SCC Art

Aurora Borealis

2012-01-26T08:32:00.000Z

Thanks to the Irish Times , you can view a slide show Here of Nature putting on one of its most awe-inspiring shows over north Donegal this week with a rare glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights.

Paki Smith

2012-01-25T08:59:00.001Z

This morning, Paki Smith (OC) will give a talk on film production to Transition Year pupils in the art room. He is a fine artist with a number of one man shows to his credit. He is also heavily involved in film set production/design and has worked on films such as Batman Begins (2005), Veronica Guerin (2003), Sleepwalking (2008) and the most recent batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Information on all of these productions can be found on the IMDB website.

Colossus or Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (film still)

2009

Master Class in Figurative Drawing

2012-01-19T10:58:00.000Z

Tomorrow morning Una Sealy will spend the moring in the art room demonstrating her drawing skills and assisting our pupils in developing their own life drawing skills. Una Sealy is a well known figurative painter and we are lucky enough have her as our guest judge at our annual art exhibition and art prize eveing later this term. Listen to Una Sealy talk about her painting work on the video link below.

Artist Stories/Una Sealy from Fingal Arts on Vimeo.

In The News

2012-01-18T10:31:00.001Z

Yesterday's Irish Times paid tribute to the work of artist Petroc Sesti who has produced work such as Event Horizon, one in a series of sculptures in which a vortex appears to have been captured in a glass vessel. A whirlpool spirals inside a giant bell jar, suspended in perpetual motion. Sesti creates his vortex sculptures such as Event Horizon, Vanishing Point and Perpetual Void using optic oil, which has the appearance of water.

See more about the project HERE.

Photos of a Remote Vietnamese Community

2012-01-18T10:31:00.000Z

In today's Irish times there is a short article featuring a new photographic exhibition about one of Vietnam’s poorest and most isolated ethnic minorities .

The exploration of the daily lives of the Hmong people was captured by Irish Times photographer Frank Miller during a visit to the country last year.

The Minority Report exhibition will be on display at the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre, Dublin, until February 27th (open from Monday to Friday; free entry).

A slideshow is available at: iti.ms/yDYeVM

The full article can be read HERE.

'Inside I'm Dancing'

2012-01-14T13:13:00.000Z

Yesterday, Form IV Art pupils were treated to a talk by OC Peter Robertson on the film 'Inside I'm Dancing', a film which the Form IV are currently studying. Peter Robertson was the director of photography on this film and his talk included explanations about specific scenes within the film as well as movie making in general. He spoke of the importance of the relationship between the director and the cinematographer. The Form IV found the lecture to be most informative and very enjoyable.

Life Drawing

2012-01-12T10:20:00.000Z

Life sketching is an integral part of the Leaving Certificate curriculum. Form VI pupils take time once a week to practise this section of the curriculum to ensure they do not lose momentum. Posted today are examples of some gesture drawing by Ciara O Byrne and Henry Roe.

Ciara O Byrne

Henry Roe

Form I, Print

2012-01-11T22:12:00.000Z

Term began two days ago and posted below are some examples of finished prints from last term by Form I pupils.

There is lots to look forward to this term in the Art Department including the annual art prize eveing which will be judged this year by the artist Una Sealy.

Soren Higgins

Art Punch

Junior Certificate Art Exhibition

2011-12-10T12:13:00.001Z

The Annual Art Exhibition of Junior Cert work that was completed during 2010/11 will be on display tomorrow evening in the BSR. It follows the Carol Service in the Chapel and the work can be viewed while sipping on mulled wine and munching mince pies!

Posted below is a small selection of some the work on display tomorrow evening.

Form VI Still Life Drawing

2011-11-22T21:51:00.000Z

Still Life Drawing

2011-11-21T21:27:00.001Z

Close up of Still Life

Form VI have been working on Still Life drawing with Mr. Watts, and posted today is work by Henry Roe. The Still Life section of the exam accounts for 25% (100marks) of the overall exam. More examples of the Form VI Still Life work will be posted in the coming days.

Still Life by Henry Roe

Henry Roe was also responsible for the poster design (see below) for the recent Shakespeare Society production The Comedy of Errors, photos of which can be viewed HERE.

The Importance of a 'Visual' Education

2011-11-16T22:15:00.000Z

In yesterday's Irish Times, Eoin Cunningham writes an article on the value of art in the secondary curriculum. Read the the full article HERE.

Competition!

2011-11-11T21:51:00.000Z

The Frog Blog Science Week Art Competition

November 13th- 20th 2011

Next week The Frog Blog, (the highly acclaimed blog of the Science Department of St. Columba's College) is holding a nationwide Art Competition as part of Science Week.

For Science Week they want you to draw, paint, sketch or sculpt on any aspect of science, discovery, space and nature!

Entry is completely free and open to anyone in primary or secondary school in Ireland. Just photograph or scan your work and email your entries to art-comp@frogblog.ie.

Entries close on Wednesday 16th November

The winners in each category (Primary & Secondary) will receive a €50 iTunes Gift Voucher.

www.frogblog.ie

Creative Embroidery, Form II

2011-11-10T21:23:00.000Z

Katie Stewart

Mark Crampton

Creative Embroidery Form II

2011-11-09T10:35:00.000Z

Gabriel Burgaz Zaballa

Aytan Barnes

Freddie Morris

2011-11-09T10:34:00.001Z

Restorers unveil the devil in Giotto's detail

Art restorers have discovered the outline of the head of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescoes by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. Read the full article in yesterday's Irish Times about this extraordinary find.

