PCJS school artist-in-residence

Jan Haskins 8 years ago

Well it's been a while since my last blog post! The images I've just uploaded have come from an artist-in-residence at Pocklington Community Junior School. It's been a long and very enjoyable process involving lots of painting and some fantastic work by the children. The project started with the children's ideas on what 'Our School' meant to them and I've tried to stay as close as possible to what they expressed in images and words. These are fantastically enthusiastic and creative children who were absolutely great to work with and a credit to themselves as well as their school.

There are so many people to thank - not least the children - but also my creative associate Kate Noble who got me involved in the first place and who helped me to organise and run the workshops. She has been brilliant throughout. Also, this project would not have happened without the support of Headteacher Carole Fulstow, who moved onto a new school in February, and her successor Alex Reppold who has overseen the final stages and installation of the outdoor piece. The project was funded by the Friends of PCJS who invest heavily in promoting the creative arts as part of their school ethos. The school is full of great artworks and it's been a privilege - and a big responsibility - to produce something that (I hope) is worthy of their trust. Kate and I both worked hard to give the school value for money. 

Well, after almost two years of having a big project to work on, I'm now faced with a 'what next?' moment. I haven't got anything as large lined up yet, but there's a small pile of fresh lino and a stack of new canvases that really ought to be put to good, or even bad, use. I'm about to have fun and indulge my own ideas for a short while to see how that works out.