Alan Carlyon Smith, Lily Mooney, Nadia Uppal and Tracy Ferriss - Art of Caring 2020

"Thank you to everyone who has supported the Art of Caring this year. Over the past month we have featured 125 artists and their artwork. This year there has been an added dimension with personal statements from many of the artists, showing their support for carers, and often sharing their own experiences. It has helped us stay connected."

Alban Low

On our final day we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition....Alan Carlyon Smith,  Lily Mooney, Nadia Uppal and Tracy Ferriss. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Alan Carlyon Smith

Tracy Ferriss

Nadia Uppal

 Lily Mooney

Susan Plover, Chris Brown, GIDEON CONN and Hamish Young - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition....Susan Plover, Chris Brown, GIDEON CONN and Hamish Young. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Chris Brown

Psychoanalysis has played an important part in my life, personally and professionally, so I have chosen as a statement something said by the psychoanalyst Hanna Segal in one of the last interviews she gave: “The important thing is to keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden. I find this extraordinarily helpful: we live in a mad world, but for those of us who believe in some human values, it is terribly important that we just keep this little fire burning. It is about trusting your judgement, and the power of love. A little trust, and a little care” (Jon Henley, The Guardian, Monday, September 8, 2008).

Chris is an artist and filmmaker. https://vimeo.com/channels/theuncproj

He has worked as an art therapist in the NHS and as a lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is currently a freelance clinical supervisor and an editor for ATOL: Art Therapy Online. http://journals.gold.ac.uk/index.php/atol/index

Susan Plover

In my life I have had cause to be in hospital for wonderful reasons ,namely the birth of my children. Sadly, I have also been admitted for personal health issues. I can only applaud all the nurses who I have encountered for their caring and dedication.

As an artist I have seen my work used in many settings both within traditional white cubes and relevantly in hospitals. Recently a piece was featured in St Bart's and each year I create a piece for sale to raise funds for The National Brain Appeal.

www.susanplover.com

Hamish Young

GIDEON CONN

Henry Kenyon, Mia-Jane Harris, Simon Richardson and Chiara Cavarzan - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition....Henry Kenyon, Mia-Jane Harris, Simon Richardson and Chiara Cavarzan. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Mia-Jane Harris

"Nurses and the NHS in general have played many significant roles in my life. There were complications during my birth which resulted in me being born deceased and after resuscitation left with Erbs Palsy, the partial paralysis and stunted growth of my right arm due to damaged nerves. I have a lot to thank the healthcare service for when it comes to how far I have progressed in my life and I will be forever grateful." 

After studying Fine Art at ‘City & Guilds of London Art School’ and ‘University of East London’ I have now been exhibiting internationally for around 8 years. Predominantly working as a sculptor most of my art is based around surreal juxtapositions between the medical/anatomical and the religious/spiritual.

mia-janeharris.co.uk

instagram.com/art_of_miajane_harris

Simon Richardson

"Both my mum and dad had to have stays in hospital, particularly towards the end of their lives.  The nurses on the wards were always caring and respectful and did all they could to make the time my parents had to be there as comfortable as possible."

My painting 'Swimming in Monet's Pond: Water Lilies' was one of the works in the Art of Caring 2019 exhibition.  I very much enjoyed being part of that show and am pleased that my painting 'On the Beach' is in the Art of Caring exhibition this year.

SimonArtTherapy on Instagram.

Henry Kenyon

"I have been very lucky to know nurses through my life. All of them have been incredibly morally influential, implicitly teaching attentiveness, kindness and bonhomie. Their position in our disparate and nebulous society is a potent injection of paternal care that we all benefit from and ought never be complacent towards."

I am an observational and portrait photographer living in Wapping, east London. Photography is a wonderful prism for curiosity. For me, making photographs is saying (without ’saying’) ‘what is that thing, can I stare at it?’ - I think this is a perfectly suitable definition of photography, a long good stare. And it is something I believe we all do. What evolutionary trait would be useful if we turned away instantly to something shocking and dramatic, or romantic and whimsical happening right before us? Following through with what or who you are staring at, photography can be a ticket to meet so many intriguing people. I hope photography will be a benign tool for a society to understand ourselves and others better. My first thought of what an ingredient for a healthy life looked like was happiness. Photographs that present a shared enjoyment with the subject/person within (I certainly enjoyed making it), could help photography slowly return to being something made always in a partnership - the photographer and the rest of society in front of them.

henrykenyonphotography.com

Chiara Cavarzan

Carole Loeffler, Ann Froggatt, Amna Walayat and Constanza Sofia Miranda - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition....Carole Loeffler, Ann Froggatt, Amna Walayat and Constanza Sofia Miranda. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Carole Loeffler

"My mother was a nurse and I grew up hearing many stories about her time in the profession. I am not a nurse, in the traditional sense, but a ""carer"" and nurturer of the people around me. The lineage and role of caretaker run within me. I  get great satisfaction and enjoyment in taking care of the people in my life. It important that whatever people may face, that they feel loved, cared for, and comforted. This is central to who I  am and what I  want my art to do.

