Haileybury Almaty’s Year 9 pupils spent four days exploring Lakes Kolsay and Kaindy and Charyn Canyon during a residential art trip that took their creative work beyond the classroom.
Working directly from their surroundings, pupils experimented with photography, watercolours, pastels and ink to capture the colours, textures and atmosphere of each location.
The lakes and canyon provided contrasting subjects for observation, giving pupils different landscapes to respond to through their chosen materials. Working en plein air, or outdoors, placed direct observation at the centre of the creative process.
The trip supported the development of pupils’ artistic skills and provided work for their portfolios. It also offered time to strengthen friendships and experience more of Kazakhstan’s natural heritage together.
By taking their art practice into these landscapes, pupils could connect what they observed with the choices they made in their work, using the places around them as the starting point for their ideas.