Creative Embroidery Form II

2011-11-08T09:06:00.001Z

Oisin Large

Iris Glaser

Tesh McLarn

Creative Embroidery.

2011-11-07T09:48:00.000Z

Form II pupils have been working on Creative Embroiderys which has demanded of the pupils both machine stitching and hand sewing. Their designs were inspired by the 'Natural World' and the execution of these designs was inspired by an Exhibition they visited earlier this term which was presented by the Embroiders Guild of Ireland. An array of materials has been used including beads, dye, plastic, tree bark, leaves, sweet wrappers as well as traditional fabric and thread. Over the next couple of days Sccart will publish the Embroidery work from Form II.

BOO!

2011-10-31T19:55:00.000Z

Form I undertook to complete a brief for their prep which asked them to create a Halloween themed piece of art with nothing more than a piece of orange and black paper , a scissors and a stick of glue. A number of interesting pieces were created ranging from paper sculpture to a torn paper image of a pumpkin! Fireworks and scary faces were also included but we have chosen to publish the work of Art Punch (see below) for the array of images and text that he chose to depict. We especially like the contrast of the torn paper in the pumpkin's face and the clean edges of the remaining images. In addition to this, consideration has been given to the overall balance of the composition. Happy Halloween!

A Showcase Of Art By Old Columbans.

2011-10-27T23:27:00.000+01:00

Tonight A Showcase of Art by Old Columbans went on display in the BSR. The exhibition of work will be on display until the end of this week and it is well worth a visit. There is a vast selection of work on display ; drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles, design and photography. Also available is a catalogue of the exhibition, and a calender which showcases the work of pupils who are currently attending The College.

2011-10-26T21:19:00.001+01:00

Preparations are well under way for A Showcase of Art by Old Columbans which will he held at the College on Thursday and Friday this week.

Preparation for Lino Printing

2011-10-26T09:09:00.000+01:00

Form I continue to work on different printing techniques. Their next printing experience will take the form of a lino print. Posted today are a selection of their designs, all based on self portraits. The pupils have adapted their original self portraits for lino printing, and have tried to adhere to creating a balance in their compositions between positive and negative space.

Chance Gustafson

Daisy McKeever

John Bennet

Soren Higgins

Helena Gromotka

Jack Stokes

Form V Q-Set, Batik Work.

2011-10-24T12:47:00.001+01:00

Form V Q-Set Art pupils are experimenting with a different type of Batik. The traditional technique which requires the use of wax and dye with fabric has been replaced with plain old paint and a mixture of flour and water which mimics the resistance of the wax.

Posted below are a couple of test strips. The test strips allow the pupils to figure out the limits of these less traditional materials, for example, the correct consistency of paint, the ratio of water to flour, the thickness of the lines, the viscosity of the flour and water mixture etc. The results are quite effective.

Dena Al-Hamdan

Constantin Beissel von Gymnich

The pupils have now begun more developed compositions which are showing great potential.

Julia Xie

Dena Al-Hamdan

Competitions!

2011-10-24T12:42:00.000+01:00

There are two competitions coming up that pupils may find a worthwhile experience to enter. The first is the Doodle for Google Competition which is open to all pupils. The second competition is linked to the charity Sightsavers, but is only available for the pupils in Form Primary. Please ask your art teacher for more information.

A Showcase of Art by Old Columbans

2011-10-23T11:01:00.000+01:00

This exhibition will run over two days at The College. There will also be a 2012 calender available to buy which showcases the work of talented artists emerging within The College.

'July' displays the work of Molly Dunne.

There will also be a full colour exhibition catalogue available with examples of work from the exhibitors.

Does the Tara Brooch fit the Golden Ratio?

2011-10-22T10:45:00.000+01:00

In today's Irish Times there is a small piece discussing the complexity of the famous Tara Brooch.

THE COMPLEXITY of the Tara brooch goes deeper than the creatures that line its metal edges.

Dr Michael Brennan dissected its symmetry and geometry at the National Museum of Ireland yesterday afternoon as part of Maths Week 2011.

The rest of the article can be read HERE.

Old Columban Art Exhibition

2011-10-22T00:05:00.000+01:00

Form VI, Still Life Drawing

2011-10-21T09:47:00.000+01:00

Today's images show Mr. Watts instructing and advising the Form VI Art pupils on the elements and principles involved in Still Life Composition. The Still Life question in the Leaving Certificate Exam accounts for 25% of the overall mark. The remaining marks are split between the Craft paper, Life Drawing and the History of Art.

Jonathan Shiell

Kim Jennings

Ciara O Byrne

Form 1, Printed Landscapes.

2011-10-13T17:27:00.002+01:00

Form I have continued to develop their printing skills and last week they produced printed landscapes using various materials including string, card, ink, rollers and sponges.

Daisy McKeever

John Bennet

Gregory Munday

Helena Gromotka

Jack Stokes

Senior pupils visit the Dublin Contemporary 2011

2011-10-03T10:46:00.000+01:00

Richard Mosse

On Friday evening Form V and Form VI art pupils visited the Dublin Contemporary 2011.

