Visual Arts

Laura Bolton, Head of Art, Digital Media and Photography

Laura has worked at Sedbergh as head of art, Digital Media, and photography since 2017. Laura Graduated with a Fine Art Degree in 2003 from Manchester’s School of Art Later completing her PGCE at Liverpool John Moore’s University. In 2022 Laura completed her MBA at ARU Cambridge. Additionally, Laura is also an examiner for AQA.  Laura, a teacher of 20 years strives to ensure that all Sedberghians who study the visual arts create a portfolio that is unique and works on the ideals that through the notion of making art it can attempt to challenge people’s emotions and in doing so we can both educate and liberate ourselves. In 2019 Laura won the accolade of ‘most realistic and most creative’ submission to ARU’s ‘Sweet Anatomy’ Competition, as judged by Grayson Perry. She has contributed successfully to the ‘Go Penguin trail’, ‘Liverpool Greats’ and the ‘Books about Town’ initiatives, where her work was displayed outside of the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

More recently Laura was commissioned by the world reimagined to paint a globe that tackled the theme of the reality of being enslaved. This was displayed outside The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea during the summer of 2022 and then later exhibited in Trafalgar Square in London.

Abigail Kennedy, Teacher of Art, Digital Media and Photography

Abigail gained her degree in Fine Art from Norwich school of Art and PGCE from Cardiff University, in between which she travelled the world and worked as a costume and props maker for the Welsh National Opera.

Working at Sedbergh has given Abigail the opportunity to explore and develop her love for all aspects of Art and design. Since starting work at Sedbergh Abigail has taught Ceramics, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Digital Media and Photography at both GCSE and A level.  She has also carried on her interest in props and scenery for many House productions during her time at Sedbergh.

Bringing her experience as a Duke of Edinburgh leader and passion for different cultures together, Abigail has embraced the many opportunities to travel to far flung places with groups of intrepid pupils such as Nepal, Patagonia, Indonesia, Norway, New York and closer to home; Frankfurt and Florence.  This has inspired both her teaching and her own work, particularly her love of photography which she has exhibited in staff exhibitions along with drawings, paintings, and mixed media collages. Most recently she collaborated in a series of animations with the Cumbria Wildlife trust and Environment Agency.

Alain Marcus, Photography Technician

Alain Marcus studied filmmaking (Fundacion Universidad del Cine), Fine Arts (Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredon) and music composition (Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Musica Contemporanea) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has pursued music and the visual arts as an exploration of the self, prioritizing in the acquisition of knowledge and technique over professional advancement, which led him to take on numerous independent projects both as a composer as well as an artist. He has attended artist residencies across the globe, from Amsterdam and Paris to Buenos Aires and Mcleod Ganj (India). His paintings, etchings and photographs have been exhibited in Buenos Aires, Canterbury and London – among other places.

Karen Wilkinson, Art Technician

Karen studied ceramics at Bath Academy of arts and graduated with a BA (hons) in 1984. She is a practising artist and has exhibited annually at Potfest in the park as well as various other galleries across the country.

Karen has worked as an art technician at Sedbergh School for 12 years as well as at Casterton school for a further 7 years.

Karen’s key influences as an artist are natural form and the medium of clay. She enjoys an excellent rapport with the pupils, and she is instrumental to the department particularly when setting up the exhibitions.