
27.3.25 Printing Textures & Patterns
Following creating their collagraphs Year 1 have been learning about the printing process. They learned how to mark out their paper to centralise the image. Using paint they covered their textured surfaces and carefully printed them, ensuring the blocks didn't slide about. A very mature approach to a tricky process, well done!
22.3.25 More Texture & Pattern Work
Continuing their work on buildings Year 1 have been designing then creating textured and patterned surfaces in the form of collagraphs (textured printing blocks).
Watch this space for the printing process next week!!
Great work everyone!
31.2.25-14.2.25 Investigating Texture & Pattern in the Environment
Over the past few weeks Year 1 have been researching and investigating the theme of pattern and texture within the environment. Beginning with a village walk, the children have observed materials, textures and patterns that make up the Human Features of our environment.
They then investigated the internal courtyard looking for as many different patterns and textures which they recorded in rubbings.
Their excellent skills of observation noticed that many materials are joined without gaps, they tesselate! Using this knowledge, back in the classroom the children explored tessellating shapes in 2D and 3D.
It was amazing to see the children working collaboratively, sharing ideas and creating such imaginative patterns. Their understanding of shape, pattern, colour and space is way beyond their 5 and 6 years! Fantastic! Well done Year 1!
31.1.25 "Amazing Artists" Awards
To celebrate the work of children who have shown fantastic skill development and application in their Art lessons last term, teachers have had the difficult task of selecting an Amazing Artist from each class. Each Amazing Artist has received a certificate and their outstanding work has been framed and displayed on our prestigious Art Gallery wall in the main hall. It's great to see a wide range of skills, techniques and media being explored across the school, a showcase of the Art & Design curriculum at St. George's!
Congratulations to:
Nursery: Roman Wood
RS: Elsie Johnson
RG: Belle Harkinson
1S: Ben Sarkanen
1G: Luke Greenwell
2S: James Willis
2G: Phoebe Dunn
3S: Benji French
3G: Max Sowerby
4S: Esme Russell
4G Charlie Smith
5S: Lydia Knox
5G: Hattie Baxter
6S: Devon Gregg
6G: Zach Saddington
11.1.25 Year 2 "The Great Fire of London"
Reviewing work from last term in preparation for the new year's Amazing Artists Year 2's Art linked to The Great Fire of London stands out.
The children researched the style of buildings and the materials they were made from during Tudor times. They used their drawing and mark-making skills to record them in detail. Experimenting with colour mixing secondary tints and tones the children created warm colours to represent the flames. They then collaged building shapes over the top of their paintings to create expressive mixed media images depicting the destructive scenes.
Well done Year 2!
13.12.24 Observational Collage Self-Portraits
Year 1 have combined their observational skills with Matisse influenced collages to create their calendars. Using recycled materials, newspapers and magazines they created some imaginative designs, well done everyone!
16.11.24 Matisse Inspired Collages
Continuing their theme of Seasonal Changes, Year 1 have looked at the later work of Henri Matisse. He created many colourful cut-outs, inspired by natural forms. The children have shown Matisse's influence clearly in their vibrant collages.
Well done!
24.10.24 Celebrating Uniqueness
"Mirror, Mirror, hanging straight,
We're all unique, let's celebrate!"
Key Stage 1 have worked on a collaborative display based on the book "My Skin, Your Skin". Using skin tone pastels the children observed their unique features in a series delightful self-portraits, staff also had a go!
The end result is a fantastic corridor display. Well done everyone!
11.10.24 Year 1 Work in the Style of Andy Goldsworthy
This week Year 1 have used their homework task of collecting Autumn Treasures to work in the style of contemporary, British, environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. Using images of Andy's work, they sorted their finds into different shapes, textures and colours. Working together in small groups they then created small sculptures reflecting the season of Autumn. Well done Year 1!
AMAZING ARTIST AWARDS, AUTUMN 2024.
It has been an extremely difficult choice for class teachers to decide, due to the brilliant standard of work already this year. The Amazing Artists receive a certificate in our awards assembly and have their work displayed in a frame on our prestigious Art Gallery wall in the main hall.
Congratulations to:
Nursery: Tess Dodd
RS: Casey Larry
RG: Carys Glass
1S: Jack French
1G: Arlo Jakeman
2S: Mila Kodic
2G: Poppy Knox
3S: Priya Gascoinge
3G: Lottie Armstrong-Hall
4S: Sophia Cooke
4G: Megan Grassi-Duarte
5S: Esmay Thompson
5G: Gabriella Mestanza
6S: Emily Sowerby
6G: Mikolaj Jaworski
We are so impressed by your amazing art work! Well done!
