In addition to developing their drawing and painting skills, all pupils are given the opportunity to experiment using different mediums:

Our Specialist Art Teacher: Ms Hannah Mundy

At Oakfield Academy we believe that there is creativity within every child and our aim is to install a life long love of the subject so that it becomes integral within their daily life long after they have left school. We also believe that art is not only a vehicle in which to express feelings and thoughts but can also help build self-esteem and confidence and give pupils a sense of ambition.

Over the four years pupils will continue to learn how to draw and paint whilst developing new skills such as printing, modelling in clay and mod-roc, collage, mixed medium, working with found objects and contributing to group sculptures etc. Pupils will learn about, and create art inspired by, a variety of artists and art movements from across time and place. Pupils are encouraged within each project to explore their creativity and to experiment and take risks with their ideas. Links with other subjects are many within the school. The world war topics in English are enhanced by dramatic and artistic illustrations and the reggae project in music sees many original and artistic methods for presenting their research etc. 

Along side an exciting and varied curriculum, pupils are given plenty of opportunities to enter local and national art competitions such as the Black Swan Young Open and the Frome Town Hall Christmas card competition as well as the Royal Mail Christmas Stamp design competition, which one of our year 6s successfully won out of 205,000 entries. 

Workshops within school include working with local artists making lanterns for the Frome Lantern Parade and creating art for the school window for the local Window Wanderland event.

Art trips include the annual year 7 trip to Montacute house linking up with their self portrait project and gallery visits and workshops held at the Hauser and Wirth gallery in Bruton or Tate Britain in London. 

The art department also runs after school clubs such as the ceramic workshop with a local artist to create a mural for the school yard and the set design club that designs and makes the scenery and props for the school production.

 

Art & Design Documents

Oakfield Academy celebrates effort and ambition in art. This week's artwork was produced in art lessons, at home and at our Specialist Art club: 

2023/2024

 

Ambitious Artists Year 5

Oakfield Artists of the Week - Year 5

This week, we are celebrating ambitious artists in year 5.  Pupils have been mark-making on clay to create these beautifully designed 'Hamsa' hands (Hamsa, or 'khamsa', means 'five' in Arabic).  Thank you to the following pupils for sharing their excellent examples: 

Max Baily 5S/FLG, Miles Harper 5S, Lacey Jean Stelcel 5A, Archie Campbell-Brooks 5A, Ramesa Khan 5A, Marcella Saye 5R, Ottilie Timms 5R, Ocean Bowker-Ghey 5R, Hannah Murphy-Gay 5S

A special mention to Aiden Kennedy 6R, who produced a wonderful piece of independent work, based on the Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama: 

Ambitious Artists Year 5

Window Wonderland Feb 24

Frome 'Window Wanderland' is a fun community festival, where anyone in Frome can make a display in their windows for the public to view throughout the coming weekend (Friday 1 – 3 March 2024). Please visit the Window Wanderland website to access the map so you can plan your route and take part in the walk. 

 

https://www.windowwanderland.com/event/frome-2024/

 

At Oakfield, our Wanderland windows celebrate our upcoming play, ‘Macbeth’, which is taking place on 20 March. Congratulations to year 6, who all took part to create a collaborative piece at the front of the school - please check out the drama studio windows, as well as the windows further along the block. 

Here are some examples of pupils’ work (but they will look even better if you view them in the evening, on your Wanderland walk!). Special thanks to Thomas and Sam, who helped me put up the work, as well as working on the giant murals.  

 

Thomas Higgins 6R

Sam Incledon 6R

Florence Andrews 6R

Isla Castle 6O 

 

Window Wonderland

Oakfield Celebrates Ambitions Artists

 

'Ambition' is a core concept of Oakfield's Infinity Curriculum. Practice makes perfect in any skill; pupils who keep a sketchbook, or produce art at home, will have an advantage when they move onwards in their art education. It is a pleasure to get to see the artwork that Oakfield pupils have produced at home or in our art club. This week, I would like to celebrate the following pupils, who demonstrate ambition in art:  

  • Bea Baylis 7A
  • Imogen Speddings 7O
  • Elsabeth Harper 7O
  • Scarlett Kotyrba 7N
  • Ethel Downes 7N
  • Louie Nicholls 8O

Ambitious Artists

Year 6 Focussing on art form : Artist Yayio Kusama

This term, year 6 pupils have been focusing on the wonderful work of the female Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama: she is famous for her vibrant sculptures and 'infinity room' installations (where the whole room or space is an immersive artwork). Within the unit, pupils have been working with the elements colour, texture and form. I look forward to showing you their clay sculptures in a few weeks' time - in the meantime, I hope you enjoy pupils' drawings, which are based on Kusama's giant flower sculptures.  

