Artyface Newsletter: January 2010
Artyface: the Smart Face of Community Art would like to wish you a happy and creative 2010! Read on to see how we are recycling for the New Year and for the chance to do a mosaic course (adults only or parent and child): we can help you to be more creative this year!
Victorious and Glorious Workshops at Our Lady of Victories in Chelsea

The "Gold" project at Our Lady of Victories Roman Catholic Primary School in Chelsea is very exciting. We have developed strong links with the Natural History Museum who will exhibit photos and pictures of the project at the Museum. The first day of making was a staff INSET training day and all teachers and teaching assistants rolled their sleeves up and got involved in their mosaic. Over the following fortnight we worked with around 140 pupils, as well as having siblings from other schools, lots of mums and dads, a friar, grandparents, aunts, neighbours and even Cllr. Mrs. Frances Taylor (Chairman of the Public Realm Scrutiny Committee and Chairman of Twinning, and also grandmother of three OLOV pupils!). Thank you to all who have helped turn the children's drawings into beautiful mosaics.
We are to be honoured with the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea and some of the staff of the Natural History Museum coming to make mosaics with us between February 22nd and March 5th.

Grandparents, parents and neighbours, if you would like to learn about mosaics and to come and join them, you are very welcome! Come with a friend. We will make it fun and easy for you! No previous experience needed or artistic talent. We need your help and you may discover a new appreciation for mosaics, or even a new skill/hobby! Please call Maud 07958 911315 or email her at maud@artyface.co.uk or call the school to book yourself in.
"At Our Lady of Victories we were seeking a partnership with artists for a whole school project to brighten up our outdoor playground environment - and Maud and her team at Artyface were a godsend! With endless patience and good humour, the artists and volunteers work tirelessly and their infectious enthusiasm for the work which they are doing is contagious. During the period when the work has been going on in school there has been a stream of eager children and adults wanting to participate.

Maud herself is a jewel among artisans, inspired and inspiring, driven to share her skills and enthusiasm with as many people as possible, generously modelling her craft with others. She is super-organised and has shouldered the major part of the work in bidding for funds, resourcing and supplying the materials. Without her the project would not have been anywhere near as successful - she really does make dreams come to fruition!"
Geraldine Morrison, Deputy Headteacher
To see more about the ideas and themes behind this project, all the processes and many more pictures of the whole school community making it, please click HERE. There is so much more to see!
A Winning Mural for Winns

We had a fabulous two weeks before Christmas at Winns Primary School in Walthamstow. We put the pupils' hand-made, glaze-fired, ceramic tiles depicting Walthamstow's buildings and market stalls into place. It was very rewarding and well worth the wait to see their drawings translated into the finished shiny tiles. They then mosaiced the roads, buses, people, trees and Lloyds Park around the hand-made tiles and it looks fabulous, we are just waiting for the weather to warm up so we can put it up!
"We can't wait to see the mini-beasts go up in our playground as well as the main mural - you have all worked so hard!"
Debbie Jones, Art Co-ordinator and Teacher
"Our children have learned so much and enjoyed creating something new which will be valued for years to come."
Year 4 teachers, Winns Primary School
We at Artyface can't wait to see the finished work up and finished in its final home. May the spring be swift so we can get it up as soon as possible!
Artyface is upping our recycling for our New Year's resolution

For our New Year, we have made a new start: MORE RECYCLING! This makes sense educationally, environmentally and economically, AND is more interesting aesthically in texture and colour, shapes and forms, than just using bought-in and hand-made tiles.

With the steep increase in price of many materials (up by a third in some cases!) and an increasing awareness of the need to re-use (even greener than recycling) we had a re-think about sourcing more ethical materials. We are now recycling/re-using high-fired pottery from artists/potters, beachcombed glass and ceramics, mirror and other miscellaneous materials: donations accepted gladly!
We would like to thank:
Fired Earth
Smiles Glass in Walthamstow
Jeremy and Petra at Wobage Farm, Ross-on-Wye
Elena Gillman and family for her beachcombing and her secret sources
Daniel Smith for his beautiful porcelain glaze tests
Jonny Burton for his grandfather's beautiful antique smalti and glass tiles
Karen Tooth from London Potters Association
The Salvation Army in Walthamstow
Maud Milton's mosaic weekends

Announcing our 2010 workshops: two weekend mosaic courses for adults, and two one-day parent and child workshops in the holidays (over 6's with accompanying adult only). Make something super-special for yourself, on your own or with a friend, for a gift or for your home: no prior experience necessary.

A whole weekend for adults to concentrate on developing your skills and abilities, with expert tutors to help (small groups; all materials and refreshments supplied: real gold and super-expensive materials at cost price). A warm, friendly, atmosphere on the River Thames to learn and enjoy. Limited places with two experienced tutors to help you. Parent and a child get a whole day or two half days, whichever suits!

Adult only classes (2 days):
£200 for Sat/Sun 28/29th May 10am-5pm
£200 Sat/Sun 4th/5th September 10am-5pm

Adult and child sessions (for one day):
£130, parent and child 28th July or 29th July

Limited places and supportive tutors on hand to help.

Please get in touch if you are interested, booking has begun! info@artyface.co.uk or call Maud on 07958 911315

We have special rates for groups (3 or more adults)! Make that special mirror/tabletop/fire hearth you have always wanted!

Please send a link to our site on to people and organisations you think could be interested in what we do: we are currently looking for more projects for 2010-11.
Artyface Newsletter: November 2009
Bonner Primary School in Tower Hamlets gets the whole school community involved in their Gold Mural Project!

