STUDENTS at Errigal College participated in an art workshop as part of an all-island initiative, Creative Connections on Wednesday afternoon
The project is a collaborative effort between the school’s Art teacher, Mrs. Crossan, and renowned Letterkenny-based artist, Audrey Henry.
Creative Connections was launched earlier this year by Minister for Education, Helen McEntee, and Northern Ireland’s Education Minister, Paul Givan. The programme young people the unique opportunity to work with professional artists, bringing creativity and the arts directly into their learning.
During April and May, Audrey Henry took up a short-term artist residency at the Letterkenny school, working closely with a group of 20 enthusiastic first-year pupils. Over the course of seven workshops, students explored a wide range of techniques and concepts rooted in nature and landscape art.
The creative journey began with students using flowers and foliage as both inspiration and artistic material. Staying with the nature theme, they experimented with palette knife painting, learned about Audrey’s distinctive techniques and studied the work of landscape artists who have influenced her over the years.
Through these sessions, students were introduced to how images drawn from nature can be broken down using simple graphic elements to form pattern, design and composition. These artistic approaches were applied in such a way so as to promote collaborative work amongst the students.
The project culminated in a final collaborative painting. Each student was given a board to depict a part of a larger landscape scene using palette knife techniques. The individual pieces were then assembled into a single artwork – a collective tribute to Errigal, which is not only the name of their school but one of Audrey Henry’s most iconic subjects.
The mountain was chosen not only for its local significance but also as a powerful metaphor for personal growth, learning and overcoming challenges.
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