Oak Tree Mural

Last year, I ran kite-making workshops in various neighbourhoods around Rotherham, preparing for a Kite Festival at Wentworth Woodhouse. One of the workshops was held at Swinton Library & Neighbourhood Hub, where, to my delight the staff were keen to learn and made beautiful kites. After the session, we talked about an idea for a mural. The recently refurbished library has an adjoining room between the main area with books on the shelves and a small enclosed garden outside. With plans to develop the outside space into a Reading Garden, the idea of a mural in the adjoining room was discussed.

Negotiations with the lovely library staff led to a collaboration with Milton Special School, a stone’s throw from the library. I invited a class from the school to the library where I intriduced myself, the idea of the mural and proposed space. Then I showed them some drawing techniques and got them thinking about what they might like to see or even draw on the mural.

During the week I painted, I was helped along by curious visitors, the library staff and pupils from Milton School, who drew their designs onto the walls for me to colour in.

This mural was more than a painting; it was a wonderful collaborative experience and a privilege to paint!