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The ceramic shell, created by Manon Howard who is in year 13 at Christ’s Hospital, will be displayed in the online version of the Young Artists’ Summer Show from Tuesday, July 13.

Now in its third year, the Young Artists’ Summer Show is a free, open submission exhibition for students aged five to 19 studying in the UK and British schools overseas.

Artworks are judged by artists and arts professionals with selected artworks displayed online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Christ's Hospital student Manon Howard with her artwork which has been chosen by the Royal Academy of Arts in London to be part of its Young Artists Summer Show SUS-210630-103957001

Manon said: “I centered my clay structure around the idea of wabi-sabi, an aesthetic which connects me to my Japanese heritage, with an acute focus on textures

“Wabi-sabi refers to the idea of finding the beauty in that which is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete in nature.

“To me, the image of the oyster shell embodies this concept as, though it does not conform to the conventional image of beauty, it is comprised of captivatingly intricate details, specifically the exceptionally thin layers.

“I thus endeavoured to study this on a larger scale using clay and incorporating different textures into the layers to produce a collage. This proved to be a challenging and lengthy process whereby I carefully rolled and impressed different textures into each layer of clay and then folded and layered them to replicate the shape of the shell.

“I created texture through various methods, such as by rolling the clay directly onto gravel and using shells. When glazing, I combined a number of different glazes to accent the textures but maintained an earthy colour scheme, finally embellishing the model with a hint of gold to incorporate alchemy and contrast with the dull colour palette.”

Now in her Grecians’ year, for the past two years Manon has undertaken art at higher level as part of the International Baccalaureate course.

Since its inception, her project has evolved from a primary focus on the oyster shell to chartering her scrutiny of textures into contemporary landscapes, heavily inspired by Anselm Kiefer’s highly textured paintings.

To see the 2021 online exhibition from July 13, visit www.youngartists.royalacademy.org.uk

Horsham student’s artwork to be part of Royal Academy of Arts exhibition