Make it in March! (or add it to April...)

I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers to tell people about amazing events after they’ve happened? Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for the scribbled, criss cross calendar in the kitchen would you really remember birthdays of far flung relatives? 

I struggle remembering what day of the week it is, let alone who’s candles will be blown out next, so it might not come as much of a surprise that I’m one of ‘those’ people who enthusiastically tell others about an art session after it’s taken place, oops!

So to help clear my conscience and keep you in the loop here’s a list of some smashing spring sessions that you can take part in this month and next:

• Wednesday 28^th March: Make a coaster mosaic, Rochdale Emporium
• Thursday 5^th April: Family Creations, Rebecca’s Coffee Shop, Littleborough,  10am-12noon
• Friday 13^th April: Make a coaster mosaic, Rochdale Emporium

And look out in May for an exciting garden mosaic making day in Littleborough, felt jewellery and printing in Rochdale, and as for June and July... crickey, we’ve hardly even scratched the surface...

I’ll still be running my schools sessions, crash, bag and walloping across the classrooms of Rochdale.  I’m still causing chaos in a costume at Touchstones museum and I’m currently creating several illustration commissions for business across the North West.  Without your enthusiastic involvement in my arts sessions I’d be left painting the garden fence.  So get that calendar off the wall and make sure you make a date for an Art.Works workshop.   

Go on, squeeze it in, right there next to great Auntie Mildred’s 76^th birthday!

Feel good in February!

There's lots of reasons to feel good in February, the days begin to stretch a little longer. Spring bulbs suddenly add a burst of colour where once it was just one long stretch of murky muddy brown and, as if that's not enough, Oldham run their ' well good arts' event! 

It's a glorious celebration of all things arty, from interactive performance to Zumba Gold (strictly for over 60s). African drumming to arty bike riding, it's a festival devoted to the feel good factor of arts.  Needless to say its something I was delighted to be involved in.

My task was to devise an interactive doodle, introducing the activities on offer and inviting arty participation, so how do I do is?

Step one: research the activities on offer, contact printers to make sure i now the scale of my pictures

Step two: get designing, doodling and creating

Step three: draw up designs in pencil and marker

Step four: send the designs to the printers, who print them off 100 times, what a reel!

Step five: my designs are scattered and plastered across the venue for Oldham's 'Well Good Arts' festival. Kids are doodling into the design, mums are carefully colouring in the lines and coasters are placed upon them as they cover the tables in the cafe.  

In fact; They're in the entrance, they're  up the stairs, they're in the cafe. Take a look in the library when choose your book!

So feel inspired, feel good, get some well good arts into your life as you spring into February!

Oh and thankyou to @Traffordmedia for doing a great print job for me.

Beat the January blues, adult craft courses

Hello all and a happy new year.

Art.Works' theme this January is 'New Year, New stART' (see what I did there?!), beat the winter blues by dipping into new adlut art sessions I will be running at Ebor Studios, Littlebough (see the link at the bottom of the email for directions.

the sessions are an informal hands on introduction to three art forms: silk painting, mosic making and felt making.  They promise to be a relaxed and fun way to spend those dreary winter mornings.  You do not need to book onto each session, just the ones you fancy, however, you will need to book proir to the date.  

each session is £10, including all materials and copius amounts of tea!

all the information can be found on the attached poster.

I look forward to meeting you there

Ebor studios address: Ebor Studio, William Street, Littleborough. OL15 8JP

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My month in Pictures...

October has seen a flood or illustration commissions for me so, for a change from my usual blog I thought I’d share some with you.

At the start of the month I was approached by Rochdale shopping centre to create some crafty creatures to celebrate Bonfire Night.  Here’s a fearful Fawkes and a adorable little lady munching on her toffee apple to wet your appetite before I run the kids activity this weekend.

Mid October saw spiders crawling up and down the woodwork during Touchstones ‘Tree-tastic Family Fun Day’.  Little fingers made scary spiders as we transformed old milk bottle tops into shiny shimmering spiders ready to decorate houses for Halloween.

By the end of October it was back to the drawing board as I completed a commission to celebrate the annual Big Draw for Oldham Art Gallery.  I designed and created an eight meter townscape of Oldham past and present ready for kids to colour and doodle. 

The community’s contributions during October’s closing weekend brought a vibrant flourish to the final days of the month.

New School Year, New stART!

September; the leaves on the trees turn from emerald green to copper coated auburn,  the sun is enveloped in cooler rays , there’s a nip in the air as it sinks from the sky earlier  and earlier.  But it’s not all changing landscapes and bitter winds, don’t nestle down into your duvet quite yet because September also heralds the launch of the new Workshops Programme at Art.Works!


Hot off the success of Summer Term I’m now booked out and geared up to offer an exciting range of art sessions across schools and community centres alike.  The new publicity went down a storm as schools eagerly booked their art fix for the new term ahead.  From felt making in Smallbridge, to silk painting in Middleton, family fun days in Rochdale to creative co-op classes  for school clusters, this promises to be the most action packed term to date!


But do not fear, swallow the panic, you’re not too late!  I am now taking schools bookings for the New Year, and adults won’t miss out either.  January sees the launch of Art.Works very fist Adult Craft sessions.  So grab your diary, dust off those dungarees (or whatever artistic costume takes your fancy), it’s a new term, new stART!

