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.