A Few Brushes and a Cup of Tea

A bonus I get from running Art Play is that I feel more inspired to play myself. 

There's not much I love more than some time alone outside with some thick black charcoal, a sketchbook and preferably some rain. I like to sketch quickly, my work becoming more free as each page turns. When I'm in the 'flow', time passes without notice, work composes itself. Shapes form, marks get stronger, more emotive. I become more creative, maybe rubbing my paper into the wet grass, or smearing in mud and scraping it off. My charcoal eventually disintegrates and I am forced back into reality and off I go home with a full sketchbook and black hands. Usually, the book then lies forgotten in a drawer. Another task on my never-ending to-do list.

Today, I spread my sketchbook out on my dining table along with charcoal, pastels, ink, watercolour, jars of water, a few brushes and a cup of tea and began to work. Into the 'flow' I went and my cup of tea went cold.

Original sketch

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Nature Foragers, Print Makers.

Moving on from the Gatherings, it's that September-time-of-year again. New beginnings, new terms at school and a new term for Art Play, an after-school club I have been running. 

Art Play is a process-based club where we begin with a story and maybe a brief demonstration of a new technique, then the children are free to take their work in any direction they like with the help of a few carefully chosen open-ended art materials. I try to think of the club as art 'yes' space- there is no 'wrong' in art and I love it when the children deviate from my 'plan', when new ideas emerge and exited children make interesting discoveries. What happens if I mix glue into the paint? Can I balance this on here? How can I make it more stable? What will happen if I mix all these colours? Look, I made a new colour! Can I paint the clay? Can I paint with the clay? 

I have always known the magic and value of being immersed in nature. In the past, I have often read the story outside, or had the children draw from the view. As as artist myself, I understand the inspiration you get from working 'en plein air' compared to in the studio. Since embarking on the 'Gatherings', my determination for getting the children outside has bloomed; first-hand experiences fresh in my mind; I have seen how the children come alive in nature, really engaging with the environment. 

With this in mind, I have decided to make this term about using art to explore our connection to nature. The school has a wonderful outside space- a large grass area containing several native trees and a small, but lively pond enclosed by various bushes and woodland (the 'dens') and surrounded by rolling countryside- the children who go here are very lucky.

This week, we did 'clay printing' with natural objects. After the story, we went outside, armed with a large box in which to collect all of our treasures. I told the children to search for objects with different textures, things that feel different. The children ran all over, dashing back with spiky holly,  rough sticks, smooth feathers, leaves of all shapes, sizes and colours, an abundance of hazel nuts and an oak-gall which I said we should leave there for now as it had no exit hole but that oak-gall ink might be an interesting project in a few weeks.

When we got back with our bounty, the children all experimented with the 'clay printing' in their own individual ways. I gave them each black and white printing ink on a palette. One child was exited to see that when mixed, they made a third colour! Some children experimented with all the different marks they could make in the clay, then developed this further by making mini sculptures. 'Look, I can print my hand!' said another. Then there was an exited 'Wow, I can print the clay without any paint!'  

What a lovely start to the term. 

I can print my hand!

Wow, I can print the clay without any paint!

Experimenting with different marks in the clay

Some children made mini-models- this one is the seaside! Look at all the texture they added.

Prints taken from the texture of a rock

This texture came from a pine-cone

Look at the gorgeous leaf veins in this work

This child created a sculptural shelter from the found-objects.

#art #play #imagination #looseparts #open-ended #creativity #clay #nature

We have been Gathering

This 2 year study funded by the government is an interesting read. It's about how often children have visited a 'natural environment' within the past 12 months- 12% haven't, and a further 5% only once or twice.

My home-town is full of wild spaces to explore, often empty. 

My friend Lorna at Greenwood Growth and I wanted a way to connect people to these beautiful spaces; they deserve to be used. We plotted them down on a 'Wild Map of Leek'- look how green Leek is!

We thought about the barriers that prevent these spaces from being used- knowing where to go, how to get there, fear of strangers, dogs and wildlife and even knowing what to do when you're there.

From these thoughts, the 'Wild Gatherings' were born. Each week, through the powers of Facebook, we let people know where we would be and when we would be there and that anyone would be most welcome to join us, free of charge. 

Each week, we took a couple of open-ended activities with us to start people off- clay, scavenger sheets, bug pots and charcoal among others. To tell you the truth, we weren't expecting much, but we have been overwhelmed by the support and engagement. Some weeks we must have had 25+ children of all ages playing together in woodland, parks and fields, making new friends and discovering new things. 

We've built dens, collected blackberries, played hide and seek, made our own wild creatures, explored new places and even popped popcorn and toasted marshmallows on our very own fire. Sometimes we had visits from curious 'wild animals' that happened to be passing including a frog, a couple of grass-hoppers and several friendly spiders.

The Gatherings are relaxed too. You don't have to block-book or 'pay' in advance. It doesn't matter if you're exactly on time. It doesn't matter if you're ready leave early. You don't feel you have to make your children 'take part'. 

The Gatherings belong to everybody- the wild pockets of Leek have been explored and owned, connections made for life. I hope people return to those spaces, use them and cherish them. You see, I grew up in Leek, and the very essence of those spaces is permanently entwined with my soul, and when I return, I feel an overwhelming sense of home and connection.