by
Charlotte Moreton
21st July 2023
Two of our Chase & Chalke Artists-in-Residence delivered excellent art workshops with students from Ludwell Primary and Manor Fields Schools.
Sara Dudman’s final Unearthing workshop was with Ludwell Primary’s Year Six leavers.
The eleven pupils were transported to the glorious Win Green for a sunny walk with a spot of tree-climbing. The July flowers – notably scabious, knapweed, hawkbit and wild carrot – were doing their best to impress, larks were singing and butterflies and grasshoppers adding sparkle – all perfect for sketching! Walking across Win Green and back along a spot of the Ox Drove, the children learned about the Cranborne Chase landscape and collected small amounts of earth from mole hills, rabbit scrapes and the edge of the track. These were taken back to the classroom just before the downpour began. Sara gave a presentation about her project and helped the children create the new range of paints from the different earths collected. An interesting range, from white to light and dark brown via iron-rich oranges.
After a bit of experimenting, a long piece was made by the whole class, as well as individual paintings to take home and to show in our Spring exhibition of all three Artist Residencies.
Jo Beal took Manor Fields Primary’s Year Four pupils – all 29 of them – to Bowerchalke for an Art Journalling day, leading the class through observation and mindful sketching activities.
They all made their own sketchbook in the charming village hall, and clambered up Misselfore Hill. There were still a few late pyramidal orchids to spot, as well as a splendid view and a hillside of just the right angle for comfortable seating. Anthills with tiny flower gardens, far field patterns, and the trees and roots making steps on the lower slopes were all observed and sketched by 29 pairs of keen eyes. Five minutes of listening and noting down sounds in pictorial form gave a lovely spot of mindfulness, my favourite being a scribbly cow mooing in waves!
Back at the hall, the children drew maps of their route, adding their sketches to make some detailed, lively, and lovely results. Another terrific day!