Made in Fulham
It never fails to surprise us what a talented bunch you Fulham folks are. Each month Urban Village Ldn introduces you to THe Fulham face behind an idea, product or business and asks them what they love about being a local resident. This month we talk to Barbara ROESSLER founder of Paperbirds ART WITH Kids
How long have you called Fulham home? We moved to Fulham in 2012 after having our second child. We previously lived in Chelsea for our first four years in the UK. Both my husband and I are from Germany and moved to the UK excited to work & live in London for ‘just a couple of years’. Well, 13 years later we are still here and Fulham has became very much our home.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your family I studied Graphic Design and worked as an art director in Germany and London before slightly changing my career to become an art teacher and haven’t looked back; although I still love doing design jobs from time to time. I love going to museums, it’s my favorite thing to do - experiencing art always inspires me and gives me ideas for our classes but it also clears my mind. We have three children who inspire me daily, they tried out so many projects and my firstborn was part of the reason why I founded Paperbirds. Now, many years later, my youngest can’t wait to be old enough to take part in my art camps.
What’s your favourite local haunt and why? I think we are very lucky to have quite a lot of independent shops in Fulham like Quirky Gadgets (my boys are totally obsessed), Nomad or Indian Summer and even more independent cafes too. My youngest and I have a lunch date once a week and are trying out a different local cafe every time. It’s a very, very long list already, and many have beautiful little outside spaces and we love exploring it all.
What is your slice of Fulham heaven and why? I absolutely love Fulham Palace and the walled garden with all the vegetables, to show the children how everything grows, and having picnics on the grass under the trees. We are very lucky to be able to host our holiday and half term camps at the Palace’s Education Centre and we always have our lunch breaks in the beautiful grounds. Spending time at the Glasshouse Cafe and buying plants and herbs at the Palace Gardener is always such a joy and as a family we love our walks along the river, down to Chelsea Harbour and watching the helicopters taking off on the other side of the Thames, well yes, I have boys!
What have you missed about Fulham life during lockdown? I think like most of us I missed seeing people, from little chats with friends on the school run, spending time in one of Fulham’s many cafes to our crafty Sunday mornings at the Market Hall. Fulham to me often feels like a little village and wherever you go, you are most likely to see someone you know and have a little catch up.
What local shop/service/business has helped make life easier during the pandemic? It might not have been a business but all the talented little and big artists who switched from our Fulham classes to zoom and were so excited, engaged, motivated and fun. Seeing what an impact we could have on the children with those classes was extremely encouraging but they might not have realised how much they made my life a happier one too during such an uncertain time. The community spirit here is incredible and the support we got from all the families was just so wonderful.
Tell us about Paperbirds Art with Kids and how it came to be At Paperbirds we host art classes, parties, events and holiday camps in Fulham for primary school children. We always have little themes for our classes, we travel around the world, we are inspired by artists and always learn something new and improve our skills but mainly we want the children to enjoy their time with us and have a creative and inspiring class. The benefits art gives to children in all areas of their learning is incredible. As kids manipulate a paintbrush, their fine motor skills improve. By counting pieces and colors, they learn the basics of Maths. When children experiment with materials, they dabble in science. Most important perhaps, when kids feel good while they are creating, art helps boost self-confidence. And children who feel able to experiment and to make mistakes feel free to invent new ways of thinking, which extends well beyond the art room.
My own childhood was full of art, nature and creating and when my firstborn was about two, I started hosting creative afternoons for my friends and their children. Encouraged by the positive impact those afternoons had on our children, the happiness but also all the skills they gained from it I decided to start my own art business and here we are today, many years and art classes later, happy, full of ideas and excited about welcoming everyone to come and create with us.
What advice would you give to budding artists Paint, create, make and explore every day as long as it makes you happy. Be inspired and curious and always believe in yourself. Art is an adventure, that never seems to end.
