Today was the launch of the story boat at Morden Hall Park - and the end of the London Voices project with the National Trust. Sculptor Simon Kent carved the boat in panels of solid oak from Sherwood Forest, working to designs I produced using the drawings, prints and poems created by the families from Liberty School in Mitcham during the workshop sessions earlier in the year. The launch was a great event, with over 250 people coming along throughout the day, and joining in with activities like making mini-boats (Suha, above, made three despite having a broken wrist!), playing eels out and listening to exciting and adventurous tales on the boat with storyteller Diana.

It was a great way to end a project that has been wonderful to work on from start to finish. The boat looked amazing and it was so exciting to see it finished for the first time. Simon also made five free-standing sculptures to act as bases for the game ‘Eels Out’ - below is the vole. We also presented the letterpress posters featuring the families’ poems that I made a few weeks ago with Ross and Jon from JMG Studio - each family and everyone involved was given one to keep as a special souvenir of the project.

I finished the macaw project today with 22 Y6 pupils from North London. They had great fun creating interesting textures on coloured paper with acrylic paint and hanging them up to dry. The next day they used them to create collage-based, Japanese-bound story books inspired by the visit of Roberta the macaw. Their work was brilliant and the children really enjoyed the project, and didn’t even want to stop for break-time. ArtisanCam will be showing online film of the project later in the year.

Only a couple more workshops this term then I will be preparing in earnest for my solo show in October at The Old Sweet Shop. It’s called ‘Compendium’ and will be inspired by games and ways of playing.

I’ve been up to Brondesbury Park for the project with ArtisanCam: this is Roberta, the lovely macaw from London Zoo, who came to visit the school - she waves her claw and says ‘hello’. The children loved her and drew some great pictures in pastel, then got to work on their books.

Just finished my demonstration book for the ArtisanCam project on the 28 and 29th - turned out rather romantic!

In a couple of weeks I will be visiting a school in north London for a project with ArtisanCam. A class of year 6 pupils will be getting a visit from a live macaw from London Zoo, then making a book inspired by the experience. Today I’ve really enjoyed making a demonstration model, using a selection of jumbled up words and paper collage.

I’ve been making fabric collage hats with Y4 at St Andrews and St Marks, Surbiton - it was for multicultural week, so the hats were from all over the world. The finished work is stretched over three large wooden frames for display in the IT suite.

I’ve been printing with Ross and Jon from JMG Studio this weekend - using letterpress we created a set of prints illustrating the poems created by the Liberty School families at the London Voices workshops earlier in the year. Above are the prints before the text went on, with different letters making pictures showing the ice bridge, tiddler trout special party, and hat lemonade buns amongst others. The finished work looks great and will be presented to everyone who took part in the workshops at the celebration event at the park in July. Thanks Ross and Jon, I had a lot of fun and your design was brilliant!

The children in my Friday art group at Singlegate Primary School have been making their papier mache birds - here’s a nestful, and there are many more. They are inventing names and personalities and stories for the birds, and will be making books about them for the school library. One is a sumo bird, and another wears tiny glasses.

Spent the day at Morden Hall Park with the School Arts Partnership groups from Cricket Green and Wimbledon Chase schools - each child had a canvas and painted from life outdoors - lots of fun and some really interesting results.

I’m back at Singlegate Primary School in Colliers Wood this term - this time the project is to enhance the library on a theme of birds. Step one: making these papier mache birds to hang in a flock - they have a button on the base to hold the wire in place…we’ll also be making bird books, a nest-like wall hanging and cushions. The children had some nice ideas to make clouds, rain and eggs too.