Mosaic artist from Milton Keynes unveils inspirational piece of artwork at children's hospital

An inspirational mosaic created with the help of young patients at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital has been unveiled by Milton Keynes artist Sarah Harper.

Sarah has just completed the artwork which features hand-painted sea creatures put together in collaboration with children on Ward 86.

The mosaic also features a giant rainbow with the inspirational message, 'The bigger your storm the brighter your rainbow’.

Said Sarah: "The mosaic has been installed outside Ward 86. It's a really happy moment to get this special piece of work on the wall.There's also a poster alongside which tells children on the ward all about the project and children visiting the hospital what to look for in the mosaic. All the hand painted sea creatures done by the children are all there. They've done a super job contributing to the mosaic and it's been really nice to be involved in this collaborative work."

She added: "In 2021, online retailer Not On The High Street, NOTHS shared one of my mosaics that had the quote, ‘The bigger your storm the brighter your rainbow’.

"Clare, who is the manager of Ward 86,saw this piece of work and contacted me about creating a larger mosaic for the ward at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. I asked if the children could get involved with the making of the mosaic and this idea was warmly welcomed. I took two visits last autumn to work with 26 children over 6 days. They painted sea creatures and contributed to lots of parts of the mosaic. One young girl, Amy added an enormous contribution, it would lovely if her work could be highlighted, she has had a long battle with cancer over the last three years.

"The rest of the project was completed in my home studio. We calculated that there are approximately 15,000 tiles in the mosaic. It was fantastic seeing the mosaic go up. It was a real honour for me to be asked to work on this mosaic, working with the children made it very special.

"The mosaic depicts the story of a boat making a journey through the storm and arriving safely at paradise Island, the mermaid is the guardian of the ocean."

Sarah, who was delighted with the finished work, is a mosaic artist who set up her business, Honey Mosaics, in 2018, with the aim of inspiring others to get more creative and learn about the fascinating craft of mosaics.

She works from a garden studio based at her Milton Keynes home which was built by her husband and where she spends most of her time creating her bespoke range of mosaics.

She said: "I create gorgeous ceramic and slate mosaics, Much of my work is made to order so I am always happy to offer a personalised option and have developed a selection of mosaic kits suitable for all abilities, including beginners.

"I love to engage with my local community and working in educational settings with children to create mosaic work is something I often do. I am a strong believer that a fundamental part of a child's development is enriched when they are encouraged to learn creativity."

Art has always been a passion of Sarah's and after spending years working in the fashion industry Sarah realised her dream when she finally created her own business.

She added: "As a child I was always found to be in the art room using up any additional free time, often working on creating beautiful silk batiks.

"I was encouraged to pursue my love for craft and it was only natural that this would be my educational path. I was extremely proud when I got an offer to study at Central Saint Martins Collage in London and after graduating with a degree in textiles my love for colour and texture was concrete. I spent years working in the fashion industry but always felt my job lacked an element of creativity that I craved.

"I went back into adult education and took courses in stained and fused glass with great success. These courses also touched upon mosaics and it was then that I knew what I wanted to do. So in 2018 I set up my business, Honey Mosaics, and I have loved the creative freedom and the opportunity to do what I love everyday."