A Little Round Up Of A Massive Month!

Goodness!  what a gloriously busy month June has been for Art.Works!  We've been sprinkling our creative star dust high and low, from the the very first Fruity  Fairtrade Session at Touchstones to harvesting arts for Handa's Surprise at Bowlee Primary School, and not forgetting all the felt making, flag flying and mosaic making across many Rochdale schools in between. It's been a non stop art shop for Art.Works, just the way we like it!


This week alone saw the start of our exciting new project ' The Great Wall of Cartmel', aimed at involving six community groups from Falinge Housing Estate in creating their huge mural masterpiece to brighten up their living space.  


On Friday we kicked off with 40 members  Falinge parents and kids group.  we flung our shoes off and dived feet first, (ok, feet only!) into paint before splashing and racing over lengthy leafs of paper.  Spurred on by their paint splattered introduction members then formed ferocious monsters in groups, ready to grin and growl from their giant mural. And why did the monster knit herself three socks? Because she'd grown another foot of course!


The women's group are now armed with their cameras ready to click, flick and snap their estate in all it's glory.  they're looking forward to paining inspiration for their multi cultural inspired canvas.  Watch out Falinge, ladies with lens about!


The girl's group then got to grips with Warhol, transforming the Striking Cheryl Cole into a colourful canvas of silky cerise skin to a perfect purple pout,  nice!  The girls have decided to put their own image onto their canvas and will brave the colourful palette once more to create a quirky Warhol inspired mural.  I can't wait to see their transformation when we start the painting later in the summer. 


Here's to hoping all other community groups on Falinge feel as inspired as our intrepid artists on Friday, they've set the ball rolling, the paint palette swirling for a lively transformation of Falinge's Cartmel Wall.

Sunshine and Showers for Felting with St Edward's

Some might suggest it was the perfect piece of art activity for   ferociously  hot Friday; water sprays, bowls of soap suds a cool vapour in the classroom air, soothing felt making.  But don't be deceived!   I neglected to mention the extreme exertion required when felt making. The vigourous rubbing of olive oil soap to bind fibres, the rapid rolling back and forth, back and forth, of felting mats, the pummeling of fires.  Think of a room fueled with over zealous bakers, pumping, pounding, squeezing, squirting; that's the scene of a felt making classroom.  


Oh it might have been hot outside, there might have been litres of cooling water galore  inside, but that didn't distract Year 6 pupils from St Edwards' putting all their energies into forming fantastic felted pieces of art.


On a hot and sticky Friday in May pupils worked with Art.Works to create amazing felt animals, birds and plants to be displayed on a banner in their school.  Working in 3 groups of 16 the pupils immediately took a hands on approach to learning.  To kick off the sessions the pupils'  imagination came alive with animated suggestions they wanted to praise God for.  From the hump back whale to saffron winged butterflies, all creatures (great and small!)  were considered during the sessions.


The creative kids then selected their brightly coloured fibres to bind , shape and form.  Then, shirt sleeves rolled high above the elbow, soap suds and squirt bottles at the ready, pupils put their back into forming and producing a jungle of creatures that could put Noah to shame!


Art.Works had a fantastic day with Year six at St Edward's Primary School, their enthusiastic approach to art kept us entertained and their comments ensured we left St Edward's with an enormous smile on our face...


'This is brilliant, Cat is very funny (and) crazy.... Trish is kind... I want you to come back to our school' 
Year 6 pupil, St Edward's Primary School, Rochdale

What a platform for an exhibition!

There's something quite therapeutic about gazing out of a train window when you pull into a station.   It's faintly cathartic to watch others board the train, or imaging the adventures of those disembarking.  Your eyelids might get droopy, your breathing may match the rhythm of the train, that is of course unless you pull into  Todmorden Railway Station!  it takes a second glance, an involuntary gasp of breath, a rush towards the train's doors before the conductor blows his whistle.  and what makes this small Yorkshire station prompt such a flurry of activity, why, an art exhibition of course!


From the 8th May to the end of the month Tricia (of Art.Works fame) will be exhibiting and selling her vibrant and 'quirky' paintings in the platform one gallery, Todmorden Railway Station.  After a hugely successful launch, in which 3 paintings where snapped up by eager eyed buyers, there's been a constant stream of visitors pouring over the colourful canvases.


Trish said 'I'm so happy so many people were able to come to the launch and I'm really excited to see all my paintings displayed together in one space.'


So, if you find yourself pulling in to Todmorden station why not hop off for the train for a while and indulge in a little creative delight guaranteed to put a smile on on the face of even the most miserable of Monday morning commuters!


Info: Platform one gallery is open Thursday- Sunday 11am-4pm.  all proceeds from sales will go  to buy clean water facilities for friends in Uganda.  Thanks to Phill Atherton for the photos!

Little Fingers Make Murals for the Garden

So, who said painting can only be done with a brush?  This week the early years and reception children at All Saints Primary School, Rochdale have been proving everyone wrong.  The creative kids have experimented with using all their body; from their tiny little toes to their clay covered finger tips to make some seriously messy murals! Experimenting with tone, colour and texture the children enjoyed splattering paint across the boards building layers with the paints and their bodies to tell an artistic tale.


Pupils took part in an interactive story session, trying to find the perfect home for little bird and his friends.  Then, beady eyes at the ready, armed with magnifying glasses, they scoured the school grounds in search of that ideal nesting place.  No stone was left unturned, no plant plot left unexplored, as the pupils decided where little bird may live.  Eventually an oak tree proved the perfect home, near enough to the silver streaked slug to be neighboroughs, but far enough away from the road to avoid the buzz-buzz of traffic.


