Last week, I took my year 12 art class to the National Portrait gallery to see the BP Portrait Award 2016 exhibition along with the permanent collection. On the way from Waterloo station, we stopped off at several locations around the city, where I got them to do an on the spot drawing activity. Upon arrival at the NPG, the students were given further drawing and contextual instructions, ending with a wonderful talk organised free of charge by the gallery. I was so pleased to see how the students responded both visually and thoughtfully to the work around them, engaging in conversation and being inspired by the broad range of art on display. There was something for every kind of artist and it was so interesting to see which works the individual students were drawn to. We followed our trip with a two day Oil Portrait Painting workshop back at school, while the inspiration was still fresh in their minds. It's hard to find time to go to art galleries, but seeing art in reality is such an important part of being an artist. Try and visit a gallery or museum at least once a month if you can. Many galleries have late closing times at the end of the week, so you could even take a group of friends and make a night of it.

Blog