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WEA/Thames Housing - 'Life's better Together' residency @ Lovatt Court, London SW12

April - May 2004

This course was undertaken over a period of seven weeks, with residents of Lovatt Court in Balham. The facility is provided by Thames Housing Association as sheltered housing for local elderly residents. I was able to facilitate the partnership with the WEA to be able to supply myself as the tutor.

The programme was divided into 3 parts. The first 3 weeks involve basic painting and drawing skills such as scaling up an image, observational drawing and texture and mark making (which led to a portrait session). In Weeks 4 & 5, we utilised the Garden at Lovatt court and concentrated on the motifs found there both from inside and outside. For the final two sessions, we undertook a 'local history' project based around residents experiences of Wandsworth. We were able to produce a series of works around the local experiences of the group, which was a great success and recently went on display at the Wandsworth Museum.

General Drawing & Painting
A few simple exercises using only pencil. How to square up a photograph for composition, and observational still life.
Encouraging experimentation of making textures with paint using brushes with different stroke techniques, as well as pieces of sponge and other objects used spontaneously. This led to utilising some of these techniques, for producing a series of portraits of other members of the group.
In The Garden
(Part 1)

The first part of this project was situated with the members of the group inside the room and looking out onto the garden through the French doors.

The theme (and title) is inspired by Jennifer Bartlett's 1979 series of drawings 'In the Garden'. The brief was for the participants to focus on motifs and elements of he garden that inspired them. And to work reasonably quickly and not get 'bogged down' by too much detail. This would lead us on to the second part of the project below.

In The Garden
(Part 2)
The following week, glorious sunshine meant we were, fortunately. able to go outside and actually work in the Lovatt Court garden. Carrying on from the previous brief except with a more tighter focus. We follow the example of Matisse's paper cut outs.
Local History
The final 'local history' project utilised a very open mixed media approach using material obtained from the Wandsworth scrap project.All though many of the group were not born in the borough, and had subsequently become residents in later life, the were still able to contribute a range of subjects, based on either favourite places to visit or for hobbies or where they had lived. Examples are, Balham station, the local Bowling club and Battersea Bridge. examples of the display @ Wandworth Museum are also below.