On the official website the theme of the exhibition is explained; 'The title and theme of Dublin Contemporary 2011 is Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance. Taken from William Butler Yeats’ famous poem “Easter, 1916”, the exhibition’s title borrows from the Irish writer’s seminal response to turn-of-the-century political events to site art’s underused potential for commenting symbolically on the world’s societal, cultural and economic triumphs and ills. The second part of the exhibition’s title underscores Dublin Contemporary 2011’s emphasis on art that captures the spirit of the present time, while introducing the exhibition’s chief organizational engine: The Office of Non-Compliance. The Office of Non-Compliance will function as a collaborative agency within Dublin Contemporary 2011, establishing creative solutions for real or symbolic problems that stretch the bounds of conventional art experience'.

When we arrived at the exhibition we were treated to a tour of a few selected pieces by artisits such as Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhor and Old Columban, Richard Mosse.

The exhibition runs until October 31 and is well worth a visit.

Thomas Hirschhor

Richard Mosse

Form I, Print.

2011-09-28T08:59:00.000+01:00

Form I have been working on various printing techniques over the past two weeks. This was further enhanced by their visit to Airfield House on Culture Night last week where they got to make their own mono prints under the watchful eyes of professional print artists.

Techniques explored in the classroom include impressions or rubbings, printing with found objects, potato printing and mono printing. Posted below are some examples of their work so far.

Impression making or rubbing.

Printing with found objects.

Monoprinting

The print is revealed.

Monoprint by Art Punch.

Monoprint by John Bennet.

Culture Night

2011-09-24T09:37:00.000+01:00

Last night the junior girls from Beresford House visited Airfield House, Farm and Gardens as part of 'Culture Night'. The programme of events at Airfield included viewing the farm and gardens, a printing demonstration as well as an opportunity to learn some stitching techniques and live music from the Hot Club of Dublin.

Our pupils arrived at Airfield just in time to take part in the tour of the Farm. Animals on the farm included chickens, geese, sheep, cows, pigs, horses, and goats.

After the tour there was time to visit the printing studios where pupils undertook to complete a mono print. This was all the more meaningful as a number of Form I pupils are currently involved in a print project in our own art room.

Pupils choose an image to print.

The image is etched
onto a plastic plate.

Ink is applied to the plate.

The plates are lined up ready to print

Pupils assist by preparing paper for printing

The prints are put through the press.

The finished prints are examined.

Finally the pupils enjoyed a relaxing moment in Airfield house listening to some music performed by the Hot Club of Dublin.

Culture Night

2011-09-22T08:26:00.000+01:00

Among a few items worth pointing out is this year's Culture night which takes place tomorrow on Fri 23rd September. There are lots of events organised and well worth visiting. Visit the ART section of the website for full details on arty events.

2011-09-22T08:25:00.000+01:00

If you were lucky enough to have obtained a 'Culture Night' free ticket for the Dublin Contemporary 2011, Ireland's International Art Exhibition, then this too is well worth a visit. Visit the official website for info on tickets and what is on show. The exhibit runs until October 31st so there are plenty of opportunities to visit.

Anna Bjerger, 'The Furnicular', Oil on board, 70 x 60 cm , 2008,

2011-09-22T08:24:00.000+01:00

And finally, in yesterday's Irish Times an article about the restoration of one of the National Galleries most treasured pieces appeared.

Tim O Brien writes, 'The National Gallery of Ireland has put its ongoing conservation of the iconic painting The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife online.

While the painting, described as one of the most important historic works in the gallery’s collection, is being conserved, visitors to the gallery’s website will be able to see into previously restricted areas, accessing updates of the work in progress through pictures and videos. There is also a document archive and descriptions of the significance of the painting.

The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife is the work of Cork-born artist Daniel Maclise (1806-1870) and is, in the words of the gallery’s director, Raymond Keaveney, “the size of a small lawn”. The online resource includes a timeline recording the various stages of the project since autumn 2010, when conservation was initiated'.

The rest of the article can be read HERE

Exhibition Review

2011-09-21T09:09:00.001+01:00

Posted today is Phoebe Morrell's (Form II) account of her visit to The Pearse Museum earlier in the week to see the Irish Guild of Embroiderers Exhibition titled 'Off the Wall'.

Today I went to The Pearse Museum with all of the Form II art pupils. In our art lessons at the moment we are focusing on the topic of embroidery, which is an image made up of different materials that have been sewn onto a background of your choice. At the Museum there were loads of different pictures, with many types of materials. Some pictures were very peaceful when I looked at them, because of the gentle colours the artist had used or the scene they had chosen to depict. One of my favourite ones was The Ocean Way by Mary Gray. It was a mixed-media water-scene made up of fabric, stitching and layers of paint. It also included hand embroidery stitches in cotton and metallic thread. I liked it because it was very simple but very pretty at the same time, with a lovely golden orange goldfish in the centre, surrounded by different shades of blues and some greens. It was a lovely experience for my first Art Trip.

By Phoebe Morrell, (Form II).

Pearse Museum

2011-09-19T21:13:00.001+01:00

Today Form II visited St. Enda's Park where they viewed the Embroiderers Guild Exhibition on the top floor of the Pearse Museum. Here they saw a number of traditional as well as contemporary embroidery techniques. Posted today are some images of the pupils at work in the Museum as well as a group shot in the courtyard beside the Museum!

Embroidery Exhibition

2011-09-18T20:18:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow, Form II artists will visit the Irish Guild of Embroiderers exhibition 'Off the Wall ', which is on display at the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham.

Pupils will examine traditional embroidery techniques, in addition to some of the latest innovations regarding fabric printing, dying and machine embroidery.

New Term!

