Workshops

This summer I worked with a lot of young artists at my university. I was getting quite stuck with my own artwork and I found myself in a bit of a rut and scratching to get out. Working with these guys and girls was a breath of fresh air. They are so inspiring but frustrating at the same time. It is a blast! They lack confidence in what they produce and restrict themselves so tightly because they may be trying to impress their peers or even myself and the other teacher.

The truth in it all is they all have their own visual identity and a way of working. Not one piece was the same. Some people needed more encouragement than others to just go for it but in the end they all produced some awesome artwork. The task at hand was grid painting, I hadn't done this for years because I guess being a creative we are expected to free hand everything. The group were given photographic reference of famous people and had to draw and then use whatever medium of their choice to colour their drawings. The age range was between 11 and 16 and just looking at the pieces you cannot tell the difference in ages.

They were a very inquisitive bunch and asked a lot about what I do and what my work is. I decided to sit and draw with them as I felt we would both benefit from the experience. I was so inspired, I just wanted to get stuck in and get going with it. This encouraged them to try different things swell because they are so used to just pencils and paint. I introduced Ink into the equation and they went nuts. They used every possible material and gave it a go. I was so pleased because I know personally I grew as a creative by trying new mediums with a teacher and my peers so why shouldn't I sit there and level with them?

This was what I produced. I have since worked into it and it is still a work in progress, I noticed I became precious over it and I want to come back to it with fresh eyes in the near future and just let loose so watch this space and we shall see how it develops.

Bobby Kennedy.

Messiness isn't exactly a bad thing :)

You know you've had a good day when your hands look like this. :)

Merchant Taylors Mural painting

So I previously spoke about my time working with the students at merchant tailors and we had a fantastic time. The sun was shinning, the boys were ready and raring to go and we had such a great space to work on.

The school arrange to help in the community and their final task was to paint murals in and around the local primary schools.

It was fantastic the boys had selected their photographic reference and the task at hand was to paint in the style of Monet, not all of the students were creatives but they all worked as a team collectively and used their skills accordingly.

We had three days to do the project and it was split into two groups the first group only had 1 day to complete their task on the storage box. They were great, they got stuck in they asked questions they were beaming with ideas and pushed to get it finished in time. The outcome was incredible.

The final outcome has completely brightened up the area this box was situated they did a fantastic job. 

The second group were just as good, they were fun and had a little bit more time as this one was where the younger children from the primary school interacted and helped to push it along. over all i had an absolutely fantastic experience and they were a pleasure to work with. Nothing makes a day worthwhile when you come home absolutely shattered and up to your elbows in acrylic. 

Well Done Boys!