'ESSEX REFLECTIONS' A HIT AT COUNTY HALL

A set of four vibrant murals depicting the many facets of Essex life have been unveiled recently at County Hall, Chelmsford, following a commission from the Social Services Department.

The colourful, Expressionist-style mix of painting and collage, on boards four feet square, are the work of members of the Concorde Unit in Basildon and were launched under the title of 'Essex Reflections'.

All the artists have severe learning difficulties and were encouraged in their project by members of staff and local artist Fran Wilde.

"In order to involve the members of Concorde as fully as possible, we used a wide variety of methods to apply the paint, including fingers, pampas grass and even potato mashers", explained Corinne Page,

Day Centre Officer. "when we were asked to produce a set of murals for Essex County Council's

Social Services Department, we took the title of 'Essex Reflections' and decided on four themes -

'Rural Essex', 'History of Essex', 'Maritime Essex' and 'Industrial Essex

The paintings are certainly a powerful reflection of the varied character of the county. For example, the History of Essex incorporates a gargoyle from Thaxted Church and an arch of old Essex names bursts out across the foreground, while 'Industrial Essex' has a 3D representation of Stansted Airport. 'Rural Essex' has a late 'Van Gogh' flavour, with bright colours stretching into the distance and a foreground of brilliant red flowers, which contrasts wih the turbulent waves of 'Maritime Essex.

In order to gain inspiration ,the artists and staff travelled the Essex countryside and photographed extensively. The pictures were then incorporated into a large album, methodically logging each step of progress on the work, from scenes they encountered, to dayAo-day work on the paintings. The results were on show at County Hall, Chelmsford at a special preview on Wednesday 6 March.

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