Just a few new pictures...

Here are just a few pictures taken from one art session this week....

Drawing for the elderly

Sometimes it is difficult to persuade people to become involved in art sessions. There are many reasons for this, including being unpracticed or having an eye problems.
Two ladies I worked with today didn't want to draw and paint for these reasons, so, I drew for them.
The first lady was really enjoying looking through a new landscape book which I had brought in. I began to tell her about the wonderful autumn colours in the woodland where I had walked my dogs the day before. I made her a quick watercolour sketch to illustrate how wonderful and magical the colours were. She began to share her own memories of walks in autumn as I painted her a quick colourful woodland landscape.

The second lady was a bit more of a challenge! I offered to draw something for her but she was not interested at all! I asked her what she liked to look at and what she enjoyed painting many years ago, she said she liked landscapes and faces...

So we began to draw a face on her instruction and this is how far we got today...

Next week we will begin to paint her, I am told she will have blonde hair!

Drawing a fantasy day out on the sea...

We began with some felt tip pens held together which were chosen by Sally. We made sounds of the sea as we glided them into waves across the paper.We then decided to draw a boat and name it 'The Good Ship Happiness' which made Sally smile and the journey began...

Butterflies, Flowers, Dogs and Cats...

Art can help in a number of ways.
It can help with sorrow, communication and stimulation.
When someone is missing an animal, talking and drawing pictures of the pet can sometimes help.
When relatives visit, especially during an art session, they are welcome to join in with creating a picture. Making something together helps conversation and can also bridge a gap of silence.
Colours, shapes and activities in art help to stimulate the senses and makes connections to things that may have been forgotten.
Art also helps with observance...
Above all, art sessions are really really fun!

This art was made at Catherine Court high Wycombe.

A new venture at a new care home...Catherine Court in High Wycombe

These are some pictures that have been produced with a new group of people I am now working with at Catherine Court, High Wycombe.
I have, at this point, only visited twice.
I love the freshness of the images as I start to find out what these lovely people enjoy in life...

A quiet relaxing art session with some of my regulars...

These are images from a lovely quiet art session with Assisted living residents. These people are some of my regulars and they had just a lovely relaxing time today.

More images on the way soon...

Getting Ready for Halloween

At the moment we are having a bit of seasonal fun and making a Halloween decoration out of a large cardboard box. It is a lovely thing to make as we all contribute to it. Groups of residents and carers are making and cutting out various parts of the design which is then added to the box . I think looks like a mini stage set for a Halloween play! We will finish it this week and I think it will go on display on the fireplace and look all spoooooooooooky!
Fun fun fun!

Jims Paintings

This is Jims work. As far as I can gather, Jim has never done any art before except maybe when he was in school. With a little encouragement he comes to art class and is quite happy to become engrossed with colours and shapes. We usually have a peek at some books to find something that interests him, then I draw it and he will paint it as an ongoing project over a few weeks. We usually have a bit of a giggle trying to name the animal we have drawn or about something to do with the picture he is creating. He is a live wire and a really important member of my art group because he always insists on helping me to clear up and has a great sense of humour!

Robert's work

Robert loves the work of Vincent Van Gogh because of the intensity and sheer energy in his work.

He also loves to look at and draw landscapes, he frequently carries books around with him with landscapes in them.

We look at books together and find a suitable picture that he is interested in. His interest would usually stem from an 'angle' in the picture such as a wall or a jetty. This angle would then propell his imagination forward where he could talk as though he knew the place he was drawing and could even tell you the names of the people in the picture.

The drawing below is taken from one of the books that Robert carries around and is a drawing of Newlyn in Cornwall. He drew it in around 40 minutes with great conviction and intensity and then went off to do other things.

The Big Draw 2010 video!

This was my first experience of working with people with dementia.

Although I had a family member who was suffering from Alzheimers I had no care home experience so this was a real eye opener for me.

I spent an hour twice a week with residents at Sunrise care home drawing and talking and encouraging residents to become involved in creating some art.

Here are the results of when I did 'THE BIG DRAW!'

Video produced by lynnedjones

Art and Dementia

Art for people with dementia can be helpful in a number of different ways. I have found that drawing and making images helps to stimulate memory and start conversations so that the activity becomes more than just 'art'.
Books are very important to use within these sessions, these include art books, childrens story books, pictures in magasines and newspapers. Memories are sparked with images and connections that have been previously difficult to access become available for that moment in time.
Research has shown that art can help people with dementia remember.

Art with People with Dementia