One participant of the Friday Creative Wellbeing group is a wonderful surrealist poet in the style of Gisèle Prassinos. From one of her poems, 'Reasoning Remains a Wealth', everyone has chosen a line that resonates with them, and created their own print or artwork, taking inspiration from the words of the poem. We are always discovering … Continue reading Structure for a Poem
mental health
Breathing Space
I'm really looking forward to facilitating a new Creativity and Wellbeing course with Katja Stiller from Valley and Vale Arts. We will be delivering person-centred creative sessions that will combine mindfulness exercises for relaxation with a range of art forms. For people who are in the process of recovery from mental health challenges such as anxiety … Continue reading Breathing Space
A Brief History of Healing
Opening of the sister exhibition at Hearth Gallery, Llandough. See ArcadeCampfa website for more details. A Brief History of Healing is a collaborative partnership project between ArcadeCampfa, the Cardiff and Vale University Health board and visual artist and mental health service user Gail Howard. For the last two months Gail and artist/writer Sarah Featherstone have … Continue reading A Brief History of Healing
Get Well Cart
An old drugs trolley has been repurposed to dispense art making & utopian prescriptions. The trolley has been adapted and fitted with printmaking equipment including a set of brass letters to print words and phrases. Gail Howard and I are delivering pop-up printmaking and basket weaving sessions around the hospital. The aim of the project … Continue reading Get Well Cart
Breathing Space
Recently, I have been working with the charity Valley and Vale Arts on their Social Prescribing project Breathing Space in Pontypridd. It is a free, weekly, person-centred creative session for adults experiencing stress, anxiety and/or depression. Short mindfulness exercises help individuals to relax and find their creative flow. The work created can be about a real … Continue reading Breathing Space
Alchemy and Healing
Catherine Lewis has taken over the gallery 1a Inverness Place, an empty shop, as part of her wellspace residency. Cat works with materials that she gathers from her local environment - natural, local plant materials, and uses sustainable print processes and recycled cloths. Catherine had collected water and wood from a nearby healing well site, … Continue reading Alchemy and Healing
Creative Journeys
In the creative wellbeing sessions this week, I asked participants to create collages and sculptures to represent aspects of themselves. Searching through old magazines for words that resonated seemed to be conducive to both reflection and supportive conversations about elements of participants' lives. I don't initiate these conversations, as I am not an art therapist; … Continue reading Creative Journeys
