At the moment I am working on a series of drawings marking the movement of sheep in a field usually, while I am listening to John Kelly…This movement is constant. The landscape constantly changing and moving. So today I started by showing images of the landscape from which I draw and make work from. I deliberately chose to eliminate the element of colour and to concentrate on how the mark-making process alone can define form and space within a drawing.

We talked about pattern. We looked at the pictures and drew the shapes we saw. We took away the picture and saw the pattern we made.

We really listened today. Adrian allowed me access to the room a half an hour before we started which allowed me time to upload the whiteboards. This made a huge difference to the interaction that happened during this session and for helping the children grasp the concept.

As the tractor moves though the field it makes wonderful deep, deep marks and ridges in the landscape. It pulls the blanket harrow through the soil rolling, turning and folding the black earth. We got a tray of sand and made marks in the sand with our fingers then with sticks. We made folds ridges and grooves in the sand. In the session after break we each got a ball of clay. We flattened the clay and made marks in the clay using our fingers and tools to create texture and pattern. We imagined we were driving the tractor and leaving patterns in the landscape for me to draw.

Today was a departure on lots of different levels. The first hour the junior and senior infants actively listened and interacted with the whiteboard. I really was amazed at their ability to understand and engage with the concept.The second hour was more action based and lively and energetic and free. Virtually it was difficult to see the marks in the clay. They have grown in confidence and there is a constant stream at the camera ready to show their work and an eagerness to have a chat…