Headstart - MK Arts for Health

I have recently starting running a group for young people aged 13-17 experiencing mild mental difficulties. They have been a really interesting work to work with and are very slowly coming out of their shells. The group are really interested in exploring their own personal interests within art and having the freedom to self-direct projects, in a way they often can't at school. We've also done some fantastic group collaborations.

Headway Milton Keynes

I've been fortunate enough to have been working with Headway Milton Keynes for the last 18 months, running weekly art sessions for some of their members. The participants are full of character and life and we have such a giggle every week. The sessions really offer a lifeline to some of the group providing social interaction and meaningful activity. So far we have explored painting, drawing, sculpture, mosaics and collage, with each project providing opportunities for discovery and development of new and existing skills.

Update...

So a quick summary of what I've been up to over the past 18 months. This should be easy! My Facebook page has become my platform for documentation recently, so I seriously need to get back into the habit of regular blogging.

Arts on Prescription at MK Arts for Health

I have just started a new project with MK Arts for Health, which I am so chuffed about as have wanted to work with them for ages! It is a 10 week Art on Prescription programme, with participants referred through their GPs or other services within the NHS. I wanted to start with something quite easy, so we have been doing collage for the past two sessions, with participants using a dream holiday vision as their inspiration. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the activity and the majority were surprised by the high quality work they produced. I was also really pleased to see how complimentary they were to one another, giving each other a huge confidence boost.

Painting collages

 

After the success of my last painting, I have decided to try another one, using a collage as a basis for a painting. This collage was produced by a group of students at Lord Grey Secondary School in MK, where I did a mini-residency last year. I absolutely love all the colours a textures within it, which together make for a really bright and vibrant composition. Normally I would start on one small section and try to get that bit complete in an hour or so, but today I decided to take a different approach and do a rough all over paint with very little attention to detail. I like the fact that I can already see roughly what it is going to look like and can easily change bits and pieces at this stage if they don't look right. Planning on going back to it in a few days and concentrating on adding depth and accuracy to one area. Then I will build from there. Hopefully this one won't take me quite as long as the last!

A bit more bunting....

I made this this morning for my friend's daughter's birthday present. They have just moved house and she has got a lovely new room, so I am hoping it will look nice strung up somewhere. Hoping to do a mural for her too soon!

Making shapes at Mini Makers, MK Gallery

 

This session was inspired by the work of artist Deborah Mills, who uses themes of balance, shape and form in her unique abstract sculptures. I would definitely describe myself as a 2D artist so anything sculpture based is out of my natural comfort zone! For the main activity I combined the 2D and 3D elements by working with the group to create colourful abstract artworks using coloured cellophane wrap stuck onto acetates. Each time someone finished a piece of work they hung it on 'cats-cradle' hanging system I had created using twine wrapped between two posts in the Project Space. We all loved watching the collaborative sculpture evolve and grow over the course of the afternoon, especially as the sun shone through the shapes and filled the room with colour.