Clackmannan Primary Mural Project

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the chance to work with a great group of lads from Clackmannan Primary on a mural project exploring their take on Clackmannanshire as a community and place. Clackmannan Primary is my old school, so coming back to work there in this way felt pretty special.

We worked across a series of sessions, starting with conversations and sketches around what Clackmannanshire means to them. From there, we developed the drawings and ideas into something that could live permanently in the school and that they could genuinely feel proud of. A big part of the process was slowing things down and showing how ideas develop over time, rather than jumping straight to a finished image.

The final mural includes references to the Ochil Hills, local wildlife such as deer and geese, plants, thistles, and Clackmannan Tower. Every element came directly from the pupils’ own ideas and drawings. The boys even came up to my studio and worked on the thistle and signed the back!

It still feels a bit surreal getting the chance to work on a mural for my old primary school, something I never imagined I’d get to do. Massive thanks to the Family Wellbeing Partnership (FWP), who made this possible through my residency at The Hive in Alloa last year.

Thanks aslo to David and his team for helping with the installation, and to the pupils and staff at Clackmannan Primary for all their support throughout the project.