Gems from five and six year old's

Sometimes I wonder if it would be enough to show up places with some paper, a couple of pencils, glue sticks and glitter. You know do a version of gorilla art but it would be gorilla glitterarty. Adults, children no matter the age they all gravitate towards it. So much so that normally when I produce glitter I set up a glitter station to try and contain it and conserve some of the waste. But I did n't on Thursday in the seventh of eight after schools art class in Gorey Educate Together National School. The children were so into the freedom of using it I did n't want to cramp their style. I only introduced the glitter last week.
The theme this week was decorating their names, how to make typefaces (try explaining what a typeface is to a five year old!) bubble writing was as far as we got. Love showing the two pencils & an elastic band trick plus three ways to draw different size name with a crayon. We explored small tiny lettering and letters to fill A3 pages. The large one I decorated it with patterns plus took the opportunity to cut it out introducing positive and negative shapes to the artists - I just did n't use that terminology with them.

Happy 'H' and decorated names + fairies, artist, aged 5. 

How confident these letters are now, artist aged 5.

Fabulous 'F', artist aged 5. 

If children in arts education environments rely so much on particular materials what happens when you remove them? or what happens when you offer an interesting array of diverse and different materials?

Curiously uniform in layout, artist aged 6.

Trying it all, artist aged 6.

Some of the class were not seduced by glitter or the variety of art materials on display. But look at the different colour background and the fact that the letters are cut out, fantastic.

So what this is my way, artist aged 5.

Next week is the last class I've promised to put on a little exhibition for the artists and their parents. Should be a nice way to finish off the term.
This week I've had several enquiries about art classes so I'm thinking of running them from the studio again. Easter holidays are coming along I'm considering offering a couple of sessions like Fantastic Choco-tastic. Might be fun to have a dedicated studio day to teaching again. Adults in the morning, children and youths in the afternoons. I've some consultancy work to schedule in and then I'll figure that out. Let me know if you or your children are interested.
Note: I do not publish photographs of children's faces in my classes, workshops or events. This is part of Ballygarrett Art Studio and Creative Dynamix Child Protection Policy which is available on request.

Glendalough, a labyrinth on St.Patrick's Day 2011 & forty shades of green

Yesterday Ireland's national holiday we headed to Wicklow to an old favourite, Glendalough nestled in the Wicklow mountains an ancient monastic site that today still holds a certain soulful spiritual mystic quality that Ireland does so well.

Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland. Roisin Markham

I grew up in County Wicklow and have memories of walks in Glendalough as a child. In my twenties I remembering cycling out to it as part of my maracycle training. Now I hanker after Glendalough usually in the Autumn where the trees take on the changing seasons like a coloured cloak. It is nice to visit at any time of the year. Spring has n't quite made it to this part of the garden of Ireland yet. One of my friends commented that it could have been November.
It was great to go for a day into the fresh air, for it not to rain and the sun to make its presence felt. I had n't been to Glendalough for ages, it's a great spot to meet Dublin based friends for a walk, picnic and reconnecting. But I had another reason I also wanted to go to see the labyrinth. Having only recently heard that one had been created there.

Labyrinth at Glendalough, Wicklow. Roisin Markham

I have to admit to being disappointed. It looks more significant in the photo then it was. It felt like a very unfinished piece of land art. I think I will return to have a closer look when the park is less busy and see if I can find out more about who is making it, why and is it finished...

Reefert Church, Glendalough, Wicklow. Roisin Markham

This is a selection of photographs I took around Reefert's Church it sits slightly elevated before the upper lake almost hidden in the trees. I think it dates from the 11th century. The green on the grass was a tufty fluffy green moss.
Which reminded me of some photographs I took of moss in the Dublin mountains circa 2004

Moss. Roisin Markham

and some subsequent design for print I worked on around these colours.
As you can see there is something interesting going on her for my psyche I am back to the green...
I'm sitting here laughing. I did n't consciously wear green yesterday. None of us had little tuffs of shamrock attached to our jackets.

Design available as a print. Roisin Markham

Wednesday evening I started thinking "well what does it mean to be Irish" and here is my blog post digressing into forty shades of green. Well that's okay too. I do have work available that is green and fabulous in the studio.

