No place like home

Being excited to contribute to the place you call home is what Kyle Hughes-Odgers’ art is all about. And it’s never too young to start in your own classroom! By helping students to discover their unique talents and their passions, we can support their involvement in the community and their ability to contribute.

Kyle’s new picture book, On a Small Island, features a young boy called Ari who does just that. By discovering his inner creativity and imagination, Ari transforms his landscape and himself.

The parallels with Kyle’s own journey as an acclaimed artist are striking. At only thirty-three, the Perth-based illustrator and street artist has held exhibitions and created public art throughout Australia and in New York,
Los Angeles, Singapore and Berlin. He has won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for his illustrations in the children’s book Ten Tiny Things and has been commissioned to paint an entire building in Washington DC as part of the Richmond Mural Project.

But, like his character Ari, Kyle’s art begins at home: last month he completed a 22-day project that was 80 metres by six metres in size at Perth Airport. Kyle’s mural incorporates 3D and LED elements, which transform it at night. Here’s the film of Kyle at work on it courtesy of peacockvisuals.com

Kyle Hughes Odgers – A Thousand Lights (Perth Airport) from Peacock Visuals on Vimeo.

‘It was great to have the opportunity to create such a massive public artwork at the gateway to the place I call home,’ said Kyle.

On a Small Island will inspire your students, and its intricate illustrations can be used in the classroom as a platform for exploring different artistic media and techniques. Free teaching notes are available from Fremantle Press to help your students tap into their creativity – and to get excited to contribute to the place they call home!