Feeling Nature, 2024

Spring term art project written for Reception (4-5 year old children) at Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School. 

Feeling Nature, designed for 4-5 year olds, delved into the expressive potential of texture and pattern, inviting young learners to explore the world of nature through illustration. Drawing inspiration from the lineage of artistic practices - from historical use of rubbings to document in the Japanese tradition of Gyotaku to printmaking and book illustration - the project fostered critical thinking with the question: "How do artists make you know how something feels?" Feeling Nature encouraged the children to explore sensory details in nature and translate them into visual language through texture and pattern. 

Building upon previously developed skills in spatial recognition and fine motor development, the project introduced the children to the work of illustrator Emily Sutton, zoologist and artist Ernst Haeckel, and author Benjamin Zephaniah. The art room itself was transformed into an immersive learning environment, featuring a giant paper bird and the sounds of birdsong.

The culmination of the project was an Open Studios event, where parents were invited to explore an exhibition of the children's artwork displayed throughout the art room. Each child presented three pieces: a pencil and ink study, a block print, and a moving collage designed for a book.