Faces....
I run several Art sessions each week after school for children aged 5 -11 years. They are really popular and I've been running them for about 8 years now. I have always taught art alongside being an artist. Living in the countryside I wanted initially to offer creative opportunities for young children in rural areas. I moved from Brighton to Norwich in 1997 and I was quite shocked at how few 'art' opportunities there were here. I run my Art sessions to try and give children a chance to use lots of different materials and media but to also develop real confidence as they progress. In some schools Art seems to have a smaller and smaller place in the curriculum. They develop some amazing work and we have a proper exhibition of the art work each school term. I always make an artwork myself to start each project alongside visual ideas boards. I don't think its fair to ask them to do something I haven't attempted myself first.I started a new project with my Art groups last week looking at faces and expressions. I wanted the idea to be really colourful and appealling so I made this piece as inspiration using a large sheet of cardboard as backing and making the headshapes and hair from newspaper and masking tape. I then painted all the detail. I used lots of bright patterns in stripes and spots and added hair accessories from cardboard. The children loved the idea and are developing some brilliant responses. One of the older girls who responds to anything decorative is making some wonderful hairstyles from curls and spirals of newspaper and some of the boys are making mohicans and punks for some of their characters. I hope to include some examples when they begin to paint their work.
Butterflies and Flowers......
I've been working flat out all weekend to finish new work for SURTEX next week in New York. My agent is going out towards the end of the week for meetings prior to the event and new work needs to go into the portfolios before then. When I'm really busy I get on to a real roll and I can produce new pieces quite quickly.
Last week I picked up some old wallpaper books to use as collage papers in my work. One in particular had some beautiful textured papers in bright colours with almost powdery textures that were lovely to use. I felt like a child with a new paint box. Anyway I used these to make some of my new work. The Butterflies and Flowers shown are two of the images I've just finished and are now for sale in my Etsy shop.
Last week I picked up some old wallpaper books to use as collage papers in my work. One in particular had some beautiful textured papers in bright colours with almost powdery textures that were lovely to use. I felt like a child with a new paint box. Anyway I used these to make some of my new work. The Butterflies and Flowers shown are two of the images I've just finished and are now for sale in my Etsy shop.