A Creative Start to the Autumn Term
Welcome back everyone! St. George's have certainly made a creative start to the new academic year. All classes have been busy producing their baseline portrait drawings, that will continue on a termly basis. Last year it was fantastic to see the children comparing and evaluating their own progress in drawing by looking back on their previous work in their sketchbooks. Here is a selection of images produced throughout the school, showing progression in observations and drawing skills and techniques.
11th July 2024 A Most Excellent Exhibition!
To celebrate the amazing artwork , on the theme of "Connection" created during Arts Week and the completion of Grimesz's co-produced mural, parents and families were invited to our annual art exhibition.
Exceptional examples from each year group, detailed drawings from Mr Simpson's Drawing Club and Grimesz's mural, accompanied by chidren's images that inspired the design were all on show. Art Ambassadors acted as guides, expertly explaining each section of the exhibition.
Connecting it altogether was a colourful collaborative piece, individual flags were joined together creating beautiful bunting. This represented our sense of belonging to the creative community of St. George's. It continued to be a piece of "Live Art", as viewers were encouraged to draw and write their feelings about the exhibits on blank flags.
We were really impressed by the interest in this celebratory occasion and thank all of those who attended. A huge thank you again to Jayne Hemmins and her students from The Northern School of Art, alongside Grimesz who has certainly made a lasting impression on St. George's!
Mural Update
Grimesz has blended together many of the designs he collected from across the school and has begun to create his amazing mural in our internal courtyard.
We're very excited about how it will look when completed! Keep checking back for updates!
Arts Week 2024!
The whole school has been buzzing with creativity this week! St. George's has worked with professional artists and students from The Northern School of Arts in partnership with Sky Arts.
Skills and techniques in drawing, painting, collage, textiles, printing and ceramics have been explored, as well as contributing to the design of a large mural in the internal courtyard.
A huge thank you to Jayne Hemmins, her students and mural artist Grimesz!
Here is a snapshot of what has been happening this week.
The work created this week will be on display in the main hall in our annual Art Exhibition on Thursday 11th July. Watch this space for more developments with our mural!
Year 1 : Mixing Tints and Tones
This half term Year 1 are exploring the Impressionist Painters and are learning skills to develop their own landscapes. This week they have been learning about Primary Colours and how they can be altered slightly by adding black and white. They found mixing lighter tones easier to control, as to mix darker tones, only the tiniest amount of black was needed.
Well done everyone!
KS2 Drawing Club
A huge thank you to Mr Simpson, who is running a drawing club for KS2 pupils this term. The first session was certainly "eye-catching"!
Pupils have observed their own eyes extremely closely! Well done everyone!
Summer Term Self-Portraits
Children from Year 1 to Year 6 have been completing their third Self-portraits of the year. They have been looking back to their previous work and evaluating their progress. It has been fascinating to see the children tracking their own development as artists, which is clearly visible across all year groups. Amazing work everyone!
An Audience with an Artist
St. George's Junior Amazing Artists were given the opportunity to meet a graffiti artist today. In preparation for the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington railway, next year, The Friends of Stockton & Darlington Railway have organised for a mural to be painted along part of the original railway track. Our children met Lewis, who was half way through the project, and watched the mural in progress. The image is based on an original drawing from 1875 of the Edward Pease locomotive designed by George Stephenson. Lewis told us how he enjoyed using old images as an inspiration to create something new and original.
Ross from Friends of Stockton & Darlington Railway showed us the stretch of the original railway line and explained all of the hard work that has been happening by volunteers to prepare the area for the bicentenary.
Maz, who lives in part of the old station master's house gave the children some wild flower seeds to plant next to the mural.
We look forward to seeing the completed mural on Saturday 27th April and we'll observe the progress of the walkway along the original railway line.
The children were a shining example of behaviour and manners, thank you to our Junior Amazing Artists.
Amazing Artists of the Spring Term
Following the Easter break, each teacher had the difficult task of choosing one pupil who has shown great talent or fantastic progress in their artistic skills during the Spring Term. It was a tricky decision, as we have so many promising creatives at St. George's!
Congratulations to all of our "Amazing Artists", they were awarded certificates in Praise Assembly and their work has been framed. It looks fantastic displayed on our Art Gallery wall in the main hall.
