STUDENTS have been showing off their artistic skills after being given a special graffiti art lesson.
Year 7 students at the Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form picked up spray cans to get creative last week.
Graffiti artist Sam Maslanka visited to teach pupils all about the style of art and aimed to show them art can truly be “anything you want it to be”.
He said: “I’ve been stencilling for quite a long time now, but it really took off during lockdown and now I’m selling my work.
“I’ve even been sending work over to New York. I’m trying to teach young people that art doesn’t have to be boring, it can be really messy and great fun.”
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The youngsters have been spray-painting giant canvas boards with their own designs, then painting on stencils of cultural figures such as Katie Piper, Sir David Attenborough, Malala Yousafzai and Audrey Hepburn. The school says the plan is to hang the boards in the school corridors alongside quotations.
Sam added: “The kids have loved it and I’ve had some real interest from some of them and it’s been great to see. It’s been lovely watching them work so hard. Every single one of them has had a different take on it and I’ve been really impressed with the work they have created.”
Year 7 student Annabelle Goldberg said: “I love art anyway so I’m finding it really fun.”
Fellow pupil Ava Cataldo added: “It’s great to be able to do something different.”
Technology teacher Mrs Wallace said: “The day was made possible thanks to a grant from Braintree Council for the development of creative subjects. We were delighted to find Sam who is a fantastic contemporary artist, and the pupils have had an amazing day.”
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