From the most perfect amber bead to the full majestic skeleton of a Viking warrior, museums are the place for creative thought and wonder. As our technologies improve, so we discover more about the secrets of these artefacts, their age, and clues about how they were made. My hope is to create a space for people to spend quality time reflect and time travel. Drawing is a powerful way to focus and relate to what we see.
Working inside the museum we get the chance to draw from the collections, sometimes handling actual artefacts or replicas and responding with our art, using and learning new techniques. It is clear to see the excitement of participants who are eager to ask questions. Profound conversations occur, often holding deep and significant questions for our own time. This is a unique opportunity to connect with history in a closely profound and imaginative way.
In the past people relied on their knowledge of the land and were resourceful in how they used and traded materials. The relationship to their locality would have been intense and necessary. Does a strong connection with our landscape offer us psychological benefits - a sense of belonging? By noticing the intricate changes of the seasons, the wild creatures, the cycles of life, do we understand more about what we are and how we fit?
Drawing on the Ancient Past
A single artefact can open a whole world of thinking and discussion - stirring the body and the senses with the deep reminder that we are but a precious moment in this passing age.
Set in the endlessly inspiring galleries and learning centre of Dorset Museum, each six-week course is designed as an ‘experience’ combining new creative techniques, with historical context based on the chosen theme. Participants experiment with a variety of materials including natural pigments and drawing materials, feather quills, Chinese brushes, ink, and paint. We use our senses, feeling the surfaces of natural and human made forms, observing, sometimes using magnifying glasses, and always being surprised by what we find.
Everyone brings a unique quality and perspective to the group. Poignant conversations arise, evoked by what we see whether it be worn boots from an early Dorset farmer, or a beautifully decorated bronze mirror found in an Iron age grave. Each week is different so that most people find a medium or technique that catches their attention and often becomes part of an ongoing creative process at home.
Many practising artists have attended the group and have enjoyed a fresh perspective on their work. Friendships extend outside of the work room and are helpful in supporting people who feel isolated to meet new contacts and friends with similar interests. We use art as a vehicle for sharing ideas and skills as we work together. As part of the ‘Hardy’s Wessex’ exhibition we explored different aspects of Hardy, from his interest in geology (drawing with raw pigments) to reading his poems aloud in the stunning wood panelled room upstairs in the museum.
Hardy had the incredible ability to describe both everyday detail (like the example in one of his poems of the hedgehog scuttling across the lawn beneath a backdrop of stars and an expanding universe) as well as the larger movement of existence and time.
Art can connect us with this exact experience of seeing the infinite in the everyday and most importantly a sense of deepening wonder at our extraordinary lives.
“… I have been completely blown away with it and especially by the superb guidance and tuition by Helen, and wanted to feed that back as I would be very keen to attend a further art course run by her.
As a local GP, the thing that has impressed and surprised me the most, is the impact on my own wellbeing and from speaking to other attendees, it appears theirs too. It is well known how beneficial art therapy can be for the general health and wellbeing of everyone but specifically to those suffering with mental health conditions. However, the way in which this class has been delivered by Helen, with the focus on feelings, using our senses, thinking much deeper than just copying an object, has had a profound effect on me. If I was able to prescribe this to my patients, my goodness what a well and thriving part of Dorset we would be!”
Primordial Dance - oil on panel by Helen Garrett
drawingintolife.com
Exploring Human Connection through Drawing. Individuals, Groups, Talks