Special mention to year 7 pupils:  Tye Coates, Indigo Dixon and Zoja Biela-Claire. 

Year 7 were given an extended homework: an 'animal/self-portrait' task to support understanding of portrait structure and proportions. Congratulations to Tye, Indigo and Zoja, who worked hard to produce high quality artwork in their own time.

 

Yayoi Kusama

 

Colour and Composition ; Georgia O'Keeffe

This term, year 8 pupils have been focusing on colour and composition: learning how to mix colours effectively and how to fill a space in a beautiful way in a work of art. To support their learning, they have been studying the work and life of the American artist, Georgia O'Keeffe. She loved natural forms and spent much of her life in the wilderness of New Mexico, painting what she saw; some of her favourite subjects were flowers, bones and landscape. 

In their sketchbooks, year 8s have worked on observational paintings of animal skulls and flowers - the skills focus was on colour mixing and creating an interesting composition. 

 

Colour and Composition

 

Value Depth & Luminosity 

This term, year 8 pupils have been focusing on the element of ‘value’: how to create an effect of depth and luminosity in a work of art. They also worked on balanced composition: the careful placement of the subject or objects within a work of art. The pupils’ final assessed piece was an observational study of seashells. Pupils selected an effective composition, produced a line drawing in their sketchbooks, and finally, enlarged their drawings using a grid technique. Using charcoal as their medium, their final focus was on creating a ‘high value’ piece of work, through the use of a full range of tints (highlights) and shades (dark tones).  I hope you enjoy these examples.

 

Early Graffiti & pop artist Keith Haring

Oakfield Academy celebrates effort and ambition in art. This week's year 6 pupils have been working in the style of the early graffiti and pop artist, Keith Haring.  The study of known artists helps our pupils to gain inspiration, develop technical skills and understand more about the history of art.  

 

Also included today, two pieces of art from our specialist art club: 

Graffiti & pop artist Keith Haring

 

Lantern Making Oct 23

Frome Light the Night is led by artists Mel Day and Aliss Vaas. They have been running the Frome Lantern Parade since 2017, supported by Frome Town Council. On Thursday, Oakfield pupils from years 7 and 8 were invited to take part in one of their annual lantern workshops, at the Academy. This year’s parade theme is ‘Ice’ and our pupils made giant penguins. It was a fantastic day - pupils were creative, engaged and  produced beautiful work. Please come to the centre of Frome on Friday 24 November to see our pupils represent Oakfield Academy at the parade.  
For more information: 
https://www.discoverfrome.co.uk

Lantern Workshops

Halloween Oct 23

WhooOOOOOoooo... Happy Halloween from the Art department!  These pieces were created independently at home or in the Specialist Art club.   

Frankie 7O - Halloween hands , Jessica  7R - Graveyard scene, Ivy  - Halloween Designs , Holly  8S - Skull, Ayla  7S - Ink and paint hand, Millie  8S - Crime scene, Alfie 7S - Halloween cats.

Art Halloween

 

Year 8 Pupils Oct 23

Year 8 has been focusing on 'value': how to create a sense of depth and luminosity in a work of art, and composition: how artists might consider placement of subject or objects within a work of art. 

 

Year 8 Art Values

2022/2023

Year 7 pupils June 23

As part of activity week, local Potter Kim Burchill has been working with year 7 pupils to create ceramics for the wall of their ‘ maple quad’. Inspired by the maple tree and using its leaves as templates all pupils have created a leaf which will be used as part of a group piece of art work to be put up later once the pieces has been glazed and fired. 

Clay Activites

Year 6 Pupils April 23

Year 6 pupils designing art work with artist Mel Day to be sold to raise money for for the counselling charity We Hear You (WHY) Work was exhibited at the Silk Mill in the ‘6x6 community’ exhibition.

Silk Mill Community Exhibition

We wanted to say a huge thank you to the Oakfield students, teachers and families for their involvement with the 6x6 exhibition last month! Laura Holden Manager of the Why Gallery.

 Tutor group 7N created some amazing portraits around the themes; The Commonwealth Countries, British Food, British Brands, British Landmarks, the NHS, the Royal Family and their animals. 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Careers documents - Art & Design