A former pupil from Mayfield School has been shortlisted for a prestigious art prize.
Abbie La Rooy’s raku-fired clay work, Cornish Landscape, is among 20 pieces shortlisted for the 2016 Saatchi Gallery/Deutsche Bank Art Prize for Schools. Her piece was selected from more than 20,000 works.
Abbie created the piece for an A level art project last year, and is now studying an Art Foundation course at Brighton University. She found out about her nomination when Mayfield’s head of ceramics Tim Rees-Moorlah rang her.
She said: “When Mr Rees-Moorlah called to say I was shortlisted it took a while to sink in. It still doesn’t feel real. It probably won’t until my work is actually at the Saatchi Gallery.
“I created the three vessels as my A level final piece so I obviously have the whole ceramics department to thank for their endless help and patience.
“The piece was inspired by a trip to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in Cornwall along with the slab-building method James Oughtibridge uses in his work.”
Mr Rees-Moorlah, said: “It is a huge honour for Abbie to be selected from so many applicants from across the world and we are delighted by her achievement. I am sure Abbie will continue to receive recognition for her work as she progresses through her career.”
Abbie’s work will feature in an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London from March 3 to 9, and the winner and runners up will be announced at an awards evening on March 3.
This year’s judging panel consisted of Jeremy Newton, CEO of Children and the Arts, Daily Telegraph art critic Alastair Sooke, Deutsche Bank senior curator Alistair Hicks, CEO of the Saatchi Gallery Nigel Hurst, and artist Julia Wachtel.
