Friday

Drawing in Laverstock

Eeeeeeeek! OK, big news first.... I did exchange on my new flat on Monday, so all being well I'm moving to the Hove seaside NEXT WEDNESDAY!  I am currently trying to ignore the mountains of stuff that requires packing, so it's highly likely I'll be bunging it all into bin bags just before the removal company arrive.

This has been a LOVELY week, I've mostly been in Laverstock near Salisbury working on the engagement section of my public art commission for Barratt Homes. After the initial research phase of the project (exploring the unique culture, history and landscape of the area) I'm planning on designing permanent artwork that celebrates;
- the history of Laverstock as an important centre for Medieval tile production
- the unique flora and fauna found on the chalk land and streams

I decided to create an engagement project to celebrate the new housing development, share the excitement of the commission, learn more about the history of the site and the local wildlife. So I designed a project working with Greentrees school (located on the new development), Wessex Archaeology, Wildlife Drawing, Riverbourne Community Farm and Same Sky.

On the first day of the project I'd organised coaches to take half the school over to Riverbourne Community Farm to meet Jennie from Wildlife Drawing for an observational drawing lesson, and to learn the importance of sheep grazing to the local chalk land wildflowers. The other half stayed in school and worked with Talia and Bianca from Wessex Archaeology to learn all about the history of the site and particularly the exciting finds by archaeologists on their school site before the recent build! Both sessions culminated in beautiful final drawings on tissue paper of the local animal and plant life. These drawings are particularly inspiring to me as I start to think about the drawings of local animals and plant life I'll be making inspired by the Medieval Tiles at Salisbury Museum.

Here's an image of the wonderful observational drawing session at the farm...


and here's an image of the brilliant drawing session led by Wessex Archaeology....


Then followed two VERY fun and VERY glue filled days in school with Kathryn and Sandrine from Same Sky. Who worked with EVERY child in the school to create a beautiful willow and tissue paper lanterns (decorated with their drawings from the previous workshops).




We will be having a Lantern Parade to celebrate the new community, the culmination of our project, (and the Spring Equinox!) On Tuesday 20th March from 6pm - 7pm. Each lantern will be filled with a glowing LED, and we will light up the dusk sky walking together from the Junior site to the Infant school site. I am so excited (and frantically checking the weather forecast!)

Thanks to the wonderful staff at Greentrees school (particularly their marvellous Head Teacher Ray Picton) and of course thanks to Studio Response for another great commission. I'll be back next week (from my new seaside home eeeeek!) surrounded by boxes/ binbags needing to be unpacked with images from the lantern parade event.

Remember to join me on Sunday for PJ Paint Club - see you then x

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