‘Many thanks to the organisers of Hatherleigh Festival, especially my link, Di Stamp, for a perfect venue in the Old Schools and for organising a beautiful exhibition by local artists on the theme of rivers to give inspiration for the workshop. After a slow first hour, the flow of visitors didn’t stop until after 4pm and we had around 300 visitors either coming to look at the exhibition or participating in the workshop. Ages of participants ranged from around 1 year to at least 80 years old. Many people who had come for the exhibition and were reluctant to paint at first eventually joined in and seemed very proud of their participation, which was truly a communal effort. The theme was perfect, allowing for all sorts of imaginative interpretations of river ecology and hopefully a greater understanding of where the flora and fauna fits in along the river.
Two volunteers, Suzy Maxwell and Patricia Lomax were a huge help with their artistic ability and enthusiasm and we recorded the event with plenty of photos and a number count of people. The Devon Artist Network banner was prominently displayed at the entrance to the workshop, so hopefully people will have been made aware of the work of the network.
The final painting now belongs to Hatherleigh Festival who are finding ways of waterproofing so that it may be displayed outside on a regular basis.
I think the workshop was hugely successful and allowed people from all walks of life to participate in a community painting and see their work as part of a communal effort.’
