From 18–21 August, six children aged 11–14 from Fjallabyggð took part in a mural workshop facilitated by local designer Emma Sanderson, funded by Barnamenningarsjóður Íslands and Fjallabyggð. The children’s 36-metre-long wall mural is now complete and can be viewed at the old gravel field (Gamla malarvellinum) in Siglufjörður.
The participants were Alda Máney, Ingimar Skúli, Brynjar Snær, Kristín Ósk, Maya Maricato Lopez and María Björg. They were chosen through a community drawing competition. The four-day workshop was full of energy and creativity. It began with a full-day design session, where Emma gave the children their first design brief: to create a mural of local animals that complemented its surroundings, felt joyful and calm and could be reproduced at a large scale easily.
The wall had kindly been painted a pale sky blue by Fjallabyggð, which the children immediately recognised as the colour of the local swimming pools. After brainstorming, they decided the mural should be an underwater ocean scene filled with fish, coral, seaweed, and more. They then went on to draw the illustrations that would be integrated into the hand painted mural over the following days, guided by Emma. They painted soft layers to build depth and brightness, finishing with bold hand-drawn fish that stand out beautifully.
The workshop involved long days and hard work, teaching teamwork, supporting each other and stamina. This is the second year the workshop has taken place, and many were returning participants from last year. The children were given artistic instruction but also freedom to enjoy themselves. They shared music, chatter and laughter as they enjoyed creating together.