With our fabulous Architect Volunteers Ruta, Sunita and Jyotika assisting, the Artyface team of teachers Jill, Catherine, Alice, Clem and Leona have helped Maud beaver away in Bonner Primary School, Tower Hamlets, East London. Their mission is to make three large elliptical murals along with colourful 'free-floaters' in ceramic (some hand-made by pupils) and glass tiles, and to use recycled porcelain, stoneware and mirror whenever possible. The ellipses are Autumn, Spring and Summer scenes and all the animals and plants in the design were drawn in workshops with our artists. They will enliven and inspire in the newly-built urban school's playground.

"I am absolutely delighted by the buzz that has been created in our school by the fantastic mural work" Martin Tune, Headteacher told us. "This is really what is meant by a whole school project - it's a real community effort. Maud and her team have been an absolute pleasure to work with."
More than 20 Mums, a Grandma, over 250 of Bonner's pupils, one younger sibling, the school cooks, over 46 teachers and teaching assistants on their INSET, the caretaker, a cleaner, some of the children of staff, 6 pupils from the local comprehensive Morpeth (doing their Duke of Edinburgh Awards) and others have been involved in making the mosaics so far in our eight amazing making-days in the school in November.
We are really happy with the community enthusiasm and our aims for our final residency in February are to provide workshops so that: every pupil has had a go; more dads and grandads get involved; more grandmas come and learn; all the school cleaners have a go; we spread the 'mosaic-bug' even further! At least one family are making mosaic mirrors for their Christmas presents this year after our mural workshops and this is exactly what we are aiming for, to reach out and include more people! One mum who came for 3 hours for three mornings said this is the first thing she has done for herself as her adult life so far has been spent looking after her family!

Lindy Batchelor, Teacher and Art Co-ordinator, said: "What a delight it has been to have been working on a whole school mural project led by Maud Milton. The excitement on the children's faces when they see their drawing coming to life in shiny colourful tiles is worth its weight in gold. It's been a great opportunity to bring in parents and older brother and sisters from the local secondary school. Even reception children have been able to work on tiny clay tiles which they will love finding when the mosaic is in place. It has brought everybody together in a wonderful creative way. We can't wait to see the finished project greeting us everyday as we walk through the school gates."
Hargrave Park Half-Term Hexagon Project

We also had an extremely successful Half-term Bronze Project at Hargrave Park Primary School in Islington. 30 pupils from the area (from different schools) who attended the half-term playscheme had fun drawing each other in active poses. They designed panels to describe the different activities that take place at the school, then drew and painted these onto primed wooden hexagons that will be mounted in the school's entrance hall for all to see everyday.

As a very active school the images ranged from Dance, Swimming, Karate, Capoeira, French, Art, to the other usual subjects such as reading and writing and other Healthy-Living activities. Ranging from Year 1 to Year 6 the students worked hard and learned new design and painting skills. They worked brilliantly together as a team, with older and more able children helping younger children and those with Special Needs.
We are happy to announce a new Bronze Mosaic Project for Our Maria Fidelis Roman Catholic Convent School in Camden, London, in the Summer 2010!

The theme is enlightenment combined with textile patterns from around the world to represent the multi-cultural population of the school. Artyface will do a few days of drawing and designing workshops, and then a week of wonderful workshops making indoor and outdoor panels that will be moveable when the school changes premises.

Also Grangetown Primary, Cardiff, Grand Mural Opening Day Was A Great Success

The PTA organised a special open day to cut the ribbon in front of the mural and to celebrate the opening of their lovely mosaic. Pictures of the process were displayed, activities making their own paper mosaics were set up, and a lucky-dip and teas and coffees were enjoyed by all! The Headteacher, Mandy Paish told us: "The launch was a big success and really enjoyed by everybody and as the PTA said, the mosaic looked fabulous and everybody thought so! Thanks once again for all your hard work."
We are currently looking for more projects for 2010-11.

Artyface are organising mosaic workshops in our studio for Spring-Summer 2010. Please get in touch if you are interested in taking part.

We have special rates for groups! Make that special mirror/tabletop/fire hearth you have always wanted!
Artyface Newsletter: October 2009
Grangetown Primary School in Cardiff celebrates their mini-beast mosaic!
Drawn, designed and made by pupils and helped by the wider community, the mosiacs have been great fun to make and look fabulous.
The theme was mini-beasts and small animals as it was for the Nursery and Early Years Foundation Phase playground (they study mini-beasts as part of their curriculum). The whole school was involved in the drawing processes for the design and Maud and Clement ran extra-curricular workshops in lunch-times and after-school, drawing from real flowers and foliage as well as images of insects and creatures. These were then made into a design by pupils and then pupils, their parents, friends and siblings, including one Grandmother, a few teachers, a school governor, some pupils from a neighbouring school and the Caretakers daughter!
Mini-beasts and small animals with their designers!
We are really happy with the community involvement, and the mosaics have transformed an old and tired space into a special inspiring place: the pupils hard-work has really paid off!

Headteacher Mandy Paish said "We are absolutely delighted with our mosaic created by Artyface. The project was a whole community project that not only involved all pupils in the school but also provided opportunities to parents, grandparents and friends of the community to be involved. The finished product was totally above our expectations and has spectacularly enhanced our Key Stage 1 entrance."

We would like to thank Awards for All and the School for funding, the project, Ardex Adhesives for their contribution of their fabulous adhesives and grout, as well as the Grangetown Primary community and all involved in the project and for accommodation donated! Special thanks to Mark the Caretaker who kindly donated his time to paint the wall and to Joanna Coulson: mum, artist, Governor and inspiration for the project.
We also had a very successful Open Studios in September in association with London Open House
Thank you to all who came and took part in the mosaic William Morris border for Winns Primary School in Walthamstow. We had at least 100 people over the two days, glueing tiles for the birds, fish and foliage.