Painting Back 18 July – 1 August

Participants from Foyleville Day Centre, Thackeray Place and Seymour Gardens Residential Homes.

Artist Statement

I have been working as an arts facilitator in Day Care Centres and Nursing homes for the past 15 years alongside my own practise as a professional artist. I am a painter and I use photography and the power of memory to create a painting.

This was the first time the participants of 'Painting Back' had ever painted since their childhood. During the three painting sessions each person worked on paper first, making short studies to get used to handling brushes and paints. Each individual then created a painting on a gesso panel, which is the same surface on which I prefer to create my own paintings.

Similar to the way I approach my own art practice, I provided the participants with a wide range of photographic material to choose from, such as images of rural and urban landscapes, people, children, animals and objects. Each person chose an image that resonated the most with them, such as milk tanks on a farm just like the milk tanks on the farm someone grew up on; a beach in Donegal someone used to visit; a tree that looked like another tree; a dog just like someone's own dog. Each person then created a painting based on their chosen image, which was connected in some way to certain memories and associations from their lives.

During the making of her first painting at Thackery Place, one participant shared with me a childhood memory that came back to her of how her mother used to buy her different coloured pencils every week. With these coloured pencils she stepped into the countryside of her home at Sion Mills, sat in the fields and drew what she saw. She recalled a particular memory of sitting in the grass of a field drawing a huge beautiful tree in front of her. While seated at the table painting in the nursing home, she was transported back to those loving memories of her mother and of that moment of drawing the tree. For a moment I saw her as a little girl sitting in the grass with paper on her knee while she painted at the table beside me. She was 'painting back' to that precious time in her life. It was a huge privilege to witness this childhood memory that took place over eighty years ago.

Another participant at Seymour Gardens chose to make a painting based on a photograph of a farm on a hill surrounded by green fields, from the thirty or so images she looked at. Talking with her later, she spoke about how she grew up on a farm just like this one, milking the six cows by hand; bringing in the hay; carrying the spring water in tanks over from McDaids' well; how her mother "used to bake bread everyday and it was so much nicer than the white sliced bread you get nowadays that tastes like nothing". During the process of making her painting, this woman decided to paint large yellow stars in the blue daylight sky. This was such a special moment of magic realism, a chink into her bright spirit while she added her own individual interpretation to the image she was painting.

Painting brings everything back, it connects you to how you really feel inside and to everything that's worthy in your life. It is a powerful feeling to be able to channel your creative energies into making a painting, it is a feeling akin to working magic. There is a timelessness to painting, when our minds are fully creative an hour feels like ten minutes. Many of the older people I have worked with have said "it is a great way to pass the time". During the painting process my body relaxes into a meditative state and I am transported through all my senses back to the moment in that place within the painting. I believe that the participants of 'Painting Back' experienced similar such feelings during the creation of these paintings, it allowed them to travel in their minds out of their present environment to moments of their lives that they cherish.

I feel deeply privileged to get a glimpse into the participants' rich inner worlds while witnessing the creation of these paintings.

- Ann Quinn, July 2015.

The Painting Back project will be officially launched with the centre staff, participants, families and Mayoress Elisha McCallionon Monday 27thJuly at 1pm. All welcome, light refreshments served.

A short documentary following the project will be available to view in August 2015. You can watch the trailer here:

Special thanks to the managers and staff of each of the centres. Their commitment and enthusiasm was incredible and made this project possible. We look forward to working with you again in the future.

This is a Void Engage project, kindly funded by the Turkington Fund through the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.