Family Learning Workshop

Today I worked with 2 families in the village doing a similar workshop to the work I did with Maidenhill. So we aimed to look at character in faces and create these in wire.

We began with drawing each other and characters from the 'Village Life' painting using continuous line drawings. These help in translating the drawings into wire.

We had a look at different tools for using with the wire and using different types of wire for different effects

 After a bit of concentration the wire drawings stared to come together and look like the initial drawings

 The finished pieces...

...you may spot some people from the original Village Life painting... 

Art Group Workshop

Today I worked with the art group at the Village Hall. We did a series of quick drawing exercises and then moved on to some more detailed studies. We drew village life today, by observing the group working today and the architecture around us. 

We used a whole range of different media including ink and stick, graphite, charcoal...

Next after an all important cup of tea we tried some mono printing and press printing. Have a look at some of the work the group produced below and i'll also have some examples of it at the village fair on Saturday.

Year 5 Workshop, Leonard Stanley School

Next to take part in the project was the village primary school. I worked with year 5 here, beginning by using different drawing techniques, particularly continuous line drawing (as this will translate well into wire work). The group began by drawing things they could see around school, outside, and in the village around them.

We used these drawings to inspire work in wire. Using a sturdy base the young people constructed a wire skeleton of their shape/ object.

Next these were covered in modroc to create a solid structure.

The finished items drying:

Once dried the class are going to paint their models, again some of them will be displayed at the village fair on the 16th July.

Early years workshop 2

After making our collaged cows, we moved on to using salt dough with the idea of making models of houses and buildings in the village. You can see the inspiration here:

 Some of the outcomes

Here is the mammoth amount of salt dough I made in preparation... we hardly used any of it... still sitting in the fridge need to find a use for it (quickly)

Village Life - Stanley Spencer

Stanley Spencer spent a almost a year around 1941 in the village of  Leonard Stanley in Gloucestershire sketching and painting, one notable piece he produced during this time was the painting 'Village Life' or 'Village Gossip'. During July and August 2011 Julie Roberts was commissioned by Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum to be artist in residence in the village.

Julie worked with the village community in engaging them in various activities linked to the artwork and artist. They were encouraged to record their own interpretations of village life and what it meant to them in the present day.