I've been busy in my studio working on the second group of paintings that will be touring (UK) hospital galleries and associated public spaces for the next five years. This group will be on show from the 23rd of July at The Menier Gallery, London Bridge.
Check out
www.paintingsinhospitals.org.uk for more information.
Meanwhile the show is already on the road with a group of 10 paintings, selected from the exhibition at The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Gallery Show, which was showing January to March, earlier this year.
The first exhibition of this group of paintings opened last week on the 25th June at The Great Western Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire. In the new designated space with new lighting the paintings look great and are on show through to November. The Hospital Gallery is in the heart of this vast vibrant, brimming with people, brand new, gleaming, 21st Century Hospital and in the short time I was in the exhibition several people were stopping and contemplating the paintings.
I had been invited to celebrate the opening of the exhibition with a presentation on The Book and the paintings that been informed and inspired by my experience of cancer.
I gave my talk accompanied by my slide show of the 36 paintings in the book in a lecture room to an audience of what must have been about 50, who came from everywhere. Nurses, patients, The Chaplin, art therapists, cancer care group representatives, administrators were all there.
I'm really enjoying these talks and unlike the radio and television you are there with the reaction and you can feel the laughter and see the tears, a wonderful shared experience. And I leave them to go back and look at the paintings maybe in a more personal and informed light and encourage others to go enjoy them too. (I sold a stack of books too).
As with The Chelsea and Westminster I've had extraordinary feedback already. I always seem to impress The Priests and The Chaplins .The Chaplin at The Hospital sent a lovely appreciative email and I've received messages from patients and nurses and care workers.
I had a long talk with the lovely Sarah from The Thames Valley Cancer Network and we are going to work together on some presentations for her groups in the South West. Her job title is "Macmillan Facilitator for User Involvement and Patient Information", some job title?
It is amazing that after all these years of living, working and showing in the rarified atmosphere of The London/"Bond Street"/ Internatinional/Art Fair World to be recieving such an exciting and moving direct public reaction to my work.
There is so much more to report on just in this last week but when it comes down to it I am a painter and I need to get back to slaving over a hot studio! (more like , playing with my paints) I must remember to say more about Trinny and Susannah. More soon!