It’s the Jubilympics!

Not one to miss out on a party I’ve had a right royal month creating for up and coming events of summer.  So imagine my delight when two summer events fall into my lap this month.

First up, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, an excuse to paint the town in patriotic colours, wave a flag and eat cake. And it’s an opportunity to get arty too!

 On Saturday 4^th May I had a sell out success as children and their families flocked to Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre to create their own celebratory crockery.  It seems everyone wanted to mark the event as the public gathered around craft tables designing and colouring their Jubilee Plates, no doubt ready for their street part this weekend.  I’m quite sure Mage would be pleased as punch to see her regal portrait replicated by so many eager Rochdale kids.  In fact, the arty session proved so popular it had to close before time as I ran out of resources!

I was delighted when I received the commission to create a gigantic table cloth celebrating Gallery Oldham’s 10^th Birthday and of course the royal event of the year, the Jubilee.  Out came the markers once more as I doodled past street parties from Oldham’s smoggy archive.  I thoroughly enjoyed searching through sepia photographs, stumbling on drizzly day photographs of children waving flags, the Queen’s visit to the cotton mills and a fully adorned Farantis Factory, covered from top to bottom in banners and bunting declaring ;’ God Save The Queen’.

And now Oldham have a nine meter cloth fit for an artist banquet.  The illustrations feature street scenes, a marching band, the queen’s corgi’s and not forgetting the magic ingredient marmite, no picnic would be complete without it!

And so on to the Olympics.  I’ve just today finished my thoroughly enjoyable week as artist for Holy Trinity Primary School’s Olympics Week.  The kids have been more active than a pentathlete squad this week, racing, swimming, long jumping, to name but a few!  Luckily they managed to squeeze in enough time to make some masterpieces to mark their week too.

Working with each class I created artistic activities to match the Olympic country they were representing.  From raging Chinese dragons to massive Matisse murals, from the delicatly decorated plates of Greece to the chaotic paint splashes of Pollack, each class took part in making sensational art.  Their finished work will be showcased in the school this week, what an artistic adventure!

Finally, don’t miss out on the Jubilympics fun, on Saturday 2^nd June  you can join me at Touchstones for an arty Jubilee party 10.30am- 3.30pm, and on Thursday why not come and create an Olympics coaster at Rebecca’s Coffee Shop, Littleborough, 10am – 12 noon.  See you there!