But little fingers itch to keep creating, so after a thorough soil analysis the children used their experiences to paint four gigantic murals illustrating the bird's flight from the long, lush grass to the cool shade of the oak tree.


Over two fun filled days pupils have walked through paints to create a path for the birds, they've made tracks by driving toy cars through paint and smearing it across the boards.  The talented toddlers have rolled tufts of lush green grass high onto the meadows for the mural and printed leaves to canopy the trees.


And now, (after a little meddling on my part)All saints early years and reception children have formed  a fantastic piece of art to brighten up their outdoor classroom, and of course, give little bird a place called home!


If you'd like more information, check out our photo album on the Art.Works facebook site: www.facebook.com/pages/artworks or drop me a line: 078 1616 8982 to receive or 'outdoor classroom' resource pack.

It's all change on the blog front!

So.... you've might have noticed a few changes a foot, no, I'm not talking about the faint smell of summer in the air, or the increasing anticipation as the general election approaches, I'm talking about the Art.Works blog of course!


After receiving requests from follwers for a more accessible format for the blog I've descided to have a reshape.  I hope you find the new look blog easier to follow, read and interact with.  You'll notice some snazzy extras too:

• a resources shop: (it's in a tab at the top) this is going to feature resources for you to download for free or buy to help inspire creativity in the class room and beyond.  There will be lesson suggestions for key dates like Fairtrade fortnight, anti bullying week etc.  It will also feature the resources we sell, interactive and informative resource packs for curricular texts and environmental projects as well as the all important 'Art in a Box'; resources for you to buy and create in the classroom, or indeed wherever you fancy!    If there's anything you'd like to see featured in the resource shop, shout out! let me know and I'll see how I can help.
• an arty shop: (again look at the tabs at the top).  This will have original pictures and prints designed and created by yours truly, available to buy.  Do you have a special occasion you'd like to commemorate?  drop me a line and I'll design a piece of work especially for you!  The arty shop will also feature the  'Art in a Box' resources for you to buy, purely for the fun of it.  If you've ever fancied making a funky felt necklace, or your own ceramic mosaic you can now do so from the comfort of your own sofa!  Just choose the box you want, I'll send you the box including resources and instructions, then it's up to you, your imagination, and a little elbow grease!
• a facebook page! for up to date info of what we're up to join our facebook group: www.facebook.com/pages/artworks

And, of course, if you want to know even more about what we're up to you can subscribe via email, just pop your details into the box to the right labeled 'subscribe via email' (funnily enough!) and we'll let you know of up and coming workshops we're running with kids and adults.

So...thanks for following the blog so far and I hope you'll find the new look blog the bees knees!  *Unfortunately the new blog still features my over zealous vocabulary, like an ever flicking thesaurus, it's just something I'll have to keep working on...

Felt Fantastic and More Fun Filled Adventures

So the schools are way, but the cat will still play! I've been making the most of the school's Easter holidays by touching up on my own artistic skill, I've now added a whole new dimension, felt making!

That's right, roll up your sleeves, grab your squirty ecover and pop the bubble wrap, because all are vital tools in the felt making process! On Saturday 27th March I joined Jo Gornall, the expert felt maker for a day of creative construction. And some squidding, soaping, rolling, foaming hours later, hay presto! I'd produced my own fantastic felt masterpiece.

Keen to put my new found talent into practice I have incorporated felt making into the next big Art.Works commission. In May I will be working with the delightful pupils at All Saints's Primary School, Rochdale, to create two gigantic wall hangings which will transform their school's entrance. The work will include felt formed by the pupils, perfect dove prints, ceramic fish, and a little tile mosaicing too. Just another fun filled, soap spilled, messy Art.Works session then! And I can't wait!

As well as indulging in this organized chaos I've now designed Art.Works new 'Art in a Box' resources for schools, been approached with the idea to run holiday workshops for Hollingworth Lake Visitors Centre, and just today, won the tender to work at Abby Acre Care Home in Oldham to create a tasty mural for their new dinning area. Details of all these exciting new projects will soon feature on the blog, so keep your eyes peeled!

If you're interested in any of the work Art.Works offers, or want more information why not drop me a line? email: art.works.coop@gmail.com or phone: 07816168981, I like nothing more than a good gossip!

New Eco Schools Workshops with Art.Works and Touchstones

It might have been all quiet on the blog front but rest assured, the keys on this keyboard have been going like the clappers, all in the name of art!

Last week was an exciting week for Art.Works as we got ourselves in gear for the next school year. Thanks to the extraordinarily generous Education Co-ordinator at Touchstones, Rochdale, Art.Works will soon be featured in their school's programme! Karen Vine, Touchstone's Education Co-ordinator said she was 'looking forward to adding a new eco dimension to the schools programme', not as much as I am Karen!

I've been busy creating innovative workshops to inspire pupils to engage with art, drama and even a bit of eco warrior-ism, all in 2 new ninety minute workshops. From April schools can book, through Karen at Touchstones, the Art.Works sessions 'Fruity Fairtrade' and 'Re-work it'. They will enjoy hands on workshops in the inspiring surroundings of Rochdale's impressive heritage centre, Touchstones. The sessions will be a snip, at around £68 each (this price will be finalised later in the month).

So, to any environmentally aware teachers out there, it's a great opportunity to get out of the class room and into the museum of inventive disarray (that's the Art.Works sessions, not Touchstones in general!)