Mental Health and Art

Mosaic and Mental Well Being

The beauty of mosaic making is that is such an inclusive art form. As an artist it gives me a sense of well-being and as a teacher, I get an immense sense of satisfaction from seeing a tangible positive mood shift when working with others.

From my mosaic club students who come for a 2 1/2 hour fix of head emptying whilst mosaic making, to a 7 week course with participants in a residential rehabilitation unit - I see mosaic making giving much needed time out to all. 

We all need that time to just 'be' whether it be creative, sporty, cognitive or other ways of  'zoning out' we all deserve it.

 I love this mosaic which is to grouted next week. Produced at Lime Walk House in Macclesfield, this effective piece of artwork has been produced in just 12 hours (over a 6 week period) by a small group of people.

Life Drawing at Adelphi Mill

Whereas it is nice to have a break, I do love it when my students return.  I have been so busy in the studio that I have not had time to blog!


Last night was a lovely session with my beginners' group.  I am so proud of the way they are coming along! 


We had the wonderful 'Fleet Foxes' in the background which set a lovely tone for the session. 

I am only sorry I did not take photographs of the fabulous poses Hannah produced for our 1 minute sketches but this was a great pose for our half hour study.

Although tiny, the studio can comfortably accommodate 5 students during a life drawing class.

We are having a break from the model next week as we will be looking more at colour mixing and experimenting with different paints.

Last night