2011-09-09T08:30:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to a new term here at The College! Art classes just began yesterday so we took time to look through the archives for some examples of pupil work. Posted today is work by OC Greg Howie . His distraught and angst ridden portraits still adorn one of the supporting pillars in the Art Room. They are somewhat reminisent of the infamous Edvard Munch painting 'The Scream' (shown here as a print).

That said, we are looking forward to another hugely creative and productive year! Congratulations to the Form VI leavers whose overall exam performance was, once again, incredible. We are also looking forward to a very exciting exhibition which is none other than an exhibition of Old Columban Artists which will take place here at The College during the coming Michaelmas Term; more news on that in the coming weeks. We also look forward to working with the new budding artists some of whom displayed their talents for us last term.

Leaving Certificate Craft Exam

2011-06-14T19:55:00.002+01:00

Over the past week the Leaving Certificate Craft work was examined here at the College. Posted today are some examples of the clay modelling work created for this exam.

Toni Hoffmann

Daniel Roden

Imogen Wardell

The Art Books of Henri Matisse

2011-06-08T21:03:00.000+01:00

Today Form Primary and Form I visited the Chester Beatty Library where the Art Books of Henri Matisse are on Exhibition. Included in the exhibition are four of his most famous books, two of which are owned by the library and his celebrated 'Jazz' book which is on loan from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Collection.

The exhibition will run until September 25th.

Icarus

In The News...

2011-05-26T17:23:00.001+01:00

Over the last couple of days the Irish Times has published articles on two exhibitions both worth visiting. Firstly, the link to the full article on the Annual RHA exhibition is HERE. The exhibition includes work by T.P. Flanagan, Erin Quinn and Rachel Parry.

The second article, published today, discusses The Art Works Of Henri Matisse going on display at the Chester Beatty Library. Read the full article HERE.

Future Columban Artists!

2011-05-21T15:23:00.000+01:00

Squares with concentric circles by Wassily Kandinsky.

Today the College hosted an induction day for new Junior entrants to the College for the next academic year. The Art Department had an opportunity to tap into their create side this afternoon, and inspired by the work of Wassily Kandinsky they produced a huge mural in less than one hour! In fact until the work is fully dry and hanging on a wall it is impossible to photograph it as a mural!

Photos posted below show the process as well as sections of the finished mural.

Business as usual!

2011-05-21T09:36:00.001+01:00

It appears that we may have sorted our technical glitch and now hope posting can continue as usual!

Posted today is work by Form II. They spent last week examining the concept of emotions and feelings and how they are expressed. Firstly they chose an emotion from a list provided, and were asked to reflect the meaning of the word in the text of the word. This could include imagery as well as suitable use of colour, size, shape and type of font.

Their next exercise in exploring the concept of how we experience emotions and feelings is to create an 'emotional box'. Once again pupils were asked to choose an emotion from a list provided and to create a box in which the emotion can be felt . Results will be posted in the coming weeks and it will be interesting to see how we image emotions can be tangibly felt!

(Please excuse spelling error above !)

Hiccup!

2011-05-19T21:48:00.000+01:00

Scc Art have been experiencing some technical difficulties in recent days but hope to have it sorted very soon..... sorry!

Examinations

2011-05-15T21:47:00.001+01:00

The Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate Exams are now over. They were held last week and now our Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate pupils are feeling very relieved!

Senior cycle pupils took the craft paper and disciplines such as clay modelling and batik were explored. The Junior Certificate drawing exam allowed for a number of man made or organic objects to be drawn. These were then added to their projects along with their life drawings and the envelopes were sealed.

Identity

2011-05-13T20:15:00.000+01:00

The Form I Identity project has continued to develop over the last week. All pupils are using text to help to portray their identity pictire. Some pupils have also opted to use colour. Posted today are some examples of the work in progress.

Identity

2011-05-06T13:21:00.000+01:00

School has now resumed for the final Trinity Term which will bring the academic year 2010/2011 to a close. The Form I began work on a new project yesterday based on the theme of IDENTITY. Using finger prints as a starting point they will go on to produce an 'Identity Image' which will also incorporate text. Also worth pointing out is our new hugely valuble resource; the projector! (See the photo below!)

After taking finger prints using paint, the pupils began to draw the contour lines from their finger prints on larger sheets of paper. Next they will have to compose suitale text which will also suit their identity.

Gala Concert Poster Competition

2011-04-07T18:00:00.000+01:00

Gala Concert Poster Competition entry

by Fenia Miescke, Form V.

3rd place prize.

Gala Concert Poster Competition

2011-04-06T10:33:00.000+01:00

Gala Concert Poster entry by Rachel Rogers, Form IV.

2nd place prize.

IMMA Exhibition

2011-04-05T22:06:00.000+01:00

An article in the culture section of today's Irish Times examines the turbulant lives and realationship of the artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. An exhibition of their work opens tomorrow at IMMA. The full Irish Times article can be read HERE.

Gala Concert Poster Competition

2011-04-05T12:53:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Aoise Keogan-Nooshadadi in Form V who won the Gala Concert Poster Design Competition.

Rachel Rogers (Form IV) was awarded second place and Fenia Miescke (From V) took the third place prize.

The remaining entries will be posted in the coming days.

2011-04-04T13:01:00.004+01:00

Distinctions were awarded to the following pupils on the evening of the Art Prize Awards and Exhibition.

