In December 2023 I was invited back to St George’s CofE Primary School after painting a mural for their new library in 2020. This year I was commissioned to paint another mural for another wall in the library in collaboration with the ‘Reading Dragons.’
The reading dragons are a group of children spanning across all year groups (1 through 6) that express an avid passion for reading. I was asked to run workshops with two students from each yeargroup who are apart of the Reading Dragons. The workshops spanned over the course of two days ranging from 10-60 mins depending on the age and capabilities of the yeargroups. Each yeargroup chose one of their favourite characters from their favourite books and the children were able to paint them alongside me, allowing them to be involved in the painting of the mural.
I was asked to paint a tree which the teachers could attach leaves to detailing the favourite books of all of the children and why they had chosen them.
Working with the children was a wonderful experience which greatly influenced my professional practice. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part and running workshops was a very valuable skill which will help develop my professional confidence and open doors to running further workshops in the future. I have since been invited back to continue my work within the next academic year and have been given the role of Artist in Residence. I will continue to volunteer and paint murals whilst engaging with the children and enriching their learning and development outside of the classroom.
Design Template
Work in Progress
Outcome
Ellen Louise McDermott 