Star Trek and Pirates

Fernhurst Junior School Playground

Mural - Summer 2015

In July, I was asked by Fernhurst Junior School to produce a new mural for the last remaining blank wall in the playground. It is a shared playground space with Devonshire Infants next door. There are a number of painted panels along the wall which were done by students from the University a few years ago. 

All the earlier panels take sports, and the London 2012 Olympics as a theme, so what would be more topical and in keeping than to paint something to celebrate Sir Ben Ainslie's Americas Cup programme. Hence Southsea beach with a [*collective noun for a small fleet of racing yachts*?] of racing yachts scything through choppy Solent waters.

 A gaggle of children from the two schools, in their red and green jumpers, sit in the sunshine on what is recognisably Southsea beach, watching the thrilling spectacle as the 'Formula 1' of World yacht racing speeds by powered by nothing but the wind; the Isle of Wight shimmering in the distance as the carbon fibre 'wings' of the hulls slice through the waves.

 Of course, in their heads, this is all 'Pirates' and magic rather than high technology engineering...