Amanda blazes the community art trail

10:22am Friday 15th August 2008

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After painting Kentish Town red, The Creative Arts Company is taking its first steps towards bringing a splash of colour to Waltham Forest Crystal Wilde talks to its founder Amanda Parker.

Amanda Parker, of Walthamstow, was first inspired to set up The Creative Arts Company in March 2007, when the small children’s charity she worked for in Kentish Town folded due to funding problems.

In an attempt to bridge the big gap in her life and the market, Amanda picked up the broken pieces and made them into something beautiful - just as she does with her trademark mosaics.

“I wanted to keep doing my job and providing an excellent service to schools in the area, and once I made that happen.

“I wanted to see if the same model of good practice would work here too,” said Amanda.

“My whole philosophy is that I really believe in building stronger communities because I think that has become stagnated over time.

“Different organisations, such as primary schools, Asian ladies’ centres and old people’s homes, all do good work, but I want to get them doing things together.”

Amanda works in partnership with a dedicated team of professional artists and teachers, specialising in theatre, mosaic and sculpture, but also making magic with textiles, carnival art, photography and music.

The work is designed to respond to topical themes, both locally and nationally, and mosaics hang on walls across London, combining serious issues with eye-catching elegance.

There are windmills and waves silhouetted against sunsets, raising awareness of renewable energy on a north London estate, children leap-frogging within a border of watermelon, cherries and grapes, promoting healthy eating at a Euston School, and wildlife blossoming among a host of discarded items to encourage recycling in Highgate.

Amanda said: “The themes have to have some sort of educational concept and a context for the people we are working with.

“We want to give out a strong message through our work that will instantly affect people.

“I think there is a lot of opportunity in Waltham Forest and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to projects there.”

Amanda will be one of the featured artists at this year’s 2008 E17 Arts Trail.

Her new series of mosaics and glass work is now on display at an exhibition at the Healthworks Clinic in Walthamstow.