Week 4. Patterns with seeds on clay tablets.

This week the children were all given a clay tablet and were asked to create patterns with a range of seeds and pulses paying attention to the tones and colours of the individual types of seeds and which worked well together.

Inspiration came from the traditional form of Well Dressing which is still carried out in many Derbyshire villages such as West Hallam. 

One student created a series of tiny sections of bark covered with multitudes of the same plant material, they work well individually and as a collection.  

Week 2. Andy Goldsworthy was the inspiration this time and the children  were given a selection of natural materials and a sheet of black card.  Looking carefully at colour, texture and tone the children created some amazing art work in the style of Goldsworthy who creates work in the landscape using only what he finds. Often his work can be connected together with water or small pine needles in very intricate patterns and forms. 

Creating knots such as the ‘Gods Eye’, stripping the willow withies into fibres and weaving were just some of the methods the pupils used in their experiments.

Mickleover Commission - School program

An important element of the new commission is the involvement of local school children. Working with artists first hand is something that can both inspire and inform pupils giving them an insight to the working life of the artist, how commissions work and how to take inspiration and ideas forward into a fully formed sculpture.

The school that I have chosen to work with is Murray Park School which has a close proximity to the new development. Over the coming weeks and months the pupils will be introduced to natural materials and processes with a view to the children creating their own sculpture for the school premises.

There will be pictures posted shortly and some comments from the students, and in the new year the school and I will be creating an exhibition of pupils art work for the public to view.