As an artist, collage has always been my preferred medium of choice. Even when completing the first-year foundation of an MA Art Therapy course, I would use collage if I could get away with it. Perhaps that is why, after a somewhat circuitous career route, I...
art
My crossroad artwork reflects on how people take different directions in deciding how to take action in the face of ambiguity/uncertainty.
To quote Pliny the Edler, in his theory of natural history, the ‘one certainty is that nothing is certain’. And yet we...
The now universal condition of ‘social distancing’ will mean, for some, emotional withdrawal from people. But for some it will mean an endeavour to ‘stay together apart’: to reconnect with others, and the self as well. From an existential psychology perspective, drawing on...
Covid-19 became properly real for us here in the UK in March. As is normal with a situation like this, along with many others I noticed my anxiety levels rising. I began to think about the coping strategies I could use to help dampen down the anxiety. The thing that works...
Road to hell
Things did not start well. At primary school I was described as a ‘slow coach’ and bedevilled by mistakes in my written work (only labelled as dyslexia many years later). However, I did well in the 11+ exam and got into the local grammar...
Have you ever dreamt of stepping into a painting? To become completely immersed in the work before you, making reality around you fade into the new world created by the artist? In ‘Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience’ you can do just that, thanks to neat use of venues and...
The grandson of Sigmund Freud, Lucian Freud, is a celebrated painter who is particularly known for his portraits. Recently, his work was featured in an Exhibition on Screen at the Arts Picturehouse in Cambridge, entitled ‘Lucian Freud – A self-portrait’. It is the first time...
Recent years have seen arts subjects often given low priority in mainstream school curriculums, despite the potential therapeutic value of the arts and the importance of creativity as a skill for future employability. The Inspire 2020 exhibition at The Fitzwilliam Museum in...
The new year will see Bethlem Museum of the Mind and Bethlem Gallery present The Four Ages of Woman and Transitions, two exhibitions exploring historical and contemporary artistic perspectives on women and mental health, from the 19th century to the present...
This poignant movie, with excellent cast, describes L.S. Lowry’s creative journey in relation to the difficult relationship with his controlling mother. I learned to love Lowry at my parents’ house; my mother had brought a couple of reproductions of Lowry’s paintings from her...