Busy, Busy, But That Can’t Be A Bad Thing, There’s Quite A Bit To Update Since My Last Post!
Busy, busy, busy, but that can’t be a bad thing, there’s quite a bit to update since my last post! My year set of with an active start following the installation of the first of a series of two commissions, funded by Legacy WM as part of their new Public Arts Trail ‘From Chance Glassworks to Roundhouse’. The second commission will be situated at Port Loop and the design has been drawn from ideas generated through a series of creative engagement workshops with the local community, in collaboration with Civic Square and Red Shed. This process began last year, though has experienced unforeseen delays due to changes within the structure of Urban Splash and development partners, but I’m happy to say it’s back on track and I’m looking forward to producing the final artwork over the next few months.
This large scale mosaic will be produced using the same process as ‘If You Can Sail Here You Can Sail Anywhere’ but will combine both water jet cut printed and fired porcelain tiles alongside traditional mosaic. The theme celebrates the ethos of ‘Doughnut Economics’ by Kate Raworth and Civic Square as an organisation are inspired by this model within their work in the local community of Ladywood. To find out more about both, please follow the links!
I was also excited to receive other commissions; one to create a large scale traditional mosaic ground work at ‘The Walled Gardens at Croome Court’. The mosaic will be a cornucopia of heritage fruit and vegetables celebrating the garden’s 300 year history as a kitchen garden serving the main house at Croome Court, part of the National Trust portfolio. The installation will feature in a new area of the gardens under development and I feel honoured to be asked to create a beautiful mosaic feature adding to its development and regeneration. Again, please follow the links to find out more about the project, which is well worth a visit over the coming spring and summer months! It was one of the first places in England to produce pineapples, melons and vines as a result of their ‘Hot Walls’ heated by furnaces to produce the fruit – ingeneous!. The walled gardens are being lovingly restored by Chris and Karen Cronin, who bought the gardens privately some years ago and alongside a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, consider themselves custodians of this special historical place.
Another commission I’m currently working on is a fantastic initiative called ‘Common Ground’. I was selected as one of seven professional artists to create artworks with students for individual S.E.N. schools, mine being Baskerville School in Harbourne, all of the work will be exhibited at Midland Art Centre in June, more info to come in my next post!
In the meanwhile, the images I’ve shared focus on the fantastic contributions from the creative workshops held at Port Loop with Civic Square and at Red Shed. Now to get busy creating!