Nursery: Arthur J.
RS: Lucas C.
RG: Sofia C.
1S Travis W.
1G Jessica H.
2S Mateo RS.
2G Teddy M.
3S Olly D.
3G Megan GD.
4S Evie L.
4G Gabriella M.
5S Lola B.
5G Esme W.
6S Mollie S.
6G Eloise N.
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR "AMAZING ARTISTS"!
Year 1 Printing
Year 1 used their knowledge of patterns in the environment and buildings to create collagraphs for printing. It was a messy and tricky technique to master, but they ended up with some great results. Well done!
Nursery's "Young Masters"
St. George's Nursery children have been impressing the whole school again with their artistic talents! Inspired by the decorative backgrounds and portraits of Kehinde Wiley, our "Young Masters" explored colour and pattern to create their own portraits. Working on canvas, like real artists, they used mixed media to create a beautiful gallery of work accompanied by thoughtful evaluations! Fantastic work Nursery!
Researching Patterns around School
Linking to our recent Science work and current History work, Year 1 have been observing patterns found inside and outside old and new buildings. They have created rubbings, models and sketches taking inspiration from contemporary British artists Stephen Wiltshire and Minty Sainsbury. Their explorations and research will inform the next stage of their work.......... Print-making!!
Spotlight on our Youngest Creatives
Mark-making and drawing are both physical and cognitive developmental forms of communication. Very young children may make marks in their food with their fingers, they might enjoy the repetition of making marks in soil or dough or may be fascinated by the movement of chalk on the pavement. All of these experiences contribute to their physical and cognitive development, allowing them to make sense of the world through hands on exploration. At St. George's our Early Years team provide daily opportunities to investigate mark-making materials, as well as developing artistic skills.
This half term the Nursery children have explored paint and the work of David Hockney to produce a beautiful collaborative piece of work based on, "Bigger Trees Near Warter". The photographs accompanying the piece show the enjoyment experienced by the children whilst experimenting with fluid mark-making.
Reception children have explored mark-making through mixed media, on a smaller scale this half term. Looking closely at "The Magpie" by Claude Monet, the children certainly captured the atmosphere, light and shadows of a bright, snowy day. Their use of white, grey and black in pastels, chalk, charcoal and collage show an understanding of shape and form too.
Well done to all of our Foundation Stage children and thank you to all staff for providing the opportunities for expressive, creative work.
ART GALLERY to celebrate Amazing Artists!
An ART GALLERY wall has been established in the school hall to celebrate the Amazing Artists at St. George's.
Having followed the progress of all of our young creatives throughout the whole school, it seemed fitting to showcase and celebrate their talents.
Each teacher was given the challenge to select one artist from their class, who they felt had made the most progress, or showed advanced skills in Art & Design. The standard of work across St. George's is very high, so this was not an easy task.
The Amazing Artists for this half term were presented with certificates in our whole school awards assembly and their work has been displayed in a picture frame on the ART GALLERY wall.
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our first "Amazing Artists"
Nursery: Jenson S.
Reception: Alice H. & Nelly M.
Year 1: Noah K & Yiannis B.
Year 2: Sebastian D & Eliza O.
Year 3: Emilie D & Willow H.
Year 4: Lydia K & Ewan W.
Year 5: Ralph L. & Lilly P.
Year 6: Chloe M. & Ruby R.
Keep working hard everyone with your creative projects because next time your work could be selected!
A HUGE "THANK YOU!" to Mr Hutchinson, Mrs Throw, Mrs R. Gill and Mrs Galvin who helped to make this possible, with their technical skills!
New Year, New Portraits!
As part of our new Art Assessment all children drew a self-portrait in their sketchbooks. They looked back at their previous work from September and were able to compare the images and see visible progress. Well done everyone! Here is a sample from across the school, showing progression in observations, pencil control, proportion, adding detail and expressive mark-making.
More Andy Goldsworthy Inspired Art
Year 1 collected and prepared Autumn leaves to arrange them into a collage for their New Year Calendars. They'll look lovely for the next year on your walls at home! Well done everyone!
SNOW SCULPTURES INSPIRED BY ANDY GOLDSWORTHY
Year 1 are currently studying environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. He creates ephemeral pieces of work using natural forms and seasonal weather conditions. The recent cold snap inspired our young artists to go outside and create shapes and forms using the snow, ice and other natural and made objects found in the playground. The children displayed knowledge of the materials and understanding of the ideas and techniques used by Andy Goldsworthy. It was great fun too!!
