FRESH off an aeroplane after spending eight weeks in Asia, internationally renowned artist Ian Murphy made a whistle-stop tour to Prior Park Prep School in Cricklade yesterday in hope of inspiring the next generation.

The visit was part of Year 8’s art project into architecture and follows a visit the pupils made to Blenheim Palace at the end of last month.

With Ian on hand for the whole day, the pupils were able to sketch and draw what they found and ask questions about technique.

Ian, who will be jet-setting to Dubai and Singapore in the next couple of weeks for work said he often visits schools to hold workshops but he was more than impressed by the skills of Prior Park.

“I always start a workshop by showing the students the way I think,” he added.

“The key thing is to inspire students to be creative and one way I do that is through drawing and painting workshops where I’m able to tell them how lucky I am that my work has taken me all over the world.

“I was saying to them it was a long time ago that I was their age but I will always remember at primary school holding up one of my artworks and obviously there must have been something there that inspired me to keep up with it. A common question I get asked is when did you become an artist and I think it is something already in you and it is about finding that opportunity to let it out.

“A big thing for me is to inspire but not try and mimic or create a load of mini Ian Murphy’s. It is the opposite and it is about giving students the opportunity to find themselves with their creativity and take that a little bit further.

“What we have been doing is quite technical but they are wanting to learn from me which is great and you get this sense of them being proud in what they have produce.”

Ian’s etchings and paintings of landscapes across the globe including Venice and Singapore have resulted in him receiving multiple awards.

Nicky Brooks, head of art said the visit came about after she met Ian on an artists in residence session a few years ago and it was from the pupil’s visit to Blenheim Palace which inspired her to contact him to visit.

She added: “Architecture has become a big thing in the curriculum and I wanted to work on the pupil’s drawing skills. While they have been working on their own drawings, they have tried to keep to Ian’s iconic style and the results are great.

“By having Ian here all day, the children have been able to ask him questions about their own technique but also his.”