Alchemy, Of earth and soul. Roisin Markham
Acrylic on paper, 71 x 50cm. €900 framed.

Inland ii, 2005 – 2010. Roisin Markham
Acrylic on watercolour board,78 x 58cm. €1,100

Inland ii is part of a series painted around motherhood, fertility, more particularly the postpartum space where you know or decided not to have any more children. That sense of nurturing, acceptance, loss, gratitude that I felt for experiencing the mothering space physically within myself and within my life. This particular piece goes beyond that and asks questions around space we create to nurture ourselves, others.
It is currently on it's way to auction 50% of the proceeds will go to One in Four a charity I support. If I sell it I will donate 50% of the proceeds to this charity.
 Contact me if you see something you like. Framed work can be shipped unframed, negotiated prices will include shipping. Purchasing plans can be agreed and I do have paypal. You can also call me on +353.86.1546163.

Finding a bridge

Bridge, Marlay Park Series 2007, Roisin Markham

I am posting this here as a point of departure and arrival. When we find ourselves stuck there is always a signpost even within the quagmire of being stuck.

The above image started as one of my photographs as part of the 'Footprints in my heart' exhibition. It was altered in Photoshop to give it a print process feel. My modern approach to screen printing or photo-plate etching with out the equipment, inking up process, toxic smells, registration frustrations and cleaning up. However if I had access to that equipment and process I reckon I would be making prints. I love prints and the print making process. But my studio space, computer skills and limited time in the studio produced this.

Writing about it now I see it opened the doorway to using the computer to edit what I wanted to express. Much in the same way the digital photography process removes the chemical processing and hands on printing it is my response to control over the images. The sophistication of technology means that I can take images and manipulate them further to give variations of creative expression. But is it processing and manipulation for the sake of it?
Photography has been made more accessible, democratised if you will. But as a photographer what does that mean for me if it is a basic form of visual communication. Is that why my response has been to process my images further? No, but it is a good question.
My response to process my images further is to add layers of meaning with out adding explanation. Post editing my work means I express further the context of the image for exhibition. In which it sits as a chapter of a story being told. An evolving example of this is my Legacy project.
But what of the images I take on a regular basis? Some of them would make fantastic prints in there own right. But can't everyone take great images to print and make their own for their walls? Should I be doing more with my photography?
What do you think?

Happy Felting with Camphill Ballymoney Project

Felt making seems to be where it is at right now for the last two weeks I seem to be teaching, demonstrating and selling hand rolled felt, which is all good. I spent some of last week working with Camphill Ballymoney community teaching them to make felt.

I've discovered that an early win in felt making keeps interest and with mixed abilities and age groups that is important. 

Monday morning we started off by making felt ropes, bracelets and balls.  After making a soapy solution from soap flake and setting out bowls of hot and cold water. I started the group off by getting the group acquainted with fleece, felting terms and what we would be doing. We started with getting the amount of fleece right establishing wrist lengths by wrapping the fleece around each of our wrists. Shaping the circle getting the connection of fibers right for a continuous circle. Soaping the fleece and squashing it in a circular rotation. Then moving to rolling it one hand through the circle the other on the outside and moving in backwards and forwards rolling the soapy fleece into felt all the way round the bracelet. Nice solid circles of felt were formed a into circular shapes that after they were rinsed and dried could be decorated with needle felting, beads or stitch work. The idea for some of the ropes was to cut them into small pieces and use alternating with beads to make a necklace.

We spent some time discussing how felt making can be altered and adapted to people with special needs. I think that it is a wonderful tactile craft that can be adapted the challenge is to understand how the individual with special needs comes to the craft and how their abilities can be brought forward so they get the most out of the experience. Felt making can be described in four elements the design and layout of the work, the fleece or materials used, the felting process and the finished item. It is our interaction with the fiber; friction that cases felting. Soap is used to aid the process along with hot and cold water, tumble dyers, microwaves and in some cases sanders!

When working with autistic children earlier this summer I realised that a coarser shorter fiber fleece then merino can make a good rolled bracelet with out using soap. Good for situations when you don't have access to water or participants might have tactile sensitivities.

On Tuesday I wanted the group to learn how to make a piece of flat hand rolled felt. So we started with a traditional approach to layout and playing with surface design. 