Marina Wright
Caroline Kavanagh
Michael Murphy
Freddie Morris
Marina Pollock

Arthur Moffitt
Fleur Pay
Samuel Allen
Christian McKeever
Mark McCauley
Nicole Cosgrove
Rachel Rogers
Jonathan Shiells
Henry Roe
Fenia Miescke
Susannah Cooke
Milly Murphy
Imogen Wardell

Art Prize Evening

2011-04-03T21:59:00.001+01:00

Old Columban and renowned photographer James Fennell (pictured left) visited the college last night to speak to the pupils about his work as a professional photographer and to adjudicate the art pupil's work and award the Art, Craft and Photography Prizes. Following a very stimulating talk about his various photography projects and published works from Interiors of Sri Lanka to the Vanishing Ireland series, James then awarded the following prizes.

Janet Boyd, Form I, won the Junior Craft Prize and Ciaran Chisholm, Form I, was awarded a commendation for his work in the area of craft and painting. Samuel Clarke, Form II, won the Junior Art Prize. Amelia Shirley, Form VI, won the Photography Prize. There was a joint Senior Craft Prize awarded to Imogen Wardell and Toni Hoffmann and Daniel Roden won the Earl of Meath Senior Art Prize. Due to the large amount of quality work in a number of disciplines from photography to craft and fine art, Daphne Wright, Form VI, was awarded a commendation. There were also a number of distinctions awarded throughout the forms, the names of which will be published here in the coming days.

Painting by Daphne Wright (Form VI)

Clay Modelling By Imogen Wardell (Form VI)

Clay Modelling By Toni Hoffmann

Senior Prize winning pupils photographed with guest speaker James Fennell and Mr Watts.

Rivera/Khalo Exhibition

2011-04-02T10:00:00.000+01:00

This Portrait of Mrs Natasha Gelman by Diego Rivera will form part of a forthcoming exhibition which will open at the Irish Museum of Modern Art on April 6th 2011.

Photo from the Irishtimes.

Art Prizes and Exhibition 2011

2011-03-30T10:36:00.001+01:00

Saturday evening will see the annual Art Prize and Exhibition Evening take place in the BSR. All pupils studying art are invited to exhibit work and the art prizes, both senior and junior, will be awarded by this year's guest judge and speaker photographer James Fennell (OC). James Fennell's website says he 'is an Irish photographer specializing in Interiors, Fashion, Portraiture and Travel. On assignment around the world, he captures in his work the vastly different people, culture and lifestyles that have led him to four continents so far.

Whether working for clients like Conde Nast, or compelled to shoot simply because that’s what a photographer does, he captures striking images that have appeared in magazines and advertising worldwide. James has photographed numerous books on Ireland and abroad and 2011 will see his work appear in a further five books'.

We look forward to his visit on Saturday evening !

Gala Concert Poster Competition

2011-03-29T21:29:00.000+01:00

Reminder to all that the entries for the Gala Concert Poster Competition are due in by Friday April 1st.

Click HERE for full details.

Posted below is a sneak preview of two of the entries from Form V pupils Jonathan Sheill and Jong Ryul Jeon.

Preparation for the annual Exhibition & Art Prize

2011-03-26T09:58:00.002Z

Amongst other projects this year the Form VI Q set began, and are now in the final stages of a groupwork clay modelling project. Using the College Chapel as a starting point for the project they chose to depict the words 'I will fear no evil' in a number of clay tiles. They hope to have the pieces glaze fired for the annual art exhibition and prizes evening which will be held in the BSR on the evening of Saturday April 2nd.

Click HERE to see last year's winning entries.

Bisque fired clay tiles.

Glazing the tiles.

Junior Cert Art

2011-03-25T15:42:00.000Z

Pupils are now at the stage of completing either the 3d construction or craft option section of the project. In order to complete the project on time there will have to be lots of hard work in the coming weeks leading up to the Easter break. The Junior Cert exam will take place almost as soon as we return to school next term so the pressure is on to complete the project! Posted below are examples of construction, batik, clay modelling and lino printing.

Ludo Stewart

Pia Gromotka

Nicolo Carlotti

Pia Gromotka

William Tidey

Alison Crampton

Gala Concert Poster Competition

2011-03-15T08:24:00.001Z

Winner 2010 Imogen Wardell

Once again it is time to begin preparing for the annual Gala Concert and that includes the design for the poster.

The theme of the poster is up to you but it must fill the following criteria;

The poster must be A3 in size,

it must be a portrait format,

and clearly present the following information;

Gala Concert

8pm Saturday May 21st 2011

with the Keynotes and pupils of St. Columba's College

Strong colours and composition will help with overall appeal.

Deadline for entries is Friday 1st April.

1st Prize E100

2nd Prize E50

3rd Prize E25

Leaving Certificate Mock Still Life

2011-03-11T09:02:00.000Z

Leaving Certificate Mock Still Life

2011-03-10T12:56:00.001Z

Leaving Certificate Mock Craftwork

2011-03-08T10:29:00.001Z

Milly Murphy

Toni Hoffmann

Daniel Roden

Amelia Shirley

Georgina Wilson

Leaving Certificate Mock Exams 2011

2011-03-07T13:37:00.002Z

Form VI completed their Mock Art Exams last week. Over the coming days Scc Art will post images from the two days of exams during which pupils completed a craft, a still life and a life drawing exam.

Georgina Wilson

Toni Hoffmann

Imogen Wardell

Milly Murphy

Form III Junior Cert Art Projects.

2011-03-03T10:57:00.000Z

The Junior Cert Art pupils are really beginning to feel the pressure now! Posted below are examples of work in progress from the different sections of the project.

