Six weeks at The Grove is drawing to an end

This Friday is our last session at The Grove Residential Home in Solihull.  I am quite amazed at how quickly the weeks have gone by.  Once again Nat has assisted throughout and Amy has joined us a couple of times.  The Activity Leader, Ros has been a star, very supportive and enthusiastic.  Activities have included drawing and painting, then we moved into clay, some very impressive paper roses - well it was around Valentine's Day! and then some lovely birds which involved tissue, glue and feathers.  Martin arrived on his old motor bike and had three very interested residents chat and look at it.  They had all been involved with bikes in the past so it bought back many happy memories, two ladies and one gentleman - impressive! 
During the last couple of months Nick and Victoria have also led art sessions at two day centres and Kathryn has been visiting Rayner House, so it's been a busy time.  Richard our photographer has taken lots of photos in each of the centres and they will be posted on the website very soon.

Here is one of them to wet your appetite!
www.sustainingthepersonwithin.org.uk

Going abstract

I've always enjoyed exploring abstract elements in a painting. Recently I have had two requests for an abstract painting, 2 ft by 5 ft - two completely different people, how extraordinary!  I decided God must be telling me something, so we set about preparing a canvas and I began my painting, just in case I was asked again!  The experience was very exciting but may I say it is not as easy as it looks.  I began with red, not that surprising to anyone who knows me, moved into black and then magenta and gold. . .   Quite often I put paint on directly from the tube. Tonking and rollering it proved interesting and there were lots of happy accidents that were hard to reproduce, if not impossible.  All the usual feelings surfaced, such as when parts became a bit too precious - a hopeless situation that has to be ignored. Curiously it has given me lots of ideas for other paintings, but I think I'll find a home for this one first!

Limited Edition Giclee Prints advertised in Art Business Today

An additional piece of information . . . the current edition of Art Business Today, January 2012 Issue1, is advertising my Limited Edition Giclee Prints.  Time doesn't allow me to take them to many outlets so I thought this may be one way of reaching further afield, we will see. 

The magazine is an interesting one, providing information to all kinds of people connected with the art world and offers sound business advice - curiously there is a good article about 'Why blogging matters' in this edition!

You can see my Giclee Prints on www.jangay.co.uk

Jan

The beginning of a New Year, 2012

First of all, a very Happy and Healthy New Year to you. 
It has taken a little time to gather myself after Christmas followed rapidly by Grace's birthday but life seems to be back to 'normal' now.  Classes have been running for 2 weeks and Nat and I have begun our sessions at The Grove Residential Care Home in Solihull.  We had a really enjoyable morning with Ros, the Activity Organiser and the residents last Friday.  We will have some photos and information on the website www.sustainingthepersonwithin.org.uk very soon.  Kathryn Pettitt and Marilyn are taking sessions at Rayner House, Nick Logan and Amy are at Shepherdson House Day Centre and Victoria Littlehales and Sarah are at Blanning Day Centre, so there is a lot going on this term.

On a personal note, a couple of alterations to my last blog - the picture I sold at Ernst &Young was 'The Picnic' not 'Boats lined up' and the window easel at the RBSA was in fact double booked so my painting of 'Shirley Brass Band' is going up the first weekend of February!  All very confusing but never mind.  I have had an encouraging chat with the owner of the Torquil Gallery in Henley in Arden and will be showing a few pictures in the Spring, and I hope to re-kindle my connections with the Purple Gallery in Bournville, another lovely venue.  I am trying to introduce my Limited Edition Giclee Prints to different outlets - the lastest little plan is to show a new print of a recent painting of Snowdon at Pen-y-Ceunant, a tea house at the base of  the Snowdon Path, Llanberis - and possibly elsewhere . . .

 It's probably quite mad, but the owner was happy - Bless him he didn't want any commission but asked if I would make a donation to the Mountain Rescue Team.  We got to know of this place on our return from climbing half way up the mountain, sounds feeble but we did start after lunch, and it was a bit windy!  We were more than glad to reach the tea house and after we devoured his delicious Barabrith and a cup of tea, we discovered his gallery!  So if you are around that way later in the year . . . . . it's well worth a visit.  (There is a rather steep climb to get to the tea house, which made us feel that we had no chance of reaching Snowdon's summit but don't be put off!)

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.