JOURNEY
BACKGROUND
This mural was created with and for the pupils of St Benedict's RCP School, Atherstone, Warwickshire. It was commissioned as part of the Let's Create project organised by Warwick Arts Centre.
The children involved were vertically grouped and drawn from Reception through to Year 6. All had been identified as having a particular interest in, or talent for, art.
THE PROCESS (click on the links for lots of pictures)
The design team (Jo and the pupils) met in May for a day of workshops. They looked at the site; considered the logistics (durability, cost etc); discussed the themes of the beauty of nature and the journey through school; considered the 'audience' (parents, children and visitors to the school); looked at the work of Escher and other artists; explored the site looking for colours that they wanted to re-use; drew pictures of animals of the earth, the sea and the air; modelled eyes out of clay.
In July Jo returned with templates made from the children's drawings, and tins of paint matching the colours selected by the children. There following a week of scrubbing, drawing, firing, glazing, painting, outlining, fixing (the eyes) and finally ........celebrating the finished mural!