Block Printing with Holton Le Clay Primary School

Jonathan Korejko © 2006 , 12 Church Lane, Timberland, Lincoln LN4 3SB tel 01526 378222 email [email protected]

The Creative Learning Project at two schools in Holton le Clay near Grimsby in

Lincolnshire was completed successfully on the 7th July 2006. Aged between 7 and 9

years, 75 children from both Infants and Junior Schools participated in the project,

combining the printmaking skills of Jonathan Korejko with the music talents of Liam

Robinson, to help the children gain a better understand of their heritage and local

environment. Much emphasis was also placed on helping to the children to understand the

importance of collaboration and teamwork, whilst improving their social and

communication skills at the same time. Teachers from the schools were fully immersed in

the process as well, taking children on outings to nearby museums, an aquarium, the beach

and salt marshes, as well as mounting displays, writing poetry and making clay models

with the young participants. At the same time, the teachers, ancillaries, classroom

assistants and other members of staff all became part of the printmaking unit, not only

helping to make the workshop a safe to print in, but also gaining useful skills in preparing

and printing printblocks. Jonathan’s relief printing unit made use of two customised,

second-hand mangles from old washing machines to print onto paper and fabric. Children

were taught how to design, cut, ink and print blocks made of thick cardboard. By the end

of the project all ages and ability levels were capable of printing clear and concise

imagery. Jonathan was the overall artistic director in the print room, and helped the

children at the beginning of the programme to develop their ideas about the fishing

heritage of nearby Grimsby, creating three long banners showing very colourful fish

caught up in nets. All groups then made an outing to Horseshoe Point; a stretch of mud flat

to the south of the Humber estuary, not far from seal breeding grounds as well as the

RAF’s bombing range! Here, children, teachers and artists absorbed the sights, sounds,

colours and textures of the magnificent open land/seascape, whilst making notes in sketch

books and gathering artefacts to take back to school. Liam made use of this visit to inspire

the children to write poems, songs, and make recordings of sounds in his makeshift studio

over a period of days. These sound images and songs were then edited on his computer at

home to produce a lively CD of children’s voices, poems and sea shanties in which all of

the children took part.


Meanwhile, Jonathan continued with the children to produce new print blocks depicting

sky, sea, grass, and beach, as well as images of shells, crabs, grasses, clouds, ships and

RAF jets. These printblocks were then used create a large, 220 x 70 cm banner entitled

“Horseshoe Point”, which became a visual commemoration of the trip made to the coast.

The printing programme was then finished by printing 6 windsocks on cloth. New blocks

were made of the children’s bare feet to represent “Footprints in the Sand”, and these,

along with other printblocks (fish, clouds, crabs etc.), were printed onto pre-cut cloth

templates and finally stitched up into the traditional windsock shape. These were hung

from 4 metre high posts to blow in the school playing fields.

A final event on the last day of the project took place at the Infants school, listening to the

sound CD and viewing the printed images and banners. Liam and the children sang some

of the newly composed songs, and Jonathan took the group outside to install the

windsocks . Here, the children were once again lead by Liam through a series of dance

numbers which he accompanied using his now famous squeeze box.

The CD, banners, windsocks and exhibitions will be displayed in both venues from the

10th of July onwards.

Jonathan Korejko

11 July 2006


At work in the printshop, inking up and using the press.


Teamwork and concentration were required to print the large banner


The finished products…

.…

Fish and Nets 2 35 x 200 cm

Fish and Nets 3 35 x 200 cm

Horseshoe Point 70 x 220cm

Footprints in the Sand 20 x 70cm Display by teacher SallyHackney 150 x 210 cm


Liam leads the children in singing sea shanties and in a final dance.

Documents

Block Printing with Holton Le Clay Primary School