Titchmarsh Primary ‘Passport’ Mural
25.6 – 2.7.13
On 26th February, while still painting the Fulbridge Entrance Project, I received an email from Josie Milton, Head Teacher of Titchmarsh Primary School, Northants
‘Hi Colin
I would be very interested in commissioning you to come and do a mural at our school or even an artist in residence if you do such a thing.
Please would you let me know if you are interested and any details you can give me.’
Another opportunity to work on a large scale, I was champing at the bit.
A meeting with Josie was arranged for 25th March and following a tour of the school we discussed a variety of options for the contribution I could make working as an artist in residence. The first was the painting of a mural to enliven a small corridor, a map of the world being its main subject. It needed to be vibrant and possibly include illustrations of landmarks to encourage children to remember such elements as capital cities, events and locations associated with classroom topics. The painting could spread on to surrounding walls, possibly like a splashed puddle or ink blots.
The second suggestion was to lead some drawing workshops for each of the year groups. One day would therefore be set aside for working with charcoal, with a second for drawing electronically using the iPad.
With wall measurements and photographs taken of the proposed site I returned to my studio to consider and develop a plethora of scribbles for the corridor mural, and eventually settled on an idea based loosely upon a page of my passport. A coloured background featuring two world maps would imitate the graphic texture and watermark of the page, which would be overpainted with a series of specially designed cancellation ‘stamps’, as though travelling around the world.
A second meeting with Josie was arranged, who then discussed the idea at a staff meeting in relation to the school’s creative curriculum. Both staff and children put forward additional and alternative suggestions. I drew another version of the composition to include the alterations and adjustments, and all was in place for another ‘Bigger Picture’ project!
Left
Right
Titchmarsh Primary School, School Lane, Titchmarsh, Kettering NN14 3DR
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