WYCLIFFE College has nurtured many artists over the years and now a group of them have returned to show their work at the Stonehouse school in an exhibition Out Of The Art Room.

James Bingham went on from Wycliffe to study at the Royal College of Art and now exhibits throughout Europe and Latin America, and teaches art at Charterhouse.

He is showing two short digital videos from his ‘Antarctic Series’, that record iron dust, magnets and paper.

“I knew from an early age that I wanted a creative career and the Wycliffe art department was able to support this,” he said. “It became a haven for me and I spent much of my free time there.”

Alex Merry, a Gloucestershire-based artist who specialises in portraiture and folk art, also has very fond memories of the school.

“The art department was amazing – Steve Hubbard and Jane Mason were the teachers at that time and they were great in encouraging my painting,” she said.

“It’s lovely to be going back and showing my work. It’ll be totally surreal to walk back into the art department after all these years.”

Alex has branched out since her schooldays into folk art, which has led her down some interesting paths, including creating a huge wicker burning man at Hilles House for a celebrity party. “It was extremely strange,” she said.

Sabrina Shah Hakim is a sustainable print and textile designer, whose first collection, Deco, focuses on colourful graphic digital prints.

“For anyone who wants to be in the creative world, I would say, have the drive and the passion to do the work,” said Sabrina.

“You will be said 'no' to a million times in your career, but persevere and have faith in what you do and it will all be worth it.”

  • Out of The Art Room at Wycliffe School is taking place over two weekends , May 7 and 8, and May 14 and 15, and is open from 11am until 4pm. Entry is free.