David encourages young artists at weekly workshops
BUDDING young Wicklow artists are invited to display their creative talent in a unique venture started by Bray artist, David Fortune.
‘Me and The Moon’ run weekly workshops for children aged two to 12 years in Bray, Greystones and Dublin as well as a host of other events - and the response has been phenomenal.
And if the would-be Van Goghs can’t make it to a workshop, ‘Me and the Moon’ will come to their home for a party or it can be held at the group’s regular workshop location, Killruddery House and Gardens.
‘What we try to do is provide an uplifting experience for children in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere with plenty of fun thrown in, of course,’ explained David who hails from Eglinton Road in Bray.
There are four strands to ‘Me and The Moon’. There are term workshops in Bray, Greystones and Dublin with the current term running to November. There are drop-in workshops at Killruddery each weekend to the end of October.
Opening times vary, so the details are on Facebook each week.
There are parties and events. Children can have an exciting art party experience at a house or garden, or on the grounds of Killruddery.
Most recently they ran the art workshops in the family zone at Groove Festival.
There are also seasonal art camps for ages four to 10 during school term breaks. The forthcoming Halloween camps will be on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
‘Our weekly term workshops are a fun learning experience,’ said David. ‘We teach children fundamental skills in Paint, Print, Collage, 3D Construction, Clay, Textiles, Animation and Typography.
‘All our workshops are process-led and designed to stimulate children’s imagination, creativity and confidence. Workshops are coor- dinated by experienced professionals in a safe and structured manner. Creativity is encouraged and nurtured and children come away as more independent thinkers and problem solvers. We encourage peer-to-peer learning, which allows children to grasp skills on another level and provides a much richer learning experience. All the learning and fun is in the making.’
David, an ex-pupil of Presentation College, has a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art Painting) degree from Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and a Higher Diploma from LIT in Art Teacher Education.
For more information go to www.meandthemoon.ie.