Everyone was amazed at the fact that after soaping the fleece and pressing down ones hands the felting process is evident. They were not so impressed by the amount of rolling involved. The whole group produced very individual pieces. 

We were felting outside in warm sunshine and we had to constantly make sure the fleece was not drying out. A wonderful complaint to have in Ireland!

On Wednesday I challenged the group to make light cobweb felt. Another group of five mixed ages arrive in to great excitement to join the workshop. This made things complicated and more fun. I got the younger members of the group to teach the new members to make ropes and bracelets. After all is n't that the way they say you solidify learning? 

Teaching is the highest form of understanding. Aristotle

We had come indoors for felt making so the room was lay out was altered to accommodate more people and have two tables of different activities.

Thursday I was in Dublin busy with other work. But knew I had given enough instruction to let the group continue on. When I arrived in on Friday morning I discovered this group had laid out a piece of felt about 2.5 foot by 5 foot. Talk about feeling up for a challenge! Their second or third piece of felt was to make something this big collectively. 

And what a lovely piece of work it is. When I queried their adventurous approach I was told "you taught us so well, we felt able to take on this challenge", ha! here are some detailed pictures

As this was being felted and fulled, I showed one of the community some techniques for making scarves. We ended up having a discussion on the different quality of sheep fleece. Where I got lost in the detail of fibers; Black Hebridean, Bouchion du cher, Wensleydale, Jacob, Castlemilk Moorit, Soay, Leister... I realised I know far to much about sheep.

Exploring scarf layouts

We also explored the idea of making scarves using the  felted ropes that residents can create and adding them as a basic design to make something further...

I look forward to great things coming from the felt workshop at Camphill Ballymoney Project. They sell their crafted wares at the Gorey Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

More felt making workshops at the studio tomorrow and then I really need to get back into my studio and make some of my own work!

Art in the open air at Coolgreany Market

I was invited to show work at the Coolgreany Market yesterday, not my usual location for showing my creative work but I thought what the hell! It was a big contrast to business meetings the day before in Dublin.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere it is a lovely community market; everything is done on a donation basis to a local charity. Stalls are offered at no charge if you sell your welcome to make a donation. Coffee and tea are offered with complimentary home baking and a big donation box on the table. So everyone hangs out and stands around chatting. Loved it! Well done to all at the Grain store that run the market the first Saturday of every month, the next one is the fourth of September I've penciled it in.

The poultry lady looked like she was giving free birds away, the amount of people all ages walking out with cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes. The boxes had holes poked into them and wobbled very uncharacteristically.

I loved the Old Rectory's designs and hand printed products all made in County Wicklow. The Tinahely Show t-towel was just lovely. Their products have that lovely wood cut screen print feel off them although the design work is party done on a computer.

It was great to catch up with Rachel Kennedy and see her lovely pottery, looking forward to seeing more of her work. 

I was really impressed with the quality of food on offer. Especially a local woman Ciara and her first outing of delicious jellies and salad dressings. Very professional presentation and and I can see this product being stocked in nice deli's here, abroad and on tables wherever good food is being enjoyed.

Gorey Family Play Day and access to arts

Car packed and all items on my list checked I set off into Gorey and picked up a few last things; plastic cups and paper plates for painting, a ream of good value A4 paper for making paper planes and some pom-poms which were great value in the €2 shop, 3 packs for €2.
I was delighted that I had time to go to the new civic square and see the Gorey Market House Craft and Design Festival Showcase and AIB Photojournalism Exhibition. A great start to showcasing world class quality craft in Gorey. Notable piece for me were Becky Knights Stone Swimming Costume, Terry Dunnes Wexford Tide, Louis Mulcahys Cockerels, Ceadogán Rugs and Roísín de Buitléirs Yarn Blue Glass. That is not to say I did n't like the other pieces Evelyn Grants Cabbage Teapots were charming, Peadar Lambs stained glass intense and Diarmuids Murphys Smaoineamh Study desk fluid and superbly crafted. The success of work is for me is how engaged I am in looking at it, if it prompts me to look closer or go back a second time, if the piece of work stays with with me and has piqued my interest, whether mind wonders back to a piece, the quality of the thought and making. I also have strict assessment of work that after I have looked at the work and enjoyed it that looks a bit like

• would live with a piece in my home or studio, 
• purchase it for a corporate client, 
• include it or the artist maker in a show I curate

or not. Well done to Gorey Town Council for bringing such good quality work to the area, I hope this is the start of a new tradition.

