Merry Christmas

I feel like beginning with an apology every time I write a blog.  If it wasn't for Martin reminding me every now and again that I haven't written one for ages they would never happen!

Well, a swift update.
My sessions at Alexandra House Residential Home have finished, ending up with a lovely session which involved making a Christmas table decoration, I have to admit not really my scene but thankfully there was a lot of help, thank you Amy and Kathryn and Bridget!  Anything to do with gardening has proved to be a great success, and bird boxes!  John built his bird box and proceeded to paint it throughout the course and finally it was put in the tree outside their lounge for all to see.

During the last session there was also an exhibition of the residents' and we had a few visitors which was lovely, thanks to Richard, Nick and Vix, Ros (from The Grove where we are going next) and Martin for coming and adding something special to the whole occasion.  Although there have been a number of highs and lows I am glad that we ended on such a positive note.  I cautiously gave carers a questionnaire to see if they had noticed any differences in residents as a result of doing activities . . . to my delight they were very encouraging and supportive.  Two wanted to be involved in our workshops - how wonderful!  While I was distributing the carers' questionnaires, Toni one of the residents wanted to make her comments known! so another form was created and returned for the residents.  Many thanks to carer Vicky R who volunteered to fill them in with each resident, twice, the first lot disappeared!

Ernst & Young art sale was not exactly a roaring success, initially a lot of networking went on - having recently attended a couple of business events I can just imagine! but the Friday event sold two pictures one of which was 'Boats lined up'.

The next event will be the StArt Exhibition at the RBSA, straight after Christmas, in which all the pictures are £200 or less.  And around about the same time I am going to have a picture on the window easel at the RBSA which will be there until early March.  I have to admit I have never noticed the easel in the window before, oh dear, doesn't sound good!

I think it is time to wish anyone who may read this in the next couple of days, a very Blessed and Happy Christmas and my best wishes for 2012.  

Jan x

A busy Open Studio . . .

That is something of an understatement!  Bridget and I had well over 100 people in two days and by the end of Sunday we were exhausted, but delighted with the way everyone enjoyed coming along.
Bless Martin, Amy, Tom and Grace for providing endless cups of tea and pieces of cake.
We raised money for St Dunstans, Crohn's and Colitis UK and our church, St Thomas in Hockley Heath as well as ourselves so all in all a very pleasing result.  A huge thank you to all of you who came along and made it a success.

This week has been sort of back to normal, well after Grace returned to Aberystwyth Uni on Wednesday evening.  Our project 'Sustaining the Person Within' is into its third session - quite a challenge but I think/hope we are getting there.  Sadly moving into an unstimulating environment can have quite a long lasting effect on a person.

My painting of Snowdon has moved on I'm glad to say and is almost ready for Martin's frame.  The next thing I need to do is prepare the artwork that Jane Frith is taking to Ernst & Young for the 1st December.

Open Studio on the 12th &13th November

If I was a real blogger I would have more time to blog!
Almost 4 weeks have gone by - the next event coming up is an Open Studio on the 12th and 13th November.  Bridget West will be joining me with her felted bags, cushions and wonderful scarves, among other things, and I will have my paintings, prints and a new collection of blank cards.

Copertina azzura

Evening light Plockton

Picking memories

Polly's friends

Practising for the regatta

  To me cards are always a risk - you commit to buying hundreds and (as far as I am concerned) are never completely sure about them when they arrive.  Well, I discovered a printer when I went to the Mal Gallery earlier this year, ART2card, and I am delighted to say that 'Paul' has produced some cards for me which I am so pleased with.  I bought 60 of each of five designs - he is happy to do small runs and includes bags, envelopes and labels in the price.  He even packs them!

If you are interested in coming to our Open Studio do get in touch.

An update!

A number of things have been going on, hence no time to blog!
The West Midland Pastel Society meeting and Birmingham Art Circle meeting have happened and created some more work.  The Pastel Society are on the verge of making their website go live so images and a biography need to be sent, and the Art Circle are preparing for a big exhibition at the RBSA - the official opening is on the 23rd October.  I've decided on putting in 4 pictures.  I'm stewarding on the 5th November from 2.00 till 5.00pm which is the last day - so come and have a chat.
What else - well it's been a couple of weeks without classes due to Grace going off to Aberystwyth and birthday celebrations.  Back to the W I tomorrow. 
Kathryn Pettitt and I have been putting lots of thought into our project evaluation - one meeting and several emails later we are on the verge of deciding whether to involve any extra help, despite the fact that it was not budgeted for.
A visit from Jane Frith at Class Art was a lovely opportunity to catch up and also select some art work for the Ernst and Young art sale on December 1st.
My plan now is to prepare for my open studio which is booked for the 12th and 13th November.  Bridget West, fellow textile artist, is joining me as she did last year which I really look forward to.  It is always a busy, no exhausting time! but great fun.  Oh and paint a couple of commissions!  I will tell you how I get on . . .

Sustaining the person within press release!

Delighted to see the press release appear in the Observer this week (24 September).  There should be another mention next week as well, possibly in the Solihull News or Times.  We are thrilled by the enthusiastic response from all sorts of people - had a sweet email from St Bernard's Residential Home for example, who had not been able to attend the presentation but wanted us to meet up with the lady who is involved in taking art activities at the home.

'Grace, moving on' is due to be collected from the Arts Complex on Monday - how ironic, we moved Grace and her belongings to Aberystwyth yesterday to start her first year at Uni.

Sustaining the Person Within is launched!

Kathryn Pettitt and I have been preparing for the launch of our arts project 'Sustaining the Person Within' for what seems like forever!  Our presentation was part of An Insider Guide to Arts Work with Older People Event at Solihull Arts Complex today, 8th September.  Our presentation was a bit different involving some art students from Rayner House Residential Home in Solihull - while the presentation went on they did some painting at a table set for an art session.  There was a lovely display of memorabilia and our interactive ice breaker gave the audience time to think about the things they would miss about home if they moved into resdential care.  Kathryn and I will now be planning the next stage of the project - starting art and craft sessions in residential care homes and day centres in and around Solihull.  We will tell you more in due course.

Solihull Artist Forum (SAF) Exhibition

On Thursday I went along to the private view at Solihull Arts Complex of the exhibition marking Ten Years of SAF.  Extraordinary that it has been 10 years since the group first formed, many of those original members still being very involved.

My painting 'Grace, moving on' is one of the exhibits - a follow on from a previous image of my daughter, 'Grace Playing the Saxophone' which curiously hung in the SAF Hands On Exhibition in 2008.
I shall be in the gallery tomorrow, 5th September between 1.00 and 3.00pm and again on the 9th September, also between 1.00 and 3.00pm.  The exhibition runs until the 24th September.