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Art Hoppers

@arthoppers

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London based mural artist & art educator Claire Ward-Thornton (CWT) working in partnership with schools, public svs, cultural spaces & private clients

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If you follow our posts you'll be aware that we opened a small exhibition recently at @springfieldparkcafe. 'Pond Life' involves drawings and collaborative paintings by very young artists - Children aged 2–4 years from @grasshoppers.in.the.park community nursery.

We take our presentations of art seriously, so naturally, we produced an exhibition catalogue. Here's a few pages showing the children's original artworks and how we translated them into window vinyls. You can find the full catalogue and of course the completed designs in the cafe!

10 vinyls attached to the glass of the bow windows across both reception rooms offer a charming interpretation of scenes from the pond, with Springfield Park providing a beautiful backdrop as visitors look out from the café. (Best view of the work from inside!)

Do visit and take a look. The artwork will be showing indefinitely. We're also wondering if visitors might be keen to purchase printed greeting cards featuring the full collection of playful scenes - What do you think, is this something you might be interested in? Let us know in the comments below, THANK YOU.

....

Grasshoppers in the Park Community Nursery was established in 2002 with a focus on the arts, community and nature. Children and staff enjoy daily walks in the park, weekly art, music and dance classes, Forest School, and a parent-led structure that fosters a collaborative community.

Thanks to @displayways for their support with the vinyl prints.

#pondlife #parklife #earlyyears #childrensart #community #nature #reggioemiliaapproach #arthopperslive taken in Springfield Park Cafe by @arthoppers

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2 months ago

'pond life - drawings by very young artists' is a new exhibition by early years! Opening party: Saturday 1. Aug, 4-6pm @springfieldparkcafe

Here's a sneak peak of the work...

The artists are children on roll at Grasshoppers In The Park Nursery. At 2-5 years old they love drawing and for this exhibition they brilliantly captured life around the pond at Springfield Park with images of ducks, geese and swans along with studies of nearby trees and grasses.

@grasshoppers.in.the.park nursery originated in 2002 with a focus on the arts, the community and nature. This ethos continues to date with daily walks in the park, weekly art (delivered by Art Hoppers - c'est moi), music and dance classes and a parent-led structure creating a collaborative community.

If you're a family with young children and would like to find out more about Grasshoppers, come along to the exhibition opening, meet the community and spot the artworks which are neatly presented on the windows framing the park as a beautiful backdrop... It couldn't be more fitting.

Please help us to spread the word locally and share this post!

We'd love to meet you there.

#childrensart #arteducation #earlyyears #nature #GreenSpaces
#arthopperslive taken in Springfield Park Cafe by @arthoppers

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2 months ago

CALLING YOUNG HACKNEY FAMILIES:

Join us for the opening party of a new art exhibition 'Pond Life - drawings by very young artists' 👩‍🎨 on Saturday 1. Aug, 4-6pm at Springfield Park Cafe in Hackney.

I'm very excited to share this project that I've been working on with our long standing partner @grasshoppers.in.the.park community nursery and friends @springfieldparkcafe

I've delivered a weekly art session at the nursery for the children to participate in for the last 15 years (more on this story another time). Over the last 3 weeks we've been busy making pen drawings of the waterfowl and flora that can be found around the pond in Springfield Park. We've also created inky colour fields exploring the effects of Brusho colour crystals on both wet and dry paper - Beautiful!

I'm now busy composing 10 designs incorporating the children's artworks which will appear in colourful translucence across the bow windows of Springfield Park cafe very soon.

If you're keen to support the emergence of our VERY YOUNG artists, interested to meet the community of 'Grasshoppers in the Park' or eager to learn more about the nursery's creative play and outdoor led ethos, please join us and say hello!

📍4-6pm, Saturday 1st August Springfield Park Cafe, off Upper Clapton Road, Hackney

All welcome!

#pondlife #parklife #earlyyears #childrensart #community #nature #arthopperslive taken in Springfield Park Cafe by @arthoppers

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3 months ago

Every Tuesday morning I visit @grasshoppers.in.the.park community nursery to deliver an art session for the children. Today we had fun drawing and painting a mural on the floor of the playground.

Powder paint makes for a fun mixing station! Children spooned the colour into pots and stirred with brushes before colouring their designs on the floor.

Giant chalk sticks are easy to handle and great to draw with, plus the vivid range of colours really appeal to the eye.

The floor was filled with patterns, animals and painted stories. A Perfect morning outside, enjoyed under the shade of the gardens blossom tree.

