GIFTED and talented students from Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College have had their work exhibited at Chester University having been awarded places on an art-inspired trip to Italy.

Eleanor Richards, Alice Dodds, Hannah Dean, Beth Mitchell- Brown, Eve Malam, Georgia Jackson, and Madelaine Gale visited Tuscany in October on the Gifted and Talented Young Artists Tour.

The tour, which involves students from across Cheshire and the Wirral, has a reputation for quality and prestige, and for the first time since its inception it has been based out of Sir John Deane’s College, with art tutor Simon Davies as its director.

“The aim of the trip is to allow enthusiastic and very able students to witness at first hand the work of artists from the period of late Medieval and Renaissance art and to track the progress of ideas and techniques developed in Italy from the late Middle Ages,” said Simon.

“Students are expected to do a lot of written research as well as build costumes based on the art work they saw.”

The students travelled between artistic centres such as Sienna, San Supulcro, Florence, and Arrezzo where they saw some of the most important Renaissance paintings in the western art world.

Ideas were then developed into more complete pieces in a two-day practical workshop at Sir John Deane’s in November.

Art and photography student Beth Mitchell-Brown won the Dave Lloyd photography prize for the best supporting candid shots on the costume day.

The culminating exhibition of costumes, sketchbooks and more large-scale final pieces will be on display at the Contemporary Art Space, University of Chester until Friday, January 22nd.