I have worked in care roles with adults and children for 30 years, initially with nursery children and later with adults with learning disabilities. Despite low pay and poor public understanding of those who are vulnerable. My work with individuals within the community has been life affirming . We share vulnerabilities and I believe that what affects one person affects us all.
As an Artist I am interested in exploring identity and shared vulnerabilities. My work is autobiographical but it is also my hope to encourage shared understanding and empathy with each other.
Paint is my primary media for exploring subject in a slow and absorbing process.
Curly sheep
Sometimes when the conventions of speech and understood behaviour are not possible how then do we make a connection with each other. What if our accepted conventions stifle us and limit some aspects of our capability for problem solving and appear to divide us through lack of understanding and willingness to be open about our vulnerabilities which could bring us together if each of us shows empathy to the other and that accumulated experience aids all of us.
Long ago I worked as a Nursery Practitioner in East London. The children often brought in things which were special to them. Dolls of course made a regular appearance delightfully decorated in biro and felt tip marks to create measles or eye shadow and lipstick.
Children explore feelings, experiences and ideas through play. Objects act as support in this process. As a grown up I play whenever I can. I find it a powerful antidote to emotional experiences at anytime of life. Just remember to play nicely!?
Auto straddle
Struggling to change identity in back of a car. Vulnerability of isolation. Forced act struggling against others requirements.
Affected by migraine since childhood. I recently found that I could control the pain I was experiencing by using acupuncture. Sometimes if you go to visit somewhere they have a map of attractions. You press a button on the display case and a light appears next to the attractions to show where they are. Bizarrely acupuncture is a bit like this. First you use a sharp point to press on where you can feel the pain. You will have to systematically press on a number of positions close to this point to release the pain where it is most intense. Once you’ve located a spot that takes your breath away you will start to feel pain showing itself in more distant locations. You then reposition to these locations. And systematically press on points around the new found area. This is because although you may feel pain in the back of your head for example. The source of the pain may be in the back of the legs or even in the hands.
This is how bizarrely it is like the attractions map. But instead of an ice cream stall you get a blissful release from pain. Be patient you may have to press on many points before you get there! Sadly I have to say it works for some of us and for some it doesn’t. For me it is useful for release from muscular pain and over stimulated nerves.
