A Douglas school is throwing open its doors to the community to unveil the impressive results of a year-long collaboration between pupils and a professional artist-in-residence. Chris Roberts has worked alongside Fairfield Junior School pupils to create 10 paintings to brighten up a drab stairwell that’s used daily by children. Chris said the project, made possible through a ?15,000 grant from the Manx Lottery Trust, was a ‘unique and creative landmark’ for the Island and would be the envy of the majority of UK state schools, too. The project has been three years in the planning and has seen Chris, 61, of Sulby, working alongside pupils four days a week since last May. The paintings – created in Dulux matt emulsion and involving 3,790 colour mixes – depict school life in general and life at 134-pupil Fairfield in particular. Chris said he cast his mind back to own school days and looked at life through the eyes today’s children to plan the concepts, but sought ideas and input from pupils, with groups visiting his workspace in the art room and individuals stopping to quiz him as he worked for six hours each day. ‘Few adults, let alone children, get the opportunity to observe and work with a professional artist. Fairfield’s children witnessed the entire process, from the priming of the bare boards through to my signing off the paintings,’ Chris said. ‘I could fill a volume with their questions, all of which were intelligent. ‘Art taught in theory is fine but, especially in a junior school environment, certain technical skills will understandably be lacking and to be able to witness the skills and intellectual processes involved in creating a work of art are a priceless gift to children so young.’ So inspired were pupils by the project that they set up their own lunchtime art club, which now has two dozen members. In return, Chris, who has tutored young adults but has never worked with children under 11, found the experience ‘stimulating and rewarding’ and learned a whole new language, with expressions such as ‘cool dude’ entering his vocabulary. ‘To the best of my knowledge this is the first project of its kind in the Isle of Man. Indeed, very few state schools in the UK can boast such initiatives,’ continued Chris, whose career as an artist and designer has taken him all over the world and has spanned five decades. ‘I applaud headteacher Ian Walmsley for his imagination in launching this ground-breaking project. It has been one of the most stimulating of my career and it has been a privilege to work with the school, its headteacher and its pupils.’ The school is inviting parents, governors and friends, together with the public, along at 1.30pm on Thursday 2 June to view the results of the 1,632 hours’ work and see the final two paintings hung. It is urging guests to bring along purses and wallets and purchase products made by pupils who are learning what it takes to be entrepreneurs. Pupils have been busy designing and creating items of jewellery, stationery and other products to sell to the public at the end of their Mini-Enterprise Week. They will be building on the work they do with Junior Achievement. Mr Walmsley said: ‘Pupils have been learning all about manufacturing and commerce and, to give them hand-on experience, we are asking them to design and create their own products to sell, with the profits going towards their playground. ‘The fact the community, rather than their parents, will buy their work and they will see tangible results in terms of improved facilities will make it a real experience.’ Ends