Working with the residents of Homemead is one of my fond memories in mural making!
The transformation of the dining room was such that it earned a mention in the local news.
Richmond and Twickenham Times newspaper.
The home is run by Central & Cecil Housing, a charity which helps the young and elderly in hardship
I hope to be adding more photos soon
click on any colour for our current OPPORTUNITIES
Hanwell Community Centre Summer Mural Project, August 1998
Another artistic
production directed by 'Making Murals: Art for and by the Community: HANWELL PAST & PRESENT completed in August, 1998
The theme of past and present was chosen by the community centre's governing board, the murals were completed by local residents, their children and the children of mural artist Isabella Wesoly (at the time Demetriou).
Stella, Francesca, Andrew and Luciano added their creative touch to the panels, during the project. Proof that you can take your children to work!
Do you recognize yourself in any of the pictures below? If so and you'd like to be honoured with a mention on this page, get in touch! (contact details below) You were and hopefully still are.. mural artists!
During the all day workshops, the wooden panels were first prepared with primer
Images were drawn on by both children and adults who also painted in base colours and fine detail
The theme of 'past and present' was chosen to compare Hanwell as it was and as it is (in 1998)
Each of two panels were cut into sections, for ease of group work. Can you notice the joins?
The panels were cut this way due to the need to work on several sections at a time
Panel work means less crowding, less mess, better organisation and more fun being creative!
The artists considered the past and the steam trains that were carried across the Brent Valley via the Wharncliff Viaduct.
This feat of engineering was the first major structural design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was also the first major engineering work to be completed.
Built in 1836-7, constructed for the opening of the Great Western Railway (GWR) source of information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wharncliffe_Viaduct
A contrast in the mode of rail transportation can be seen clearly, as trains became faster! ..the smoke filled skies disappeared with the electrified train
A further contrast can be seen here between the church architecture of St. Mellitus and Our Lady and St. Joseph, which the children had clearly noticed. Can you find them in the mural?
Worton Road Community Centre, Isleworth, Middlesex the first production by 'Making Murals: Art for and by the Community: completed in July/August, 1997
Saint Vincent's School Murals, Acton
The Life & Works of St. Vincent de Paul
With an opportunity to run a community project in the final year an honours degree in humanities, St. Vincent's school was approached with an offer of running a project with key stage 2 pupils. The connection with the school was through my four younger children attending, which allowed me to forge deep and very memorable links with pupils, parents, teachers and staff there. When approached, the school was delighted to be able to have a visual commemorative, which honoured their patron saint.
I have more photos to add, but this is how it appeared after being fixed to the walls opposite the headmaster's office.
Many Thanks to Kevin Gallagher, past headmaster St. Vincents School
for encouragement of both myself and the pupils during the project, which ran over the Summer term of 1997.
(and for the interesting conversation about representing a halo in 2 dimensions)
My honours research involved visiting churches in Florence, to gain pictorial evidence of portrayals of aspect divine.
This is discussed as length in a web book article, entitled 'The Colour of Money' (you may Google it)
Fortunately the technological advances in paint manufacturing allows the mimicking on gold leaf!
Chromacryl Paints were used, with emulsion.
as with all wooden panel murals shown on this site, the bare wood was primed and the completed works varnished, for durability.
Fortunately the technological advances in paint manufacturing allows the mimicking on gold leaf!
My honours research involved visiting churches in Florence, to gain pictorial evidence of portrayals of aspect divine.
This is discussed as length in a web book article, entitled 'The Colour of Money' (you may Google it)
Chromacryl (acylic) paints were used, with emulsion.
The bare wood had been primed first and the completed works varnished, for durability
and in case the decision was made to display the murals externally.
Many Thanks to
Kevin Gallagher, past Headmaster St. Vincents School
for encouragement of both myself and the pupils during the project, which ran over the Summer term of 1997.
(and for the interesting conversation about representing a halo in 2 dimensions)
Mike Fitzgerald, past Vice-Chancellor Thames Valley University
for helping a spark of inspiration to manifest into form
Stella Rosanna Demetriou, my eldest daughter & Tara Horan (both from Twyford School)
for their valuable contributions in preparing the panels, adding base coats and finer details, plus the final seal.
&
Year 5 of St. Vincent' School, 1997
if you look closely into the newspaper clip, you may see yourself!
watch this space for more photos
and do have a look at the other murals that I have designed and co-created with communities
click on link below for the murals that followed on from this project
WORLD THEME MURALS
South Acton Estate, London W3
a history of art in the community
by the
Oak Tree Communities
1986
At Barrie House I lived on the 18th floor, the views and sunsets were awesome. If you look at the photograph of the tower block you might just about make out a glimpse of the butterfly I made from sticky back foil (2nd floor down, window on the right).
