Mirror - Jeannie Baker Exhibition: Amber learns some of the creative process at this exhibition in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

Daily life for a group of kids from Hampstead Primary School is a long way from the deserts of North Africa. At first glance you wouldn't think they'd have much in common with kids living on the other side of the world but through a workshop at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, they're learning there are some strong links.

Author and artist, Jeannie Baker is giving the kids a few tips on the fascinating art of collage. And she's well qualified - acclaimed for her series of children's books illustrated with incredibly detailed collages.

Jeannie Baker, Artist - 'Mirror': "For me it's exciting to just see kids enjoying themselves and enjoying being creative. And I think it's really important to work in different ways. Maybe kids get used to drawing and painting and they just think in a particular way but working with very different materials breaks all their pre-conceptions. Somehow it's much easier then to be creative."

The creative process continues when the kids move on to the Noel Lothian Hall to view Jeannie's exhibition - Mirror, which is based on her latest book. Mirror is the story of two families living on opposite sides of the world. At first, they appear very different but through Jeannie's clever collages - we can see how similar they really are.

The book is comprised of two parts - each designed to be read simultaneously - one from the left, the other from the right, one in English, the other in Arabic and page by page, we experience a day in the life of a family here in Australia and another in a small, remote village in Morocco. By sharing the book with the kids, Jeannie reveals the parallel lives of the two families despite the striking difference in geographical locations. The truth is we are all the same.

Jeannie Baker, Artist - 'Mirror': "In the ways that really matter people, however different they are in the way they dress, in their culture, the environment, their language - inside, in the ways that really matter - we're all very much the same. We're all very much a mirror of each other."

Jeannie's original collages make up the accompanying exhibition. She uses all manner of materials to build up her incredibly detailed snapshots of day to day life.

Jeannie Baker, Artist - 'Mirror': "I love textures, I love the feel of things so in working with collage I'm working with lots of different textures so wherever I can I use the actual texture of whatever I'm trying to depict. So it's just the media that works for me."

And it's a media that Jeannie has certainly made her own. Mirror - the exhibition is at the Noel Lothian hall at the Adelaide Botanic gardens (Just near the conservatory). It's open from 10am until 4pm Monday to Friday until May the 13th.

'Mirror' - Jeannie Baker Exhibition
10am-4pm - Mon - Fri
Noel Lothian Hall
Adelaide Botanic Garden
Gold coin donation entry

Published 3rd April 2011