The trainees at Gate (The Donaldson Trust) got to work straight away when the news came in that they had been tasked with creating a model of a brownie for Linlithgow Museum’s Scottish Myths and Legends Exhibition. With many of the young artists being fans of fantasy and folklore, this was an ideal task to get stuck into.
The first job was gathering references and drawing up a plan. The silhouette and face were designed by Erin, who made a brilliant sketch which the rest of the team were able to base the model on, while Ryan and Declan contributed a fitting name: Count Spatula Bramblebush!
Next, Jay and Gemma built a wooden frame to act as the skeleton of the brownie. This was wrapped in mesh wire, then in tape, ready for papier-mâché. After a wonderfully messy morning with Corrie and Alex, the little creature began to take shape. He got a coat of paint, a head, feet and hands, plus a tunic and hat designed by Oberon.
The broom was made by the trainees in the outdoor classroom, and the bowl was sculpted by Cameron.
After being given a base to stand on, Spatula the brownie was delivered to the museum just in time for the opening night, which was attended by some of the trainees, no-doubt proud to see their completed efforts on display.
This was a brilliant team project, and couldn’t have been done without help from all the trainees who lent their ideas, opinions, and helping hands, and also put up with the “the thing” which has stood watch in the art room for the last few weeks, staring at us with his beady eyes, and smiling with his toothy grin!
We are all looking forward to visiting the exhibition with families, carers, and friends over the summer, and can’t wait to do more creative challenges like this in the future!
Linlithgow Museum was thrilled to welcome this fantastic masterpiece into our new Scottish Myths and Legends exhibition. We were delighted to collaborate with Gate at The Donaldson Trust and other wonderful local organisations to bring this magical display to life. The trainees from Gate did a truly superb job—just wait until you meet Count Spatula Bramblebush in person! A huge thank you to Sean (CPS Activities Ltd) for the inspired suggestion to reach out to Donaldson’s, to Andrew for expertly guiding the creative process and writing this blog post, and to everyone involved in crafting this fantastic creature.
Our Scottish Myths and Legends exhibition is on display until 28 September 2024.