The Oak Tree Centre can be seen at ground level to the right of the block. Berrymede School across the way were to bring forth a host of budding artists and willing children who didn't realize that they could draw with paint!
and Albert Ludwort RIP you were and still are a great artist!
.. where is it now?
in the late spring/early summer of 2007, the Oak Tree Centre was rebuilt. The present location of the murals are not known. Hopefully they have been preserved! But they are still.. in these photos, as is Barrie House (now also demolished, the first tower block in South Acton to come down).
The memories of both are here and my art and heart are still flowing in creativity !
The 2D totem pole structures were the first to be made, as seen here.
7 Sheets of plywood were used 4' x 8' (courtesy of South Acton Timber Merchants) Each one had to be primed first. For exteranl murals it is best to treat the wood so that it will withstand the elements.
- the first sheet of ply was cut lengthways for the totem pole paintings - 4 sheets were used for the main panels - 2 were cut widthways, allowing us to create 4 predellas to go beneath each of main panels. Predellas are additional pictorial artworks, which lend to the allegory in a main setting. In others words a connected theme usually as wide as the main artwork, but much narrower from top to bottom.
PAINT FROM DULUX Most of the paint was from Dulux as the first stage of a National Competition, but Martin's idea to use pigment tints helped to achieve a greater variety of hues and tones in the construction of images.
The finished murals were sealed with varnish, for further protection and the screw heads (suggested by Martin) were put in with a final force of the hammer to make sure they weren't removed. So whoever did finally take them down, hope you did it with preservation at heart! The wooden mural panels lasted almost 22 years, so all you folk who took part.. let's celebrate !
If you took part and want to add to the site in any way (yes Martin, you too!!) contact me via any link/s at bottom of this page.
You can see the totem panels installed here, above. Aren't they colouful?
To the left of the display is a Town and Country setting. Barrie House was included, with improvisations of the surrounding estate. My daughter Stella was the youngest to make her mark here.. at just 18 months with a paintbrush at hand and dabbling with pigment. Under-graduate at Wimbledon School of Art, Stella previously completed a Foundation in Art & Design at Wimbledon. She had also been offered the very course (at Chelsea School of Art) that I turned down after discovering that I was pregnant with her!
Beside this is what I entitled 'Out of this World Theme'. After contacting John Angus (headmaster at Berrymede School), the pictures that were submitted included a few of spaceships, rockets, a moon buggy too! The theme was to be a 'world theme' and different aspects of different cultures around the world were to be included.. dress, food, buildings, domestic and natural habitat creatures. It showed that some saw the world as bigger than what we see before us. I still think that moon buggy is 'the business'!
The predella for the 'Out of this World' panel includes a Dr. Spok (from the orginal Star Trek), which Martin's guiding hand helped to create here. I showed the children how a space suit can be made to look baggy by adding crease-lines.
Under the 'Town and Country' panel are a series of skittle-like characters in National Costume. Several magazines were gathered for inspiration and theirs came from the images that had been used for 'Stories from Arond the World'in the Reader's Digest Magazine.
11 years later and part of my Batchelor of Arts in Humanities research, the next mural co-produced under the name Making Murals for & by the community came into being.
The first requirement of that commission was that I was self-employed.. and so Making Murals commenced!
I found rewards in fostering creativity and still do. These pages are for you to recall, inspire, enjoy.
NOTE ADDED 14th September 2010
'K' as a capital letter was added to my business name this year,
so you may often see references as:
MaKing Murals
It represents the King within us all.. we can all be the best in what we create!
The first interior wall mural I painted was in a house that I shared in 1983 at Avalon Road, London SW6 and the second at Barrie House in South Acton. It was the second mural that led to the first community project I directed and co-produced at the Oak Tree Centre in South Acton.
I wrote a poem, about the daily experience of living in the tower block, the 18th floor was high up and many just couldn't bear the smell of urine on the lifts. I don't blame them, but I got on with it and sent the poem to my local councillor. He wrote back and said to go and see Martin Frost, who was the local Community Centre Manager. I did and before I could say 'Jack Robinson' plans were in process. The conversation I had with Martin about the poem opened doors and after hearing about what I'd painted on my bedroom wall Martin asked if I would run a mural project, with the kids and willing adults on the estate.
With the possibility of paint donations from Dulux Paint the vision of a mural in South Acton were already manifesting! The poem was subsequently published and the photos below speak for themselves. I'm updating the parts of this site seasonally, it's now time for the murals!!
Acton used to be called Acorn, if you check out some of the other artwork on this site, you will see the running theme of Oak Trees and Acorns. But for now, I hope that you enjoy a step into murals and art of the past.
