Author Archives: Jane Porter

Collage at the Snuff Mill

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This week I have been with Y8 and 9 children from Cricket Green School in Mitcham and Y4 classes from Wimbledon Chase Primary. This is the first stage of the lanterns project – the children made wax rubbings from features of the Snuff Mill and the park – from fencing, manhole covers, leaves, the grind stones – even the back of a TV set and each other’s shoes. Then they tore and cut up the paper to make images inspired by the park – the bridges, waterwheel, minibeasts and all the other things they have seen on their visits. The results look very impressive and will inform the children’s designs for their lanterns next week. I love the 3-D collage, with a walk-though entrance to the park and stand-up buildings and signage, and the beautiful detailed brickwork in the second one.

Winsor and Newton factory tour

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I have just been on a tour of the marvellous Winsor and Newton factory in Harrow. Wearing a white coat and ear protectors, you get to see most of the processes involved in making paint, from the big vats of pigment and the huge rollers that process it until it is the right consistency, to the various methods used to test for viscosity, the machine that extrudes great lengths of solid watercolour. The highlight is the Rose Madder room, where they make pigment the same way they have been using for 200 years – the madder roots are crushed and mixed with some secret substances, left to mature in a jumbo oak barrel, then the mixture is left in a linen hammock for several weeks – the sight of rows of pink tinged hammocks with a very slow quiet dripping beneath them is very beautiful. Finally visitors can try out the paints – transparent yellow and blood-like perylene marroon are my favourites.

A Wandle Alphabet

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For the last couple of years I have been trying to collect a whole alphabet from objects found in the river Wandle at the monthly cleanups organised by the Wandle Trust. Some letters emerge fully formed while others require a bit of imagination. What I like about them is the rich patterns and surfaces created by years spent sitting in the mud of the river bed, particularly the rich red rust of the letter R. I’m still searching for the rest of the set.

A freize of feet

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Today I delivered the finished artwork from the ‘Walk of Art’ project to Crofton Infants’ School in Orpington. There were four panels – around 10m in total length – with feet and legs made by the Year 2 children stitched onto each. Here are some details…

I particularly like the black cat, and the parcel in the last picture – the boy who made it said it is a present for a monkey and if you peep inside you can actually see a yellow banana that he has stitched in there. And here are all four panels together…

‘Walk of Art’ in Orpington

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This week I’ve been at Crofton Infants’ School in Orpington working with Year Two on a project called ‘Walk of Art’. It’s part of Walk to School Month, and is going to result in a textile banner examining why walking to school can be interesting.

The children started off with a walk outside the school exploring and looking for inspiration…

Then explored the idea more through drawing and making a Journey Journal…

and finally planned some shoes and legs on a giant roll of paper before making some fabric versions using sewing for the final piece. I specially like the next drawing which features four types of conker, including the cheese grater which I had never heard of before…

Wandle lantern project

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I have been making prototype lanterns and testing them ready for a special project with Wimbledon Chase primary and Cricket Green school in Mitcham. The workshops will be at Morden Hall Park as part of the National Trust’s School Arts Partnership scheme.

Over the next few weeks the children involved in the project will be creating their own individual lanterns and decorating with designs inspired by the park environment, ready for a special ceremony on 25th November when the lanterns will be floated on the river Wandle at dusk, inspired by Japanese lantern festivals.

Today I tested the lanterns on the river, assisted by volunteers from the Wandle Trust.