AN IPSWICH school will have four “artistic legacies” after a bursary enabled them to employ a full-time artist-in-residence.Northgate High School has been able to employ artist Jevan Watkins Jones to work with pupils on the project, which links art with science, thanks to the school achieving “Leading Edge” status.

AN IPSWICH school will have four “artistic legacies” after a bursary enabled them to employ a full-time artist-in-residence.

Northgate High School has been able to employ artist Jevan Watkins Jones to work with pupils on the project, which links art with science, thanks to the school achieving “Leading Edge” status.

Work has already begun on four large-scale permanent artworks for the school, and in the process children will learn to use different and innovative techniques and materials.

Mr Watkins Jones said: “The idea is that we are bringing science into art. They are two areas that are not often affiliated.

“It is an unusual opportunity for a school to have a full-time artist in residence. Art is always an enjoyable subject anyway but when any guest comes into the school there is an added interest.

“It is just really lovely to play out the role of the artist in schools and encourage others.”

A year seven class is working on a ceramic wall mural of a playground scene that takes a whimsical look at anatomy, painting images showing skeletons and muscles on 273 tiles using oxides.

A plastic wall mural will show the school as a living organism where pupils are shown as colourful cells, while other projects will use dark room technology and textile printing methods.

The scheme was funded by Leading Edge to enable students at the school, which is recognised for its science department, to link science with a more creative subject.

The school hopes local businesses will help by sponsoring the projects, which will be unveiled in July, by providing materials and services.

Year 7 pupils said they were excited by the chance to work together with an artist on something different to their normal classwork.

Kabir Miah, 11, said: “It has been really fun helping out Jevan, it is really cool having an artist here. Usually we do things like sketching but this time we were asked to do a mural.

Ellen Poole, 11, added: “We feel like we are special because we are one of the only classes that has Jevon. We have used different mediums, like oxides, which we hadn't used before.”

Mr Watkins-Jones, who joined the school in October and will stay until the summer, is the first artist-in-residence the school has ever had.