Visit of Leading Artist
05 Feb 2010
Sixth Form art students at Solihull School have been able to draw on their creative potential with the help of a renowned portrait artist.
John Denaro held two all-day workshops at the co-educational independent school in Warwick Road to demonstrate his skills and help the A-Level Art group create giant self-portraits of their own in charcoal and pastel.
The former professional pavement artist, who has been holding workshops at the school for the past six years, gave individual tuition to the students who produced their works on large brown paper on their art studio floor.
John Denaro said: “I was extremely impressed by the attitude and enthusiasm of the pupils – as well as the end results.”
John Nickson, Head of Art at Solihull School, said: “The workshops gave our pupils the chance to work on a large scale, increasing their confidence and introducing them to a structured way of drawing.”
The portraits, he added, will be displayed in specially produced large frames changed on a regular basis in the school’s new George Hill building, a new 16-classroom teaching area opened in 2005.
John Denaro, who studied fine art in Stourbridge before working as a psychiatric nurse for 15 years, became a full-time pavement artist in 1987.
Until 1996 he earned his living travelling the country drawing large scale photo-realistic portraits of famous faces and people.
Back to News Headlines