Mural Masterpieces - Plimmerton School

Location:
Plimmerton School, School Road, Plimmerton, Wellington.

Team:
100 Year 7 and 8 students, Val Griffiths-Jones, Dorothy Devane and Maurice Laird.

Accessible to public:
Yes.

Mural theme:
View of Plimmerton, Fun by the Sea.

Background to mural creation:
An art education opportunity, the Plimmerton mural reflects the community and brightens the school replacing a previously created but extensively faded mural. The mural depicts the view of Plimmerton as seen from the sea and stretches from the Hongoeka Marae and Plimmerton Boating Club in the north through Karehana Bay and Plimmerton Beaches to Ngati Toa Domain in the south.

The artwork was initially prepared by the school's Year 7 and 8 students working with the school's art specialist Dorothy Devane. The concept was explained to the children and each class was given a section of the coastal area to depict. The children then decided on an image that might be found in the section of the coastline they have been assigned. Under the supervision of Dorothy, the children each created a detailed collage image and cut it out. Local artist Val Griffith-Jones was recruited to assist constructing a background on the wall. Each image was then digitally photographed and projected onto the wall in the evening using a digital projector. The size was adjusted where required using the projector. Val traced each image onto the wall using a felt pen exactly following the lines drawn by each child. The images were then painted in by Val and a team of helpers using each original collage item to ensure the colours remained true to the original artwork.