Flox, Lindisfarne’s most recent artist in residence, has now finished her mural and was able to do so in a shorter time frame than anticipated because of the great weather and smooth organisation. Street art can be very challenging to create and often involves extensive background logistics and negotiations but that wasn’t the case this week. “It’s been a really cruisy, fun week” commented Flox. The outcome of all her work is a wonderful, exuberant and colourful expression of the Lindisfarne  ethos overlaid with the New Zealand flora and fauna which are such a distinctive element of Flox’s work. The mural immeasurably enhances the space it occupies and is sure to give generations of boys inspiration for their own art.

In addition to the permanent artwork created for the school during her residency, Flox ran workshops for groups of students to create artworks using stencils and spraypainting. In the first session, students were provided with stencils created by Flox and taught how to cut them out before designing their own work. The stencils used for the workshops utilise organic, natural elements which are typical of Flox’s own work.

“The workshops will, I hope, give the boys some insight into stencil-making and teach them about the technique of layering”, Flox commented.

In the second workshop, the boys got to work with the spray can and developed their work using four layers; background, midground and two foreground layers. By using different colours, arrangements of the stencils and composition, the boys were able to create their own unique work using only a limited number of stencils.

Thanks must go to Parents and Friends for providing the funding for this very successful week. It has been the perfect example of an authentic learning experience in a real-world setting.

Article added: Thursday 06 August 2020