DARLINGTON CHRISTMAS TREE TRAIL
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to St. George's tree which can be found at Skinnergate News on Skinnergate. The theme is the Christmas song, "It was on a Starry Night".
Black History
October is traditionally Black History Month, but our Art Curriculum celebrates artists from a wide range of cultures and historical periods in time throughout the year.
This year during October, the work of artists, designers and creative communities from black heritage were explored, including the work of Alma Thomas, Althea McNish and The Quilt Makers of Gee's Bend.
Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 worked individually and collaboratively to create some wonderful pieces of work inspired by these amazing women. Well done everyone!
20th October 2023
Year 3 have explored Cave Paintings as part of their Stone Age History topic. They researched the early cave paintings found in Peche Merle, France and other locations around the world. Different materials were explored in order to create colours from nature, including plants, berries, rocks and wood, ( chalk and charcoal.) They investigated the different methods and techniques that were used to apply the pigments to the surfaces. Well done everyone, on creating your own versions of art that was produced over 2000 years ago!
6th October 2023
Year 1 have been improving their skills of working from direct observation again using pencil, pastel, crayon, chalk and charcoal. They collected a selection of Autumn Treasures and explored line, colour, shape and texture.
29th September 2023
Year 1 have been exploring chalk and charcoal, firstly to revisit self-portraits. They have created different lines and textures.
13th September 2023
Welcome back everyone!
As a new assessment in drawing, each child will produce a pencil self-portrait at the beginning of every term. Here's a selection of work that has been produced across the school already!
Well done everyone, it's lovely to see progression throughout the school.
Year 6 have explored portraits further and have created a colourful mixed-media display.
13.7.23 Art Exhibiton
This afternoon St. George's were extremely proud to welcome many parents and carers to view our work in the Art Exhibition. To celebrate our new logo the display boards have been refreshed and showed many pieces of work created during Arts Week. The theme of "Identity" complimented our evolving identity as a school.
Alongside our work on "Identity" we showcased work produced from our KS1 project with The Northern School of Art commissioned by The Bowes Museum.
Some of the work displayed was part of "The Modern Makers" exhibition earlier this year. Thank you so much to Jayne Hemmins and her students who made this possible.
We also exhibited work created at our "Art Ambassador's Club" and work by other children that was part of the Community Arts Exhibition that took place at Middleton St. George's Cricket Club in June.
Some of our Art Ambassadors acted as exhibition guides, they took their roles very seriously, informing our guests of the work on display and being very polite and well-mannered at all times. They encouraged our visitors to write their feelings about our work on the interactive wall.
The positive comments showed how much our work was valued by our visitors.
It was an amazing event! Thank you for coming and well done to all of our pupils at St. George's!
19.6.23-23.6.23 Arts Week
In association with Sky Arts and The Northern School of Art, St. George's enjoyed a week committed to the creative arts. The school was buzzing with a creative energy as every class was involved in activities ranging from drawing and painting, modelling using papier-mache and clay to baking bread and performing in Drama and Dance workshops. The theme of the week was "Identity". A huge "Well done" to all children and a huge "Thank you" to Jayne Hemmins and Katy Weir and their students from The Northern School of Art.
8.6.23 Art Ambassadors Final Week
A huge thank you to all of our Art Ambassadors who have shown passion and talent in the subject over the past 10 weeks.
Their work will be on exhibition at The Cricket Club, Middleton St. George on Sunday 11th June between 12pm and 4pm. Here's some of the amazing work that will be on display.
25.5.23 Art Ambassadors' Club "G Group" Week 4
This week our young artists explored colour, texture and form. They used these techniques to create animal portraits and also looked at some images by Frida Kahlo. Some children experimented with half human, half animal portraits! Excellent work everyone!
18.5.23 Art Ambassadors' Club "G Group" Week 3
This week our aspiring artists explored self-portraits using pencil and pastels. They used their observational skills and mirrors to create their images. Well done everyone!
5.5.23 A Creative Collaboration for The Coronation
All children from 1S and 1G have worked together on a collaborative Art project to commemorate the impending coronation of King Charles III. Each child created a royalty inspired design on a piece of fabric. The designs have been joined together to form an effective celebratory wreath. Well done Year 1!
4.5.23 Art Ambassadors "G" Group Week 1
In honour of King Charles 3rd's love of water colour painting we explored local landscapes using water colour paint. The children experimented with different washes and mixing colours. We are so impressed by your enthusiasm, excellent manners and beautiful work. Well done everyone!