Sarah Whelan (2D Studies)

Ludo Stewart (3D Studies)

Louisa Gibbs (3D Studies)

Sally Kemp (Craft Option)

Coral Reef

2011-02-28T11:38:00.000Z

Form Primary are continuing with their project which highlights the decline of the coral reef. Working from their drawings they are making 3D models made of card, paper and plaster of paris.

Some sites worth visiting which are also concerned with the decline of the coral reef are Reef Relief and the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef.

Landscape Painting

2011-02-18T09:03:00.001Z

The painting posted below is by Susannah Cooke who is a member of the Form VI Q Set art class.

She worked from a secondary source (a photograph) for this painting and the medium she used was acrylic on canvas.

Leaving Certificate Craftwork

2011-02-16T07:54:00.001Z

Posted today is an excellent example of Leaving Certificate clay modelling. Imogen Wardell's work is a clay model representation of a Hermit Crab. After bisque firing the clay model Imogen choose to paint it with acrylics rather than glaze the piece.

Life Drawing

2011-02-14T08:27:00.002Z

Form V has been practising their life drawing skills. Often it can be difficult to critically analyse one's drawings whilst working on them. It is common practice to 'stand back' from our work in order to assess its qualities. It is for this reason that Form V worked on large pages and used a long paintbrush with chalk taped on to the end (literally standing at a full arm's length from their pages). This way of working forced the pupils outside their comfort zone and allowed for evaluation of their drawing while drawing. The results are very promising and show a greater understanding of the elements involved in life drawing, especially that of proportion.

2011-02-14T08:27:00.000Z

Here are some links which show some well known artists working outside the usual 'comfort zone'

Picasso can be seen working on a large scale drawing and Jackson Pollock demonstrates 'action painting'.

Form I Batik

2011-02-08T08:01:00.002Z

Using the following themes as a starting point, Form I have developed a design suitable for translation into Batik. The themes from which they had to choose were;

The Jungle
Underwater World
The Circus

The pupils used a wide variety of cracking and veining techniques along with a strong sense of colour to create the finished batiks.

Michael Murphy

Caroline Kavanagh

Freddie Morris

Marina Wright

Form VI Q Set Painting

2011-02-07T07:29:00.001Z

Form VI Q Set paintings continue to develop from last week. Almost all pupils in the set are finished the planning stage and have begun their final painting.

Miriam Poulton

Acrylic on canvas

Iona Hamilton- Stubber

Acrylic on board

Olivia Plunket

Acrylic on canvas

Coral Reef

2011-02-04T09:38:00.000Z

Form Primary have been researching the environment of the gravely endangered Coral Reef. Their research has taken two paths; that of reading and drawing (some of which are posted below). The website Reef Relief has information as well as some beautiful pictures all about Coral Reef Ecosystems.

The fragility of the Coral Reefs has also been highlighted in the travelling exhibition; The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef. This exhibit helps to explain both the mathematical structures of coral through crochet as well as drawing attention to the environmental crisis surrounding it.

Google Art Project

2011-02-03T20:06:00.002Z

Google has launched the Art Project. Art Project is a collaboration with some of the world’s most acclaimed art museums to allow people to discover and view many artworks online in extraordinary detail.

In short, it is just like Google Street view but inside various art museums. You can move around the halls and explore all the artwork in detail.

With the Google Art Project, people anywhere in the world will be able to learn about the history and artists behind a huge number of works by simply clicking a mouse.

Learn more on the youtube link below or go directly to the Google Art Project HERE.

An Báinín

2011-01-31T08:30:00.001Z

Saturday evening witnessed the first gathering of the new An Báinín club. This club is available to pupils as part of Saturday evening activities. An Báinín is a knitting club and is the brain child of a group of Form V girls. The girls have turned to knitting not just for the sake of learning a craft, but also because they benefit from its therapeutic properties, plus they can create functional and useful pieces of wool craft.

The resurgence of knitting as a pastime is evident in the number of knit classes running all over the country. 'This is Knit', a shop in Dublin City Center, holds classes and stocks all necessary tools and equipment needed to indulge in the craft. They even offer some free knitting patterns to get you started.

Form VI Q Set Painting

2011-01-29T10:04:00.001Z

The pictures posted today are works in progress by two of the Form VI Art Q Set. They had free reign in choosing the subject mattter for their paintings. Various materials were also made available to the pupils so that they could choose the media most suited to them. The results look to be very promising indeed!

Iona Hamilton-Stubber

Acrylic on board.

Susannah Cooke

Acrylic on canvas.

Art History Expedition

2011-01-28T07:53:00.013Z

Last week the Form V and VI visted the National Museum and Newgrange as part of their History of Art studies. Tyrone Langham from Form V has written the following review;

We were then shown some stone and amber beads and ritual jewellery that were incredibly well crafted. One that particularly stood out to me was the head of a hammer that was made from a rare flint that ranged in colour form orange to grey. It was so smooth that our tour guide said it would have taken at least sixty years to rub and polish by hand to make it what it is today. She also said that the average life expectancy was only around forty years so it would have been handed down generations and used in all kinds of rituals and sacrifices to their pagan gods.

After this we moved on in time to the use of metals such as gold and bronze, we were shown a number of artefacts such as gold torcs and brooches. These, like the hammer would have taken considerable time and precision to craft. The process of making a gold torc for example would start at the edge of a river where someone would sieve gold from the mud using sheep skin and then gather up all the pieces and melt them into gold ingots which were beaten by hand into the shape they wanted. The torcs are all no more than millimetres thick so would have taken great care beating the gold. They were then decorated using very fine etching skills. These artefacts were all fascinating to see for real as opposed to our usual hand-outs in class, so we could actually see the care and delicacy that went into them. We were then shown some of the better known exhibition pieces that we had all studied in class and drawn many times for prep. One piece I particularly liked was the carved stone head which was to represent a god and had three faces which showed different moods of their gods.

