PUPILS at Denbigh High School attended a taster workshop designed to give them experience of creating a piece of three dimensional art using old biscuit tins and solder.

A group of 15 pupils from year 9, who are studying the art GCSE, participated in the portfolio taster workshop which is part of the Portfolio and Raising the Bar programmes offered at Ruthin Craft Centre, with funding from the Arts Council of Wales.

Practising artist Andy Hazell, whose work has been featured on television, led the workshop. The pupils learned to think about how a three dimensional shape is different from something two dimensional, establish what the differences are and how to imagine an object that they want to create.

After designing and drawing their object, taking into consideration how each piece of the tin shape would be fixed together using the solder, they were shown how to use soldering irons and solder to connect the pieces together.

Julie Wem, project co-ordinator at Ruthin Craft Centre for the Portfolio and Raising the Bar projects, said: “The workshop was a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to meet with a practising artist who makes work for public and private display, both nationally and internationally. They had also just chosen to study art in their options, so this might have been their first experience of creating something in three dimension.”

Art teacher Emma Howorth said: “Workshops such as this also give pupils ideas about the wider field of careers within art. I would like to thank Andy and Julie for their time, it has been a very successful day.”

A range of portfolio workshops for 14-18 year old students, and Raising the Bar experiences for more able and talented A/AS level art and design students in Denbighshire will be running this summer at Ruthin Craft Centre.

Anyone interested can call Ruthin Craft Centre on 01824 704774 or email Julie Wem via julie.wem@denbighshire.gov.uk