28.4.23 Year 1 Observational Drawings in Sketchbooks
As part of our Geography and Science work about The Seaside Year 1 children practised their observational drawing skills. They used pencil to describe line, pattern and texture found in rocks, fossils and shells, Well done !
20.4.23 Week 6 Art Ambassadors
This week was our final week with the "S" group. The children added detail and used mixed media to complete their final pieces of work. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching your ideas and skills progress, you have been an excellent group to work with! Final pieces will be selected by the children at a later date to put into the community exhibition on 11th June. Thank you everyone for your enthusiasm and creativity!
30.3.23 Week 4 Art Ambassadors
This week our young artists explored mark-making and colour using pastels. They chose different animals to draw and added colour and texture. Well done everyone!
24.3.23 "Modern Makers" Exhibition at The Bowes Museum
All of Key Stage 1 children have been working with Mrs Hemmins and her textile students from The Northern School of Art. Some of the work produced in this collaboration is now on display at The Bowes Museum in an exhibition called, "Modern Makers".
To celebrate this achievement all of Key Stage 1 travelled to the museum to view it. It was a proud moment finding the name of our school featured among the credits on the wall and seeing our work displayed in a public art gallery.
Whilst there, the children also experienced a variety of the treasures collected by Josephine and John Bowes. They observed and sketched precious paintings, objects and sculptures and participated in history workshops.
All of the children appreciated this culturally enriching experience and clearly learned a lot from it.
Their behaviour was outstanding and manners impeccable! Our young artists are an absolute credit to our school!
17.3.23 Week 2 of Art Club has proved very successful. Our young artists have continued to explore water-colour and acrylic paints, Some children created moods using washes while other children mixed acrylics on the page, using the wet on wet technique. Thanks again to Mrs Gray our community creative volunteer.
9.3.23 This evening was our first Art Club session. The children explored water-colour and acrylic paints. We were impressed by the skills, talent and enthusiasm!
Thank you to Mrs Gray for being our creative community volunteer and we look forward to seeing your work progress next week! Well done everyone!
10.2.23 Wow! We have been overwhelmed by the number of high quality applications to become Art Ambassadors! You will be informed next week of how Art Club will be organised, look out for your letter from Mrs Bentley and Mr Simpson.
St. George's are starting an Art Club for children Y1-Y6, working towards a community art exhibition in June. Members of the Art club will become Art Ambassadors who will be sharing their passion for the subject across the school. Please see the advert below.
Our vision is to provide an excellent, well-rounded education, which celebrates academic, emotional and spiritual achievement and prepares everyone to fulfil their full potential in an inclusive environment in God’s World.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” (Pablo Picasso)
“To create one's own world, in any of the arts, takes courage.” (Georgia O'Keeffe)
As stated in the National Curriculum Purpose of Study for Art & Design, “Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.”
The following aims are embedded within our teaching and are central to the engaging lessons where our children encounter a range of opportunities to explore Art & Design in all its forms.
We aim for all pupils to:
• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design • know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
At St George’s, our intent is to provide a high quality Art & Design education, which enables children to develop a love of Art whilst increasing self-confidence, creativity and a sense of achievement.
Our aim is to provide an Art curriculum that engages and inspires pupils to nurture their talent as artists. The children gain a strong understanding of what Art is through, observing and evaluating work from a wide variety of historical periods, different cultures and genres alongside exploring materials, developing ideas and skills. Through artistic expression, they develop the ability to record experiences, observations and imaginings and so gain a greater understanding of the world around them. We encourage children at St George’s to develop a curiosity for the subject, as well as the understanding and acceptance of the validity and importance of all types of Art, and an unbiased respect for the role that Art may wish to be expressed in any person’s life.
We are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of Art in the wider community, and are able to use their artistic skills, knowledge, and experiences to involve themselves in Art, in a variety of different contexts.
We promote an ‘I can do’ philosophy in which we aim to develop ‘growth mind-set’ attitudes. Children are provided with a challenging curriculum to build their resilience and promote creativity; they are reminded that it is acceptable to get the wrong answers and even experience difficulties when faced with challenges and anything new or unfamiliar. Teachers use these experiences to address mistakes and misconceptions, enabling them to learn in a safe and curious environment, which in turn allows all children to flourish. This also includes our SEND children who have their needs scaffolded in order for them to access challenging Art activities.