We had a change of  venue from the new civic square to the Gorey Community School three days before the event which was a shame. However there was a spot of rain on the day so the indoor venue worked fine - it is one of the challenges for holding outdoor events in Ireland as you really can never be guaranteed of the weather. So this is the hall shortly after I arrived

 and this is the event in full swing

I mentioned some of the activities in my last blog post so I started the set up with putting the easiest ones in place first.

Both of these activities are to based around building and raising awareness of community for people living in Gorey and its environs. They also create spatial and visual awareness of the area and its geographical context.

The next thing to do was construct the cooper pipe 3D cube, the frame for building our Underwater Scene the center piece of community arts section at the Gorey Play day. One of the guys (thanks Clinton!) at the Enterprise and Community Department of Wexford County Council had made the frame.

Funky Junk Area. This consisted of 40 or so cleaned bottles from the recycling Center in Wexford; the contents of my art kit from the studio which includes tissue and crepe paper, coloured card, bubble wrap,  matchsticks and lollypop sticks, pipe clearners, pom-poms, glitter, rolls of metallic pattered ribbon, rolls of wool, swatches of material and anything you can possibly think of that you could use inventively or traditionally to decorate something!

Painting area HQ

Artist Collette Mulready whom I asked to come and facilitate the painting section. She did a great job. Last year she came and did fantastic face painting. The painting and crayon area had it's very own gallery space.

 

Unfortunately lots of the artists forgot to come back and take their work home.

We also had a designated Glitter Station. For those of you who have worked with children (and adults) you will have experienced the fascination with glitter, plus the cost, waste and tidy up of glitter so in an attempt to contain glitter mania

The idea was that if all the glitter was sprinkled in the boxes provided we could reuse the excess sprinkles and it worked.

I did some felt making, fleece hand rolled to felt with soapy water. The idea was to show children how to make bracelets out of fleece but to use them as bubbles in the Underwater Scene.  None of the items made it to the intended destination but hey you gotta go with the flow and the important thing was a group of children and adults got introduced to felt making, had some hands on experience and enjoyed it. I love the way childrens curiosity brings them to a table to watch an activity, once you smile at them and ask them if they want to join in they respond and engage with enthusiasm. It is so important at events like this to be encouraging, engaging, inviting and super nice to children and whom ever is with them. How you greet a child could be significant to how they experience the art materials. In my experience ensuring access to arts materials for all is a lot to how the access happens and how open the invitation is.

Thanks to all the facilitators and volunteers that came worked really hard making sure the kids had a good arts based experience. I love that several of them commented that they "got just as much fun out of it as the children did".
Sherry Nugent of Irish Quilting Magazine came with her six and eight year olds to showcase quilting postcards they were busy and did a great job.

Thanks also to the chess club that came and played chess for the afternoon I saw some serious games going on with adults and children, great to see.

Getting ready for a community arts event

Plans are made, drawn up and change at the last minute. Fluid adaptation and yogi breathing are recommended. I will say no more.
Thought it would be fun to share some photos of todays prep for tomorrow's family fun play day at the Gorey Market House Festival. We are building on Ballygarrett Art Studio's involvement and the development inaugural festival last year. CreativeDynamix was coming into inception right about now last year.
The venue for Gorey's Family Play Day has change to the Community School, 2 - 5pm tomorrow. The Community School is at the end of Esmonde Street moving away from the main street in behind the car park where the organic/farmers market is held.

I live here
Large laminated maps are stuck on the wall. one of the town of Gorey and one of the electoral area and people are invited find where they live on the maps, or are staying and to place a sticker. This worked really well last year. The idea behind it is to build identity and to make a connection to the geographical area and social communities.

Funky Junk
Right now its just junk. The guys in the recycling center are starting to get to know me now. I'm the person that goes their and takes recycling away. Just wait till I start up cycling clothes! Anyway these cleaned bottles will be cut and folded and decorated into jellyfish and what ever else the kids come up with.

