Furness Academy welcomes some feathered friends to school
On Friday 4th February, the Art Department at Furness Academy welcomed the Owl Sanctuary for a long await return to the school. Frequent visitors pre-pandemic, this was the first time the students had been able to see the owls in person for almost two years.
As part of their GCSE Art study, the students held the beautiful creatures, got to see them up close and make some observations, ready for their own paintings. The students in the group painted pictures of their new feathered friends, using the unusual medium of coffee. Coffee painting has been an area that the students have been studying as part of their qualification, creating incredible workbooks. The owls were the perfect models for this type of painting, allowing the students to use layers of the coffee colour to mimic the layers of feathers on these majestic animals. The coffee is perfect for creating a sense of touch to the paintings and making them appear so life-like.
Paul from the Owl Sanctuary brought owls of all shapes and sizes to the GCSE Art class, giving the students a whole range of models for their creations. The Owl Sanctuary is an amazing rescue and rehabilitation centre in Barrow, working on educating others on the conservation of owls. Paul gave a presentation to the students, detailing the story behind how each owl joined the sanctuary but also on the origin of each species, their diets and the sleeping habits.
Miranda Bond, Head of Art at Furness Academy said, “It was a pleasure to welcome back Paul and his beautiful family of owls to our school and specifically to our Art Department. It is something we looked forward to each term before the pandemic and I am so pleased we have been able to invite the Owl Sanctuary back. The students love these lessons, and produce some incredible pieces of art.”
