PERSONAL
ACHIEVEMENTS
Danny Ratcliffe
A self-portrait by Fifth Year pupil
Danny Ratcliffe is on show at the
prestigious Royal Academy in London
and online as part of the RA’s Young
Artists’ Summer Show.
The painting on an old wooden
cupboard door was selected by a panel
of art experts from more than 6,200
submissions from young artists aged
7-19 from the UK and beyond.
The Young Artists’ Summer Show
is available to view online until 31
December and a selection of these
artworks, including Danny’s, will be on
display at the Royal Academy from 14
July – 4 August.
Salgado’s painting technique of using
a palette knife to drag the paint, and
combined it here with finely detailed
painting to create something more
dynamic.
His ‘canvas’ was some old wooden
planks found at home which used to be
attached to a Victorian spiral staircase.
Danny was drawn to the layers of paint
which had built up over the years,
which were chipped and worn away,
and decided the texture lent itself well to
the style of painting he was practising.
The striking addition of a tea pot was
intended to be one of several items
added to the painting to reflect a homely
environment. But he decided the tea pot
had more impact on its own.
the painting’s been selected and I’m looking
forward to seeing it in the gallery this summer
when I go down to London with my family.” Art teacher Nikki Robertson said: “This
is so well deserved after two years of really
hard work from Danny. It is great for him
to gain recognition from an institution as
prestigious as the Royal Academy. I am
incredibly proud of him!”
The painting reflects the influence of
Canadian artist Andrew Salgado, who
Danny admires. He experimented with She added: “We’re delighted that Danny
will be taking Art and Design among his A
levels next year as he’s very skilled at both.
Danny, 16, said: “I’m really pleased that
Lydia Robinson
Lower Sixth pupil Lydia Robinson is the UK’s No 1 squash
player in her age group, in the latest rankings by the sport’s
national governing body, England Squash.
The 16-year-old has achieved the top ranking in every age
group so far and says she’s “absolutely thrilled” to be named
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THE POCKLINGTONIAN
He is on track to achieve a great result for
Art in the summer and I’m sure a successful
creative career will follow.”
People can vote online for their favourite
artwork from the Summer Show, which
will be awarded a People’s Choice
Award. The RA President will also
award prizes for two inspiring artworks
from each key stage.
U17 No 1, based on points accumulated during tournaments.
Lydia started playing squash aged six and represents the
Beverley Squash and Racketball Club, where she trains three
times a week and competes in tournaments most weekends.
From the age of 10 she has played for Yorkshire in the annual
Junior Inter County Championships, helping her team to
victory every year.
Her talent and determination also led her to win the English