I was going to photograph the lists I make. but I'll leave them to your imagination. There have been phone calls, text messages and emails to confirm volunteers, facilitators (the crew) and find new ones!

It is important to be prepared and have a plan but not to get hung up on it and have a certain amount of flow. After all it is going to be fun! Is n't it?

What a great recommendation!

Roisin has shared her talents with us on many occasions over the past five years.  Her approach is community orientated.  Activities are inherently collaborative and inclusive.  Roisin’s work is diverse, vibrant and engaging.  She plays on the natural curiosity of participants, and helps children and adults realise fulfilling creative achievements.  

Raymond Swan, Principal, Gorey Educate Together National School

CAN Summer Camp 2010

It is such a privilege to work with children. Have a look below at some of the great work going on this week at the Cottage Autism Network Summer camp, so glad they invited me to work with them. Looking through magazines was the start of the older group noticing typefaces.

Then they started to make some images and their name through collage by cutting out letters and shapes.Some of the children were very inventive. They designed a large initial from their name on A3 paper and we've been spending time making them 3D. When they are dry we shall be decorating them and each individual will have a mini sculpture of one of their initials.

The junior classes were working with funky junk today we had a great session making under water sea creatures. We were having so much fun I forgot to take some photos (that often happens).

One of the boys drew this fantastic monster that we are making a 3D version of...

Tomorrow felt making is planned for the younger group and aluminum can construction will be the order of the day for the older group but not before some fun and games in the yard.

New experiment: access to art for all

I have been thinking for the last year about…well lots of things. That is part of what I do I think deeply about things and try to find ways to solve them, meaningfully share or process it by making my own visually work.
Part of what concerns me as an artist is how
• much access do people have to the arts and at a basic level to art materials
• do people engage with art or do they?
• Art can be used as a vehicle to teach other things; open learning, communications, lateral thinking, civic and community spirit.
• the arts can support community development, social inclusion, self esteem, education, personal development.
...and that is before I get into my own mark making, where I try to make sense of my world and perspective through creative process and visual imagery.

If you have been reading my blog or following me on Facebook or Twitter you will know that I have been teaching art as part of an after school program at a local national school in Gorey. The age group is Junior and Senior Infants ages 4-6 years. The offer was so popular that the class filled up instantly and a waiting list was offered a second class. Which is great and I have been having a very good teaching and learning experience with twenty one children. I've been getting feedback from parents that their children love the class and comments from the children "I wish I lived in my art class" and "art class is better then treat day". I have also been asked by parents if I run classes to give them support on what to do creatively with their children at home. So I have been thinking about that.
I’ve been also been thinking about ‘how much access people have to art materials. I’ve had this idea for a year or so about getting families to make and create art work together in community and sports halls but I have n’t brought it to reality yet.
The next thing I wanted to solve was making art more accessible at the local national school where I am teaching the after schools art class.

This is what I proposed to the school principal:
I’d like to offer art in a more accessible way at the school and use it to build community also. The aim is to offer a creative session to all children in junior and senior infants and their parents or guardians. I would like siblings to be welcome also. I will need to have an idea about how many children/families are going to present themselves so I can prepare the space and activity. If we exceed classroom size can we have permission to use the multi-purpose activity room or the hall?
In principle I’d like to offer a donation/ honesty box system with a €5-€7 suggested donation per family. This is about access to art so I would like to cover my costs; time plus art materials for the session. If there is money after that it can be donated to art projects at the school or to fund the next ‘experiment’. I want families at the school to feel they can just come no matter if they can afford to or not. I do not want money to be a barrier. This has to be balanced with people valuing and respecting what is being offered.
This is what I propose:
An art experiment and your invited!
Children in junior and senior infants and their parents/guardians are invited to participate in an open art session with artist Roisin Markham on 25th March; 1.30-2.15pm, in the Art Room upstairs.
A ‘make and do’ family activity will be offered along with ideas for creative projects at home plus a focus on thrifty art supplies.
Suggested donation €5. An honesty box system will be in place. Book a family space by signing your child’s name on the board.

I'm delighted to say the principal has given the go ahead and the experiment will take place. I'll let you know how it goes.