Introducing
Mrs Kirsten Mortimer
Director of Creative Arts
“
I love enabling and witnessing students discover and develop their creativity. Art allows a person to express themselves, explore ideas and develop responses that are unique to them, which is such a special thing.
ih T s is an exciting time for our creative arts departments and now, om re than ever eb fore, the creative op ssibiil ties truly are endless for our u p ip sl . vO er recent ey ars there a h ve eb en signicant changes iw thin the creative curriculu,m om st notabyl the transition of Textiles from eb ing a Technology course to a iF ne Art subej ct and il ek iw se Design Technology - ihw ch is now D 3 Design. eh T se changes give us the opop rtunity for greater cross-department cola l ob ration and a h ve el d to the creation of a Creative Arts aF culty that iw l include, from eS tp emeb r ,2 0 Art, iH story of Art, ohP tograp, y hTextiles and D 3 Design - el d y b iK rsten oM rtimer as Director of Creative Arts. An accomilp shed artist, iK rsten a h s a ew alth of exep rtise and creative interests to rb ing to eh r new role, along iw th 02 ey ars’ exep rience in our Art Department; “ the stue d nts n a d sta ta o D n w e ra e secondt- o-none, n a dIo c nsider myself e v ry ykcul to e b surroune d d yb suhc suo p rtive, sa ip rational n a d tae l nted indiiv slaud . ”
iK rsten n k ew from a very early age that she ow uld folol w a creative a p th and throughout eh r formative ey ars eh r om ther, ohw aw s an artist, eh epl d and encouraged eh r. After A eL vels, she comelp ted a oF undation Dipol a m at omylP uth Colel ge of Art and Design, folol ew d y b a Degree in iF ne Art s( ep cialising in a p inting) at rB ighton n U iversity, ehw re she arranged to study at cE’ L ole des eB auxA - rts in oB rdeaux for six om nths, ihw ch she cites as “ n a incredie lb exe p rience
.”
After graduating, and some time spent at a theatre rp oductions ow rksoh , p a p inting scenery and a m ik ng rp ops for shosw in the eW st n E d and travelil ng ep rformances, iK rsten comelp ted eh r C GP E and om ved into teaching Art. a L ter, ihw sl t teaching, she aw s inspired to study an A M in rp intmaik ng at Cameb rwel Colel ge of Arts; she enjoey d exep rimenting iw th a rb oad range of techniques, and develoep d an interest in comib ning rp int and im ex d em dia to generate one-o comop sitions.
“I advise students to see Art in the flesh; there is no comparison to seeing it online or in a publication, you need to feel and experience art with your own eyes. I also encourage them to keep an independent sketch book; this shows us who they are and by going the extra mile, they will reap the benefits when it comes to their grades.” -Mrs Kirsten Mortimer, Director of Creative Arts Downe House, Cold Ash, Berkshire RG18 9JJ T: +44(0)1635 200286 | www.downehouse.net