Published 22.08.2024
by Kids’ Own
by Kids’ Own
A children�s arts organisation and publishing house.
A children�s arts organisation and publishing house.
On Saturday, Kids’ Own hosted two workshop sessions as part of the Tread Softly Festival. The ‘Wild Stories’ workshops were held in a charming teepee-type tent at Beltra County Market. Led by associate artist Andy Parsons and writer Sarah O’Keeffe, these sessions provided a creative and immersive experience for participants.
Andy Parsons brought along a fascinating collection of sea shells and seaweed, prompting the children to reflect on what these natural items reminded them of. One imaginative child even compared a pebble to Easter Island! Participants were encouraged to handle the sea treasures and create stories and drawings inspired by them. They had the choice to focus either on drawing or writing, allowing them to explore their creativity in their preferred medium.
The session featured beautiful quality watercolour paper and chunky charcoal paints, giving the young artists excellent materials to bring their ideas to life.
Andy Parsons remarked on the workshop “……. It was amazing to see the way small objects from the sea shore started great leaps of imagination – with tiny rocks becoming giant asteroids – and that the participants brought together words and images that were all completely unique. We explored different drawing processes and materials and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of Beltra. It was also great to work in Tread Softly’s giant tent, which, like Doctor Who’s Tardis, is deceptively large when you step inside!”
Sarah O’Keeffe added “On Saturday August 17th Andy and I held our first two sessions of the “Wild Stories” creative workshops for Tread Softly 2024 in the picturesque setting of Beltra. Participants aged 8-12 joined us in a large tent, set up with pillows and floor boards, an ideal setting for thinking about wild stories! We began the sessions looking at some wild materials that we found at the beach. We took turns chatting about what the materials reminded us of, and we got some very wild ideas! Participants then had the opportunity to create large sheets of written and illustrated story pages using a variety of materials such as paint, charcoal, and blot ink. The results? All unique, from comics and airplanes to flags and under water realms, there was something that spoke to everyone. Perhaps the beachy background music might have had a bit of influence too, but a fun and chilled vibe for the workshops was carried throughout the day. We look forward to seeing what new wild stories and characters emerge from our next sessions at Aughris!”
We’re looking forward to the next two sessions, next up in Augris!