Completed artwork, 'The Gentle Mark' *MH
- sarah816202
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
A reflective evening, focused on stress awareness, recognising our journey and how making art can release stress. It gave way to some inspired artworks, a gentle pause, and a moment in time to express emotion or revisit somewhere that resonated with the creator. Many pictures were made using gentle marks, and all are full of meaning and backstory. Observe each in the gallery and read the short story behind it.
Parveen - A fabulous Freeform electronic drawing! I love this; it uses a single line from start to finish, no stopping. Contact remained between the surface of the device and the drawing implement from beginning to end, and the image forms in front of your eyes, led by hand and intuition! Parveen said, "it was easier when I used the Freeform as I did not have to worry about where the line needed to go". An iPad was used.
Phil - expressive doodles, extremely colourful and fantastic. Phil used his iPad for these. He said he 'wanted to show the colourful sides of himself' through his doodling. You can see these show his personality shining through. Electronic/digitally created artwork.
Sarah - 'Seeking restoration'. Abstract artwork showing how stress has built to toxic levels through physical & mental pain, and also circumstance. The fronds of surging, draining, painful, confrontational life moments, weaving a way into the calm, gentle sanctuaries that are soothing, safe and restorative. Letting go to a flow state. Mixed media, watercolour & acrylic paints, wax crayon and other materials on paper.
Carinder - A great expressive colourful drawing of a person with sky and sun with grass under. He enjoys warm sunny days. Loving the bold colour choices. Carinder has recently returned to the UK, we're hoping the sun keeps shining for him. Created on a PC.
Donna - A fabulous piece of abstract art relating to mental health. This particular picture, Donna saw posted on a mental health group on the internet, she really liked it and recreated her version. The colours are incredibly vibrant. Felt-tip pens were used.
Noor - beautiful colours used for this drawing. Noor decided to draw a beach scene, somewhere she feels less stress and can relax. Created using watercolour pencils.
Andy - a dramatic volcanic landscape, really awesome scenery. This is Andy's drawing. He went on a holiday in February and visited this landscape, which is in the Timanfya National Park in Lanzarote. This was a relaxing break for him. Created using pastels.
Barbara - Expressing excitement and joy in art! Barbara explained she had just read an email about being accepted into the Manchester 'Open at Home' art exhibition! She was bubbling over with her fantastic news, and the colours and celebrations are brought to life in this fabulous painting. Watercolours were used. I love the energy in this!
An exceptional journey, looking and listening to creatives with their artwork this week. There are many benefits of quietly exploring emotions and identifying feelings, giving them colours and shapes and pouring those onto paper. As well as going to a place in your mind where you felt calm and free, being reminded of that time to lighten and invest in tranquillity. Stress is all-encompassing, and being able to switch out from those situations and make gentle marks is incredibly important. To 'just be' in a moment and bring joy is a way to connect to a sense of purpose and self-alignment. Try the reconnect...
If you would like to join us, the link is below, all our art sessions are very chilled out, no pressure, use any media you have available, there is a different topic each week, groups run online, every Wednesday at 7:30pm UK time.
Some great pieces here