Detail of the Community artwork created by 600 members of the public over two weeks during an Artist in Residence program at Westfield Marion.

Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play

Companionship community artwork in cool colours including blues, greens, purples, and deep indigo, created by members of the public.
Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play: ‘Companionship’
Conversation community artwork in warm peach, yellow, orange, red, coral, and burgundy tones, created by 600 public participants.
Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play: ‘Conversation’
Community artwork with layered warm and cool colours, built daily by 600 public participants over two weeks.
Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play: ‘Community’

Discover how community art projects for groups can be easy, engaging, and full of creative surprises using the Pattern Play method.

A relaxed way to bring people together through paint.

Community art can be powerful—but it doesn’t need to be complicated. Through the Pattern Play Collaborative Art method, I offer a way for people in schools, groups, and neighbourhoods to create something joyful together, no matter their background or skill.

All of the examples below come from the Art Story Community Art Project, created with 600 members of the public during my Artist in Residence program at Westfield Marion. Each artwork is 1m x 1m—a size chosen deliberately to invite movement, shared space, and creative play. This scale allows multiple people to paint at once, explore different sections, and experience the joy of creating something together. The impact was powerful: many visitors left inspired to start their own collaborative art projects, and several school and community groups have since created similar artworks after seeing how engaging and visually striking the results can be. These are all simple community art projects for groups that spark connection and creativity.

Companionship community artwork in cool colours including blues, greens, purples, and deep indigo, created by members of the public.
Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play: ‘Companionship’

3 simple stages guide your spontaneous creativity with ease:

The three stages—Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—help people connect without pressure. It starts with play, grows through pattern-making, and finishes with sparkle. The final canvas is shared, but the memories and marks belong to each person. Community art is simple and straightforward using the Pattern Play Collaborative Art Process.

Conversation community artwork in warm peach, yellow, orange, red, coral, and burgundy tones, created by 600 public participants.
Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play: ‘Conversation’

Ready to begin? Get the free beginner’s guide: Beginner’s Guide to Collaborative Art or explore more community art works on the Blog.

Community artwork with layered warm and cool colours, built daily by 600 public participants over two weeks.
Community Art Made Simple With Pattern Play: ‘Community’

Excited to try community art and make something beautiful with others?

Whether you’re a teacher, a facilitator, or simply someone who loves the idea of bringing people together through art, I’ve got everything you need to start:

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