Last of all on our tour was the Iconic Treasures section. On show here were some pieces I had just been studying such as the Ardagh Chalice and the Tara Brooch. These were absolutely amazing to see simply because of how intricate the designs and decorations were. The Ardagh Chalice was a lot smaller than I had imagined. It would have been used for religious purposes and it dates back to early Christianity so would have been used in monasteries. With its enamel studs and gold filigree I thought it was the most impressive artefact from that time.

We left the museum and drove all the way to the Boyne Valley in Co. Meath. The bus left us at the Brú Na Bóinne visitors centre where we had a bite to eat and then walked across the river Boyne and took a short bus ride Newgrange. We could see it from miles away and we were very lucky it was a sunny day so the light really brought it to life. It is a grass mound surrounded by large curb stones (weighing an average of six tons) and much smaller white quartz stones, the white make it stand out for miles around. The whole monument is 62 meters in diameter and about 10 meters high in the center. It dates back to before Stone Henge and before the pyramids. Our tour guide Jackie, took us to the front of the monument and told us how originally all the quartz stones had to be brought from further up the coast then brought up the Boyne on curraghs. The huge curb stones had to be brought by rolling them on logs from about 6 kilometers away.

The tomb was built for burial and what makes it one of the most famous tombs in Europe is that it is aligned perfectly so that on the winter solstice the sun upon rising will shine through a box above the door and will illuminate the passage and the burial site in the center, this would have taken a lot of research into sun patterns. We were shown a recreation of this using lights but it still gave us an idea what it would be like. After leaving the tomb we all walked around it and admired the work on the kerb stones around the edge before returning to the coach and College.

Restoration of Harry Clarke Windows At St. Mel's Cathedral

2011-01-21T15:26:00.001Z

In today's Irish Times there is an article which reminds us of the fine stained glass on view in Churches across the country. Arminta Wallace writes ' Over the past quarter of a century the name of Harry Clarke has become synonymous with stained glass in Ireland. But many of the windows we know as “Harry Clarkes” are actually the work of his younger colleagues at Harry Clarke Studios, among them the windows at St Mel’s in Longford, designed by Richard King'. Read the full article HERE.

Here at the college we have our own fine collection of stained glass in the Chapel. Also on display in the college is a piece by Evie Hone who would have been a contemporary of the designer Richard King.

The room dedicated to Stained Glass at the Hugh Lane Gallery also includes the The Eve of St Agnes by Harry Clarke which was recently visited by a younger member of the greater college community (as seen below).

Batik by Form II.

2011-01-20T13:30:00.001Z

Form II have begun work on designing and completing a batik. Working from a chosen theme pupils were required to complete a design suitable for the craft of Batik. The designs must be coloured before the application of wax to the fabric. This will ensure that the correct steps are taken to realise their proposed design. Posted below are some examples of pupil work at different stages of the entire Batik process from the design stage right through to the application of wax and dye to the fabric. Batik can be a slow process as it is necessary for the fabric to completely dry out inbetween the application of each colour. Completed Batiks will be posted in the coming weeks.

Design on Paper by Samual Clarke

Design on Paper with a preliminary sketch on fabric by Marina Pollock

Sophie Lamotte applies wax to fabric to reval her drawing, all the while paying close attention to her initial design

Edward Tottenham's Batik with its first application of wax and dye

Our Ancient Past

2011-01-20T08:35:00.001Z

Today Form V and Form VI artists will visit the National Museum in Dublin and Newgrange in Co. Meath. There are a number of online resources which pupils can look at to reinforce the experiences from their trip. Suggested sites include the official website for Newgrange, shee-eire, Encyclopedia of Irish and World Art, and the Knowth website. The unique site at Newgrange and its neighbouring Knowth and Dowth has proven to be a continuous source of inspiration for Historians and Artists alike. Indeed many of the motifs found at these sites have been incorporated into numerous objets d'art that have come to constitute part of our national identity.

Junior Certificate Art Projects

2011-01-18T09:45:00.000Z

Joon Hee Kim

Ludo Stewart

Leonie Unkiel

Junior Certificate Art Projects

2011-01-17T11:56:00.001Z

Junior Certificate Projects are well underway but there is still much work to be done. This Hilary Term is longer than usual on account of Easter being so late so it is really inportant that the projects are completed in good time. As in years past there will be no time in the final term for tying up loose ends on the projects. Posted below, and again tomorrow are examples of on-going project work.

Molly Dunne

Sadhbh Sheeran

Louisa Gibbs

Art Club

2011-01-15T22:03:00.001Z

Tonight was the first Saturday evening of activities this term. The Art Room was a hive of activity with Form III pupils working on their Junior Cert projects while some members of Form Primary experimented with paint.

Posted below are two paintings by members of Form Primary.

Portrait of a Girl by Penny Nash

On the Golf Course by Petra Duran Basso.

Irish Landscape Photographer

2011-01-12T10:49:00.000Z

Today's Irish Times takes time to examine Irish landscape photographer Enda Cavanagh's new book, Exploring the Irish Landscape.

