The finer points of gurning were a key feature of Clare Matthews’s project on portraits with her art classes at Hoover High School, in Alabama, where she is spending a very happy year on a Fulbright exchange, which involves swapping jobs, houses, and living as a teacher in America. She showed the class pictures from Crab Fair and encouraged them to try the art of gurning for themselves. The exercise caused much giggling, but certainly helped to concentrate attention on expressions.

From this students went on to develop soft sculptures, using pantyhose stuffed with hollow fibre wadding. Students distorted the features by stitching, and then decorated and embellished the face to create little characters. Some were delightful works of art, others true gurners and some were just frightening.

She finds the students are lovely to work with, keen to work and anxious to succeed, and the Southern hospitality has been overwhelming, making her feel so welcome and appreciated.

Below delightful works of art by Andrea Crist , Rebecca Harris, Christina Ho, Charles McLemore,  Brandon Brown and Amanda practising the art of gurning,  Lindsey Meadows and Scott McKenzie.