Project name: Painting Pictures with Words
Participants: Home educated children and young people (age 4 – 16)
Lead artist: Ffion Jones
Digital platform: Zoom
Project Information:
Painting Pictures with Words worked with 15 Home Educated young people from Mountain Movers all on the autism spectrum. Through a series of online art inspired creative writing workshops children learnt to use the same detail in their stories as they often do in pictures. As well as artwork, they used videos, toys, games, and books as inspiration, making the blank page seem more manageable. The workshops helped the participants to mould their ideas into stories by looking at story ‘ingredients’ and simple creative writing techniques that help bring ideas to life. The stories have been collated into a book shared with the participants.
About Ffion:
Dr Ffion Jones has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Wales, Bangor. She co-directs, writes and illustrates the Nurse Ted series of books, supporting children’s understanding of serious illnesses. She runs Fly Me Stories, a social enterprise creating adventures for children who are unwell in hospitals. She has co-authored two books with Professor Helen Cowie and Dr Harriet Tenenbaum. As well as writing, she has been a creative writing and art tutor for a number of years. She lives in Swansea with her husband and two daughters.
“In one of my first ever workshops, I used Peter Reynolds’ “Ish” book to focus on “mak[ing] your mark, and see[ing] where it takes you” rather than worrying about getting things “just right.” I approach creative writing in the same way, focusing on gaining confidence in ideas, before moulding these ideas into a story. I can’t wait to launch this project, inspiring children’s confidence in their own imagination so that they can paint pictures with their own words.” – Ffion Jones
Resources from the sessions are available here