art-K, the leading provider of art classes for children in high street studios across the UK, has unveiled a mural at Carshalton Beeches train station, which pays tribute to the town’s lavender heritage and the train station’s origins.
The mural featuring lavender plants, beech trees, a fox, autumnal leaves, ducks, and the Carshalton Honeywood Museum was hand-painted by art-K visual artists Laura Hutchins and Ayseli Sunguroglu. Its most prominent feature is the lavender plants, which subtly surround the art installation paying tribute to the town of Carshalton, which was once recognised as the lavender capital of the world.
In addition, the beech trees element of the mural pays homage to the train station’s history. Carshalton’s nearest train station was located initially at Wallington, but a halt was provided at the Beeches, named for an avenue of beech trees that the line crossed at this point. So when the new station was opened in 1847, it was called Carshalton Beeches to keep a piece of history alive in the area.
art-K’s Managing Director Emily Harper is passionate about utilising art as a medium to reference local history in towns like Carshalton; she commented, “We’re extremely proud of our mural at Carshalton Beeches station. We hope our mural will inspire Carshalton commuters while offering a piece of history on the area for tourists.”
art-K visual artists Laura and Ayseli said, “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to paint the mural at Carshalton Beeches station. The area is known for its vast lavender fields, which the Carshalton Lavender Heritage Company has been protecting since 1749 when Ephraim Potter and William Moore founded it. So, we wanted to pay tribute to the fields, the local wildlife and the origins of the station.”
Notes to editors
About art-K
The journey began in 2000, when Kathryn Harper combined her creative inclination and her experience in paediatric speech and language therapy to develop an art programme for children.
In 2016 daughter – Managing Director Emily Harper – saw the opportunity to build an art tuition company that would represent the future of art education nationally, and art-K was born. Together Emily and Kathryn (Creative Director) have grown art-K to more than 30 clubs, teaching 3000+ students per week and employing over 100 artists.
In 2018 David Harper, who had long corporate experience, supported the business to help mentor and develop art-K into a company with strong corporate governance.
art-K’s goal is to ensure that every child passionate about art has the chance to be a part of an art-K club in their local area. It is looking to build a community of individuals who share a common passion and enthusiasm for creating art.
art-K classes focus on fundamental principles of art, which can be used as building blocks by its students to develop their skills and confidence in experimenting with different artistic styles and mediums. That is why its classes are tailored to individuals and open to everyone.
For more information, please visit: www.art-k.co.uk
Issued by
Sam Shelton
Fortuna Asset Management Communications Ltd.
Tel: +44 (0) 7540 336998
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