#arteducation #childrensart #earlyyears #mural #summer #garden taken in Hackney, London by @arthoppers

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4 months ago

Opening night before the crowds arrived!
#arthopperslive #childrensart by @arthoppers

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4 months ago

New show opening in our school gallery for pupils @gayhurste8 this Thursday, 4.30-6pm.

Join reception children, year 1 and year 2 for their exhibition 'That's Me!' shining a light on the individual name of each child through a collective work.

Children designed and cut their name into a paper stencil through a process of drawing and pouncing using the point of a compass.

“I really liked the process of doing this, and I thought that using the compass was a really clever way to cut things out.”
Clayton, 2L

The names were taped together into large sheets and attached to the frame of a cube. (see previous post).

The exhibition includes a soundtrack of children talking about the story of their names.

‘That’s Me!’ Was informed by The Justin Thompson Project, a creative initiative running across all four schools in the @leapfederation.

More info and photo archives of all past shows in #TAG The Art Gallery at Gayhurst School here: https://www.tagatgayhurst.uk/project/thats-me-3/

📸 leaflet photos @pauros

#arthopperslive #storyofmyname #justinthompsonproject #lightinstallation #arteducation #childrensart #artgallery taken in Gayhurst Community School by @arthoppers

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4 months ago

Our art project with children @gayhurste8 this year has been rolled out across the school. We're soon to open the third iteration of our light installation 'That's Me!' with pupils from year 1, 2 and Reception.

Families who visited the first two exhibitions asked how we put the names together, so for anyone interested in my process... 🤓

The 1m2 cube is made of heavyweight cartridge paper attached to a timber frame. Each side of the cube has 10 rows of name stencils which are taped together after they've been crafted by the children.

During my planning, I start with the end goal in mind and work backwards. Working from the class register, I count the number of characters in each child's name, tally up the total and calculate the spacing I need to fit all the names of one class within each 1m2 sheet of cartridge paper.

I draw out the spacing and number each name so once cut, I can later bring the sheet back together in the same order.

Children receive a piece of paper with the same number of boxes for each character of their name. Some are 3 letters long, some as long as 14 characters !! so some children have much more work to do in crafting their design.

When the children have completed their drawing and cut out their stencil, I tape the names back into my original map, bringing the 1m2 sheet back together.

Turning on the light when the cube is hanging is pure magic. This final iteration will fill the room with names of the youngest cohort. Dates of that opening coming soon!

‘That’s Me!’ Was informed by The Justin Thompson Project, a creative initiative running across all four schools in the @leapfederation.

📸 @paupixel THANK YOU!

#arthopperslive #storyofmyname #justinthompsonproject #lightinstallation #arteducation #childrensart #artgallery by @arthoppers

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5 months ago

This time last year, I was busy painting for the lovely folks @limeswalkcommunitygarden and neighbouring residents in partnership with @southwarkcouncil thanks to a #cleanergreenersafer grant.

One year on and I've just been in touch with the team to ask how the mural has held up over the winter months. Many thanks Aline David for these beautiful photos!

At the time of painting, there was a construction site directly opposite with social housing going up for Southwark. Now I'm told construction is almost complete. Aline says:

The windows opposite on the new building are reflecting the sun and it looks like the mural is under water in the late afternoon. Very magical and alive.

I absolutely love this 'after-effect' of dappled light which - completely by chance - plays into our theme of nature. Just so unexpected and gorgeous! Gah.

Well if you'd like to see it for yourself, here's the location: 58 Linden Grove, SE15 3LF at the junction of Limes Walk on Linden Grove, a short distance from Nunhead Cemetery.

The artwork reaches 10.5m in height and covers a surface area of approx 100m2 and I'm loving it all the more for this new play of light!

#mural #nature #greenspaces #light #communitygarden #socialengagement #streetart #femaleartist taken in London Borough of Southwark by @arthoppers

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6 months ago

Here's a clip from an interview explaining my Culpeper mural on Puma Court in Shoreditch.

I loved diving into the research around Culpeper's translation of the London Pharmacopoeia (not 'pharmacia' as I mistakenly blunder here 🤦‍♀️ ha!).

The London Pharmacopoeia was a legal document published in 1618 by The Royal College of Physicians. Written in Latin, it listed the official compendium of drugs which apothecary's could use and provided a strict code of conduct for physicians in the methods by which medicine should be dispensed.

