Befriending the Bluebells

Painted hoardings

Total surface area: 92 m2

A large scaffold structure around Gayhurst School enables the heavy work of repairs to take place on the roof while I skirt the building at ground level, giving hoardings a new purpose with paint.

The theme of the mural design was developed in consultation with Head Gardener of the LEAP Federation (of which Gayhurst is 1 of 3 schools) Lidka D’agostino with the aim to promote the beauty and fragility of the flowers planted in the raised beds around the school grounds.

Sharing a space with darting footballs and hundreds of curious minds tempted to pocket the magic of a tiny bluebell does not make the gardeners job so easy. By reflecting on the delicate nature and spell binding appearance of flora through painting, we hope to enchant the children into learning the secrets of Lidka’s planting and how best to look after the flowers she beds down.

Painted flowers include:

    – Akebia quinata (Chocolate Vine)
    – Echinacea pallida Hula Dancer
    – English bluebell
    – Helleborus x ‘Yellow Lady’
    – Tellima grandiflora fringe cups

These fairytale-esque botanicals cover wooden panels in sections around the scaffold. A pattern design was developed based on the chocloate vine leaf and embellished in different areas.

A series of 3 wooden stools at the entrance of the school evoked a woodland feel in which a bluebell scene was painted. ‘Befriending the Bluebells’ seems an apt title in the context of this communal seating facing the image and the broader aims of the murals messaging, to encourage children to care for the flowers and help them to flourish.

A blackboard panel framed with painted botanical elements invites children to chalk in their own ideas of what lives and grows in their secret garden.

Image Gallery – Painting in progress