Download Felt Making Leaflet here.
 

Download Adult Workshop Leaflet here
  

Summer Fun Come Rain or Shine

So the school holidays don’t necessarily mean day to day sunshine, indeed in these northern valleys just a glimmer of the sun’s rays causes a flurry of excitement.  But the damp dreary days of a Rochdlian summer couldn’t put a downer on the Art.Works summer if it tried.  And just as well as there was far too much animated play to be had.

From jumping in and out of character to entertain families at Touchstones to painting the people of the borough to celebrate a fest of festivals it’s been an action packed month from start to finish.

To set off the summer I ran art sessions in Rochdale’s Broadfield Park using nature to inspire some amazing artistic displays which we exhibited outside for passersby to enjoy.  Families had great fun as we discovered the magical beasties that inhabit Broadfield Park’s willowy trees and deep dark hedges.  Weaving magnificent materials together with our beautiful branches and wild flowers we created the most enchanting of creatures to ever crawl the planet. 

Throughout the summer I hopped back and forth in time on a time travellers’ yoyo as I took families on a journey into mysterious myths of Ancient Egypt.  From gruesome green gods to fantastical adorned pharaohs families were ready and raring to go, delving into Egypt’s beguiling past.

Jump forward a couple of hundred years and  I invited the families of Rochdale to hop on board the Touchstones Express and chug along train tracks back in time to the Victorian era.  We fantasised about riding donkeys along beaches, we booed and hissed at the Punch and Judy Show and we dipped our toes into the fresh waters of that well known holiday hotspot Hollingworth Lake.   Come again?  Why, the Victorian bank holiday Mecca of Hollingworth Lake of course!  Back in the day it was a hive of activity, the leisure line bringing visitors in their hundreds to soak up the atmosphere of Littleborough’s well loved lake.  And all this without leaving the comfort of an education studio...

And back to the present day Hollingworth Lake played hosted to yet another Art.Works activity on a rare sunny Sunday.  Rolling back my sleeves and squeezing my sponge I painted more tigers, lions and spider men this side of the Hollywood skyline, helping raise funds for Friends of Littleborough Station (FOLS).  Children were transformed from little angels to menacing monsters as their faces were painted and their new persona unleashed, with a little helping hand from yours truly.  Luckily those who missed their chance I ran several sessions for different organisations across the borough throughout the summer, so, if you did happen to see a tiger prowling down the high street there’s a good chance I’d seen him too!

So who needs the sun to shine when there’s so much colour and animation in an Art.Works summer of fun.  If we’d had the heat too this blog would be so sunny, you’d have to read it wearing your shades!

Out Of The Classroom And Into The County!

Just before the summer term drew to a close and classrooms up and down the country spilled out into the summer I took my characters out of the museum to into the community.  From Liverpool to Bolton, Middleton to Milnrow I had every area covered in my mission to mesmerise the people of Lancashire.
Year six pupils from schools across Liverpool took part in the fast paced performance ‘Oh What a Lovely War’.  They were evacuated, boarded a train, entered the dank and dingy atmosphere of the Anderson shelter, and even joined the home front, all without leaving the room.  

The Pupils adored meeting Margret the land girl, but when Mrs Dylan introduced them to local sheep farmer Mr Hingginsbottom, an evacuee host they were less than impressed.  Who wouldn’t want to spend sleepless nights slept on a hay stack at the back of a barn?  Kids, these days, they’ve got it made!  I took on each character making the pupils laugh, jump, cower and ‘pay attention’ in fine 1940s manner, even if all the characters looked peculiarly similar...

Back on the road again, another costume change and another character as I entertained Year Ten pupils taking part in a Further Education residential at Bolton University.  Elegantly dressed and simply eloquently spoken I played the part of Head of Music, wife to the murdered Head teacher at Hassalholf High School.  Cryptically guiding pupils (many a melodramatic hand to forehead and bemoaned sigh) through clues and information I helped them weave their fragments of knowledge together and find the dastardly culprit.  Lots of dramatic outburst, hot gossip and scandalous accusations rebounded through the day, proving just the right amount of entertainment to engage tired teenagers at the end of their four days away.

But it wasn’t just children and young people who took part in the dramatic events of June and July.  One blistering hot Sunday in early July, I polished my boots; I picked up my cane and scowled a sour glower as I went in search of communities to take part in the infamous ‘Miss Grim Victorian Schoolroom Experience’.
Running the session as part of a day of acting and celebration to mark Middleton’s New Heritage Trail  over 80 adults and children in total entered Middleton’s Old Grammar School.  Immediately they were escorted back in time as I ‘taught’ them the rules and practice of a Victorian classroom.  Even the Mayor was quaking in his boots as his idle chatter was met by an instantly silencing stare from Miss Grim.

Apprehension mounted as more ‘inadequate pupils’ failed to meet the  high standards of the classroom, the finger stocks and close proximity of the cane soon put heed to nervous laughter.  But, I’m told fun was to be had by all, and once the real ‘Miss Grim’ (or a far sunnier Cat) emerged at the end of the session the relief was palpable in the room!

So, Art.Works doesn’t just deal with pictures and painting (which I’ve also been doing with schools this term), and the characters may not just be kept closeted away in the classroom.  Be warned readers, next time you attend a heritage open day, the dunce hat might just be one you!