Culpeper’s unauthorised English translation broadened public access to the knowledge of health remedies. It says a lot about who he was and his social values. As you might imagine, this didn't go down well amongst the medical profession.

I had a lot of fun making this design. The ideas fell into place with a play on the astrological values that Culpeper assigns to plants. More on the symbolism and narrative at play on Art Hoppers website (see link in bio).

Big thanks again to all at @globalstreetart and @essentiallivinghomes for trusting in my work and supporting this project 😊 ✨

#mural #painting #nicholasculpeper #botanicals #herbalmedicine #healthy #shoreditch by @arthoppers

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9 months ago

I’m excited to reveal a new painting in Shoreditch! 👉 The Culpeper Mural

Huge thanks to @globalstreetart and @essentiallivinghomes for trusting me with the design and painting of this new work!

This beautiful building on Puma Court in the heart of Shoreditch lends itself to the story of an iconic resident from our past...

Revolutionary herbalist Nicholas Culpeper lived in Red Lion House during the early 17th century which would have stood in roughly this spot. Culpeper was a physician, a herbalist, a botanist and a keen astrologer, themes which play out in the narrative of the mural.

📍Find the mural at Puma Court, just off Commercial Street, London E1 6LY

Part of GSA's public art programme and commissioned by @essentiallivinghomes - find out more on their website globalstreetart.com 🔗 Or hop over to ours (link in our bio).

📸 Thankyou Carolina Lopes, GSA!
(Last pic = before)

#Nicholasculpeper #redlionhouse #herbalmedicine #PaintedCities #GlobalStreetArt #Botanical #Art #StreetArt #Mural #Artist #London by @arthoppers

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10 months ago

Our latest exhibition 'That's Me!' is now open! Years 5 and 6 @gayhurste8 are represented by their names, hand-crafted in paper and illuminated. Presented as a collective, the work celebrates the bonds formed through friendship, school and neighbourhood. The work shines a light on each individual and reminds us that every name carries the chronicles of its bearer. 147 names, 147 stories.

Some of those stories are shared through an accompanying soundtrack as various children from the cohort speak about the meaning, the family ties to, or the adventures from which their name originated.

In the classroom, we showed children how to design their own font spelling out the letters of their name in upper case. The negative space around the letters was cut out from heavyweight cartridge paper using a craft knife resulting in 147 stencils of each child's name.

We then puzzled the papercuts together creating fours sides of a cube. Each side represents a different year 5 or year 6 class. The names of 5/6D can be found in the bottom two rows of all four sides.

Our light installation is inspired by an artwork called ‘Intersections’ created by artist @anilaquayyumagha This work reflects the intricate patterns found in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Anila describes The Alhambra as a metaphor of union, a powerful symbol in which the fusion of cultures is visible through design. THANKYOU Anila for your beautiful art and inspiration!

Art educator: Claire Ward-Thornton
Assisted by: Olivia Simon
Volunteer: Fran Broadhurst

‘That’s Me!’ Was informed by The Justin Thompson Project, a creative initiative running across all four schools in the @leapfederation.

More info and photo archives of all past shows in #TAG The Art Gallery at Gayhurst School here: https://www.tagatgayhurst.uk/project/thats-me/

📸 These are my quick mobile pics ahead of the official photos coming soon!

#arthopperslive #storyofmyname #justinthompsonproject #lightinstallation #arteducation #childrensart #artgallery taken in Hackney, London by @arthoppers

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10 months ago

Many thanks #LizzieMcAllister @HackneyCitizen for this piece on our new mural in Hackney, lining the public footpath and bridge to Hackney Marshes from Daubeney Road.

The mural was the vision of local resident Adam Cochrane whose children attend Clapton Park Children's Centre. Adam set up a Crowd Funder to raise money towards the costs of the mural. Local families donated and volunteered to bring the mural to life. It was a lovely job to work on as there was such positive enthusiasm and generosity of spirit from residents.

THANK YOU ALL for a great experience in working together and for supporting a lively, expressive painting on the outer fence surrounding @cpcc.official

Local charity @ecoactive continue to work on the flowerbed in front of the mural - a beautiful willow boundary around the bed has recently added to the improvements and looks beautiful!

The project was a collaboration between @cpcc.official and @hackneyforestschool in partnership with local charity @ecoactive_uk

Photos: Pau Ros @paupixel

#mural #painting #streetart #biodiversity #hackneybuzzline #pollinators #hackneymarshes taken in Hackney, London by @arthoppers

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a year ago