HomePlace Welcomes Ross Wilson For Annual Art Day
On Friday 21st November 2025, we welcomed acclaimed painter and sculptor Ross Wilson to Seamus Heaney HomePlace for our annual Art Day.
This was an inspiring, laughter-filled event that brought GCSE and A-Level Art students together in the Helicon for a memorable morning of stories and creative wisdom.
Ross Wilson’s career spans over three decades, marked by some of the most recognisable public artworks in Northern Ireland. Among them is his renowned portrait of Seamus Heaney, unveiled at Stormont in 2015, and the much-loved C.S. Lewis centenary sculpture ‘The Searcher’, located at the Holywood Arches Library.
Ross told students his journey began in a humble place, copying characters from The Beano comics and taping them to his windows so friends could enjoy his very first “exhibition”. He spoke openly about how, as a boy, art was not something boys were encouraged to pursue. He had studied technical drawing, a subject he found boring, rigid and not creative enough. Switching to the art classroom meant being one of few boys in a room full of girls, but his teacher encouraged him and helped him overcome the barriers to applying to art college. Ross said it was a life-changing moment and a reminder of how one teacher can alter the course of a life.
Students were captivated as Ross shared memories of meeting Seamus Heaney, including the time he visited Harvard University in 1994 where Seamus was teaching at the time. His encounters with Seamus over the years inspired Ross’ expressive pen and ink drawing of Heaney (pictured).
Ross spoke passionately about the wide range of influences that feed into his creative practice, from literary giants such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Frost, W.B. Yeats and Charles Dickens to modern musicians including Kraftwerk and Joy Division. He stressed creativity is fed by curiosity and artists should remain open to all forms of inspiration.
One of the highlights of the day was Ross’ behind-the-scenes account of creating the C.S. Lewis centenary sculpture. Students learned about the meticulous process, shaping wax, creating ceramic moulds, casting in bronze and welding individual parts before the sculpture finally stood ready to take its place in C.S. Lewis Square.
Ross also shared the touching story of Anne Walker, a ten-year-old girl who had written to C.S. Lewis as a child to which Lewis replied. Years later, while creating ‘The Searcher’, Ross tracked Anne down and featured the response from C.S. Lewis to Anne’s letter as part of the sculpture with Anne attending the unveiling which Ross described as “profoundly moving”.
Interestingly, he described how, while some adults initially questioned the sculpture, the children immediately recognised Lewis stepping into the wardrobe, a reaction Ross loved which imitated the reactions to C.S. Lewis’ stories.
Ross also spoke about how art isn’t just about technique – it is a way of helping people see things. Everyone has the ability to be creative.
The Helicon rang with laughter as he charmed students with humorous stories, including the time he made his own postcards and quietly slipped them into the National Gallery gift shop for people to buy. Years later, a portrait he painted of poet Derek Walcott actually became an official National Gallery postcard, completing the joke of art imitating life.
The Q&A session was lively and engaging with students asking thoughtful questions about technique, inspiration and the realities of an artist’s life. Ross answered each one with generosity, insight and sincerity.
Thank you to St. Mary’s Grammar School and Strabane Academy for joining us. Huge thanks to Ross also for sharing his time, stories and talent with us. We look forward to welcoming more artists to HomePlace in the year ahead!
