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Printmaking, pinhole photography, digital art and cyanotype printing were on the agenda for weeks six and seven of Creative Pathways: North Ayrshire as the team build towards a spectacular showcase event in Irvine Town Centre on May 16th.

Ten unemployed young people are taking part in the programme, working with our visual artists Portia and Allan on fun, engaging environmental-themed art projects.

While getting support from Impact Arts’ Opportunities Co-ordinator to find spaces in employment, education and training, the group are working hard to build and develop items to sell in a fortnight’s time.

To get inspired, they headed into Glasgow to tour Glasgow School of Art. They learned about the history of the GSA and Scotland’s most illustrious artist and architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Having been working on their own furniture and preparing to construct a bench, the group were particularly drawn to examples of Mackintosh’s timeless design style in GSA’s Mackintosh Furniture Gallery.

The team also took a trip to the Mackintosh exhibition at one of his earliest architectural works – the Lighthouse. There was time for a quick lunch before heading to Glasgow Wood Recycling, to see how the not-for-profit organisation works with recycled materials to create furniture to sell at their showroom.

Seeing this wonderful craftsmanship was invaluable inspiration for young people, as their final showcase is going to take the form of a pop-up shop in Irvine Town Centre.

The team ended the week with a trip to Irvine beach to work on digital photography techniques. The sun was out and the group produced some superb photos – the perfect end to the week.

In week seven, the group produced cyanotype images and took some more photos with pinhole cameras they made earlier in the programme. The group’s artistic skills have been developing steadily as the weeks go by. The tutors noted that this latest work is of a particularly high standard and will be a stand-out of the exhibition and sale.

The group’s Exhibition and Pop-Up Shop will take place on Wednesday 16th May 2018 at Trinity Church Hall, Bridgegate, Irvine KA12 8BJ from 4pm to 6pm. If you would like to attend, please contact Matthew McWhinnie on 0141 575 3001 or email matthew.mcwhinnie@impactarts.co.uk.

The programme is funded by the Big Lottery’s Our Bright Future initiative, Inspiring Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.