On the 30th June 2011 four artists, fifty five children and lots of chalk came together to produce an instant piece of temporary art to decorate the well worn floors of Widnes outdoor market. Working alongside artists Philip Battle, Catherine McMahon and Paula Weetman we began our morning early, marking out the design for our 3-dimensional colour chasm. It was liberating experience working on such a scale, having been used to a needle, thread and relatively small canvas by comparison for the best part of 3 years. By mid-morning we had our design masked out and the children began to arrive, all eagerly awaiting to partake in our live piece of street art that they had all had small taster sessions for days earlier.

Hand-drawn portraits of the children by themselves

A snapshot of the main event

The children quickly set to work on detailing the chasm with pattern, marks and colour. Under strict instruction one school had been asked to use coloured chalks with black and the other coloured chalks with white.This would mean that upon completion the design when viewed through the lens of a camera would give the impression of a 3-dimensional chasm cut away into the earths floor.

Street art detailing

In little under six hours the children had completed their massive undertaking to create a vibrant piece of pavement art that adorned the once overlooked floors of Widnes market. It was a fantastic achievement and made a wonderful statement in the centre of Widnes town.

Images from the day

P.s. A big thank you to Philip Battle and Catherine McMahon of Urban Canvas for allowing me to take part in my first piece of street art, and also to the wonderful children & staff of St. Bedes and St. Gerards primary school.