A Telford College art and design student has seen one of her paintings chosen to appear on Wrekin Housing Group’s 2020 calendar.
Katie Heighway, from St Georges, has provided the image for the month of May in the calendar – an acrylic painting of Stokesay Castle in south Shropshire.
Artists were challenged to create images inspired by the place in which they live, and Katie’s inspiration came from visits to the castle near Craven Arms, when she was captivated by the
bright colours featured on the castle’s gatehouse.
The former Idsall School student said she felt ‘incredibly proud’ to see her work featured on the new calendar.
Katie revisited Stokesay Castle to photograph the gatehouse, using the images as a guide for her painting.
She said she was enjoying her level three art and media course at Telford College – particularly the chance to explore different mediums such as pencil drawing and graphic illustration.
The calendar competition was organised by The Wrekin Housing Group in partnership with Telford College.
A total of 20 images were shortlisted from the many entries, with 12 winning calendar designs unveiled at a special event and exhibition at the college’s Orange Tree restaurant. All 20 of the shortlisted designs featured in the exhibition.
Wayne Gethings, chief executive of The Wrekin Housing Group, said: “We were delighted to receive so many brilliant entries from professional and amateur artists, to community groups, college students and schools.
“Showcasing the places we live and work in such a creative way has made our 20th calendar extra special.
“I also appreciate the support from Telford College, not just with helping to organise the competition, but also for hosting the exhibition. Particular praise should go to the students who handled the catering for the launch event.”
The trust will this year be selling copies of the calendar for £5, with proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Research.
Copies are available from Wrekin Housing Trust offices around Telford and Wrekin, in Shrewsbury and in Stafford, as well as from the Furniture Scheme in Ludlow, Reviive in Shrewsbury and Oswestry, and The Northfield Centre in Stafford.
Two other Telford College students saw their designs among the 20-strong shortlist.
Level two media student Corey Clark chose the old chimney at Telford Town Park as inspiration. He has a passion for pop-art and colour theory and used this to create a digital piece of artwork. He said he remembered seeing the chimney when he played in the park as a child.
And Monica Pass, another level two media student, overlaid black ink and embroidery to create her shortlisted design, inspired by the Southwater development.