'His book is a fine summary of his landscape work to date. A welcome addition to its genre, one of its many virtues is that it’s responsive to the breathtaking beauty of the Irish landscape, while also viewing it coolly, documenting the complexity of the country rather than reinforcing old stereotypes.'

The full article can be read HERE.

Science and Art

2011-01-11T20:36:00.000Z

The results of last year's Frog Blog Science Week Art Competition have been announced! Congratulations to Rachel Rogers in Form IV. Rachel was awarded first prize for her excellent painting of a Golden Eagle.

Texaco Children's Art Competition

2011-01-11T09:54:00.000Z

A new year and a new term has now begun here at St. Columba's College. It is also time once again for pupils to begin thinking about the Texaco Children's Art Competition. Samuel Clarke, now in Form II, had great success last year and was awarded with a special merit for his painting of a 'Wild Donegal Strand'.

Click HERE for details on how to prepare your entry. Closing date is Friday 25th of February.

End of Term

2010-12-17T08:41:00.001Z

Today is the last day of term. Scc Art leaves you until January with a few more examples of senior cycle batik work for viewing. Merry Christmas!

Joanna Tottenham Form V

Ciara O Byrne Form VI

Daphne Wright Form VI

A Closer Look

2010-12-13T09:03:00.001Z

Last night the Annual Junior Certificate Art Exhibition was held in the Big Schoolroom after the Chapel Carol Service. It is a popular event and last night was no exception. Posted today is a closer look at some of the individual pieces of work by last year's Junior Certificate pupils. There is evidence here of a broad range of materials being used for the various crafts from batik to clay, wire and clay modelling to casting and plaster carving.

Rachel Rogers

Ora Seth-Smith & Eleanor Dolphin

Timothy Hone

Archie Macauley

Eleanor Dolphin

Junior Certificate 2009/2010 Art Exhibition.

2010-12-11T09:25:00.000Z

The Art Department is gearing up for the Annual Art Exhibition of last year's Junior Certificate Art Projects. The Exhibition which is held in the Big Schoolroom will begin at approximitely 9pm following the Carol Service in the College Chapel. Posted today is a sneak preview of some of the work on display.

Form VI Craft, Batik.

2010-12-04T12:01:00.001Z

Batik by Amelia Shirley Form VI

Form I Landscape Painting

2010-11-27T14:44:00.000Z

Cormac McCooey

Michael Murphy

Freddie Morris

Marina Wright

Landscape Painting

2010-11-26T12:24:00.001Z

Evidenced in these Form I paintings is the inspiration that pupils drew from the collection of National Geographic Magazines which are part of the Art Department's resources. Some of the pupils used their own personal photos (see the image which depicts two children walking on the beach with their father). The pupils painted on the back of an off-cut of leatherette. The paint took to the reverse of the leatherette very well and the resultant texture (both visual and tactile) of the paintings closely resembles that of a canvas painting. There will be more paintings posted tomorrow.

Ciaran Chisholm

Janet Boyd

Caroline Kavanagh

Metamorphosis

2010-11-23T11:50:00.004Z

Every Monday some members of Form II working with Ms. Caroline Lynch (student teacher, Hdip. ADE NCAD). At present they are designing vessels to be constructed out of clay which also take the form of an animal. The main construction technique they will be using is coiling. Posted today are some of their drawings from the design process stage of the project.

2010-11-23T11:47:00.000Z

Posted below are a couple of examples of how an animal form could be morphed into a clay vessel.

'I Will Fear No Evil'

2010-11-22T13:39:00.001Z

Posted today are more photographs of the clay modelling work by the Form VI Art Q-Set.

Each of the five tiles will be assembled and displayed as a unit after they are bisque and glaze fired.

Form VI Q Set Chapel Project. 'I Will Fear No Evil'

2010-11-20T12:05:00.002Z

'I Will Fear No Evil' are words inscribed within the Chapel walls here at the College. When researching this project, The Form VI Q Set pupils recorded much information from the Chapel but settled on these words for their project. They decided to work individually but with the intention of displaying the clay tiles together. Many of the designs and motifs that appear in the Chapel provided the inspiration for the decoration on the individual tiles. This planning required the pupils to work together when making decisions in order to make sure the final piece looks unified. The tiles are now drying out and will be glaze fired after the initial bisque firing. More detailed images will be posted on Monday.

Anamorphosis Perspective

2010-11-17T21:43:00.000Z

The Ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger hangs in the National Gallery, London. It is a a double portrait, but the painting also contains a still-life of several objects. It is also an example of anamorphosis in painting.

Anamorphosis is a distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image. "Ana - morphosis" comes from the Greek words meaning "formed again."

2010-11-17T21:40:00.001Z

Posted below are more still-life examples from Form V. If drawing and painting is not your strength you can still create your own still-life ; just click on this link!

Jonathan Shiell

Fenia Miescke

Kim Jennings

Jong Ryul Jeon

Alice Alexander

Angus Johnson

2010-11-16T12:47:00.000Z

Paul Cezanne

Still life with a Skull

Vincent Van Gogh

Skeleton with a Cigarette

Still Life with Skull

2010-11-16T12:45:00.001Z

Form V have been working on still life composition. Included in their compositions is a skull, a symbol of death and mortality. The skull has appeared in many paintings through the History of Art.One such 'vanitas' painting by the Dutch painter Steenwyck can be viewed HERE.

More examples of Form V work will be posted in the coming days.

Ciara O Byrne

Tyrone Langham

Aoife Gernon

Joanna Tottenham

Leonie von Stotzingen