Blackwood Primary School ~ Mosaics Celebrating 150 Years

Blackwood Primary School ~ Mosaics Celebrating 150 Years

I was contacted in the summer term by the Headteacher of Blackwood Primary School in Lanarkshire, looking into the potential of a mosaic to celebrate 150 years of the schools existence. 

Mosaic emblem with 'BFS' initials on a red background

After a few phone call chats and emails coming up with an outline plan, I started out by combining a site visit with a presentation about mosaics to the school.  They even had a mosaic on the walls that an alumni made decades ago that was incorporated into the presentation.

The final plan was to create a series of eight mosaics based on drawings by the pupils, to be sited in a corridor area which was accessed by both the school and the public outwith school hours.  There was a few days of using Photoshop to combine various elements of the drawings into the final design. Over two days, I ran workshops in the classroom for all the pupils to contribute, including P1's and SEN, so they all got involved.  The mosaics were then completed in my workshop over the summer.

And here are the drawings, finalised designs and completed mosaics which were installed in October:

150 Years

Yellow, red and black drawing reading 150, and dates 1875 to 2025   Mosaic plaque with the number '150' and dates '1875-2025' on a coloured background

UNCRC (UN Convention on Rights of a Child)

Cartoon knight with musical elements and colorful illustrations on a white background
Illustrated design with various characters and symbols, including a knight and children playing, with 'U.N.C.R.C.' at the top.  

Forest School

Illustration of a forest school scene with trees and a butterfly on a white background
Illustration of a forest scene with trees and a path, labeled 'Forest School'.  Mosaic artwork with butterflies, trees, and the word 'School' on a beige background

The Old School

Two architectural drawings of buildings with blue skies and clouds.
Hand-drawn illustration of a church with a blue sky and clouds.  Mosaic artwork of a house with blue and brown tones on a beige background

The New School

Two drawings of school buildings side by side on a white background
Colourful drawing of a building with a blue sky and clouds.  Mosaic artwork of a building with a blue sky and clouds on a beige background

Blackwood Parish Church

Black and white line drawing of a church with a steeple.  Mosaic artwork of a church with a red door, surrounded by yellow border

Reading School

Mosaic plaque with 'We are a Reading School' text on a beige background
The project was supported by BAL (Building Adhesives Ltd) who gave me some great technical support but also some materials to use.
Artist in a red t-shirt pointing at a decorative mosaic with various illustrations.
Wearing my BAL T-shire for installation
If you have a community or school project in mind and would like to find out more, please visit the Commissions page or contact me

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