Strathallan art celebrated at prestigious Perthshire Art Association competition

Strathallan School pupil Rowan Findlay has been named ‘Runner Up’ in this year’s Perthshire Art Association (PAA) annual exhibition.

Rowan shares his success with Strathallan’s Art department which was named ‘Best Overall School’ for the fourth year in a row.

The prestigious competition, organised by the PAA in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Perth Kinnoull recognises the best artwork from artists and schools across Perth & Kinross and regularly sees over 100 entries each year.

Rowan, whose monochrome print of an ancient amphitheatre put him in second place, said he was thrilled to be featured in the exhibition.

“It feels great to come second in a big art competition,” said Rowan. “I’m interested in going into graphic design and this has really boosted my confidence. I love how methodological you can be with art and I enjoy trying new mediums in the art department.”

Head of Art, Frank Glancy, said, “Our students are consistently being recognised for the quality of their artwork that’s coming out of the school. It speaks volumes of their creativity. Seeing Rowan celebrated in the senior category, amongst such a large field of entries is fantastic.”

Strathallan has a history of artistic success; in 2019 former pupil Flora Wilson picked up the National Senior Award in the RSA Schools Awards. In 2020, former pupil Muna Nweke, landed himself with offers from 10 of the top Art schools in the world.

In 2021, former student Topaz Walker was named top Senior Artist in the North after creating a mask of her grandfather, Reuben LaVallee picked up ‘Young Artist of the Year’ in last year’s PAA exhibition and Isobel Wake won runner up in last years RSA School Awards.

Head of Art Frank says this level of success stems from the students taking a leading role in their projects.

“We are interested in what our students want to create and then help them do that. We’ve seen an increase in numbers of pupils picking art at A Level. More and more of them are opting for art because we don’t believe one size fits all, we offer so many disciplines in 2D and 3D that they get to focus on art they are interested in.”

Rowan’s work is featured in the Perthshire Art Association Annual Exhibition which runs until the 10th December at the Fergusson Gallery in Perth.