Mehndi prints!

Pupils from Cavendish Primary School visited the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester to work with artist Alan birch to produce some exquisite relief  prints. The prints using patterned wallpapers, some incredibly from the Whitworth collection of sample books from over 100 years ago, took their inspiration from Mehndi body decoration. The pupils were well prepared and had spent time  studiously looking into the world of print and my work through the website. During their  intensive questioning, they referred to work done over 10 years ago.Here are some quotes from the children:
Barney – I enjoyed listening and seeing Alan’s artwork.

Megan – I liked that you have inspired lots of children, including me, to do art.

Jasmine – I learnt that art means something and not just random images.

Mackenzie – The best part of the day was making the prints – it was very interesting.

Syra – The best part of the day was printing because I learnt that you can make lots of different prints.

Lucy – I loved the way Alan gets inspiration for his artwork.

Lucas – I learnt that patterned wallpaper adds really good texture to prints.

We, as teachers, would also like to say a huge thank you.  We were extremely impressed with what the children did and how efficiently the day was run when we were there.

Alan Birch relief printing workshop.

Schools Printing workshop with Alan birch at Whitworth Art Gallery

Print with Alan Birch based on Mehndi imagery.