 Most recently, in this pandemic, caring for one another has become even more important than ever. I  have been cared for and helped by my family – the resilient nature of my children and my husband's sense of optimism and humor have brought me through some of my darkest hours. I  am lucky to be part of a community of artists, colleagues, friends and students who help to uplift and care for each other. In my opinion, caretaking is not one-directional, but come from (and can move towards) some of the most unexpected people and places. Humans should care for each other, we belong to each other."

Carole is a native of New Jersey and received her B.F.A. from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and her M.F.A. from University of South Florida in Tampa. Previously, she taught and directed the Foundations program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the School of Art and Design. Currently, she is the Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA and teaches Sculpture, Senior Seminar and coordinates the Foundations program.

Carole has had group and solo exhibitions in many states throughout the US. She spent over 10 years investigating the color red through a variety of abstract sculptural approaches and processes. Most recently, she has been utilizing found vintage textiles with text to examine what it means to be a woman in our culture.

Carole lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two children and dogs

www.caroleloeffler

Instagram: Caroleloeffler

Facebook: Carole Loeffler

Ann Froggatt

Quote from my son when starting as a brand-new doctor – ‘always be nice to nurses, they know everything’. So now more than ever we need to be kind, be fair, care about nurses. It’s what they do for you, and at times they are the ones who get you through.

Art has been an important part of my life since my teens and throughout education, work and raising a family, sometimes waxing sometimes waning. Now art fills a much larger amount of time in my life in many ways. I can explore all the media, all the techniques and do all the experiments I want. I am loving doing this. I recognise how lucky I am, and through it I can express what is important to me, and the process of starting a new series of works enables me to delve deeper into my thoughts and feelings.

Constanza Sofia Miranda

"I´m a Chilean photographer currently living in Manchester so I'm glad to have the NHS and I´m feeling safe because I know how wonderful is the work that they are made in this crisis."

I´m a photographer and in my work, and I try to explore the relationship between the body,

intimacy, physical spaces and loneliness.

www.constanzamiranda.io

Amna Walayat 

Lotta Barlach, Chris Holley, Clare Owen and Emily Naine - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Chris Holley, Clare Owen, Emily Naine and Lotta Barlach. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Lotta Barlach

"My wish is that the current crisis will lead to a circular economy in which nurses and carers will work under great and well payed conditions."

The practice of Lotta Barlach includes set and costume design, fine art and slow fashion. Unconventional choices of material, powerful colour combinations, elemental and legible communicating visual concepts characterizes the design concepts she has created for stage and screen while her fine art work often explore traces of urban life, with a focus on the moments in which the past and the presence meet.

An experimental avant-garde approach to natural materials distinguishes her approach to slow fashion. The latter includes assemblages with an apocalyptic sense. Lotta Barlach was originally educated at Wimbledon School of Art, London and is presently complementing her practice with theoretical studies of Art History at Stockholm University.

www.lottabarlach.com

instagram.com/lottabarlach

Chris Holley

"I remember with gratitude and affection, the kind and sensitive care given to my parents towards the end of their lives. From the understanding and patience of the Macmillan nurses to each hospice nurse’s regard for the individual’s dignity in facing the inevitable."

Working from memory and imagination, my paintings – abstract or figurative - tend towards lyricism and are informed by a deep and lasting connection with dance, choreography and music. Fat Bottomed Girls Must Dance is a celebration of dance and a reminder of the craziness and all-consuming joy it brings to mind and body.

www.chrisholleyart.com

Emily Naine

Clare Owen

David Robinson, Ana Miljkovac, Jane Walker and Martin Hill - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... David Robinson, Ana Miljkovac, Jane Walker and Martin Hill. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

David Robinson
"In 2018 I was admitted to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon following a severe bleed. I was moved by the kindness and professionalism of all those who cared for me - from paramedics, nurses and doctors to healthcare assistants, porters and cleaners. My work is a small tribute to all of them: thank you."

 My artwork focuses on people and the places where we live and work. I split my time between painting, drawing and printmaking. When not in the studio, I take my sketchbook out and jot down anything that I spot of interest on my travels: gestures, movement, how people interact."
www.davidrobinsonartist.com

Ana Miljkovac
"It is easy to be good in the good times, the heroes are known in the bad times ”
Petar II Petrovic- Njegos

I was born in 1967 in Niksic, Montenegro
Title: Doctor of Art, Fine Art, Faculty for Art and design, Belgrade, 2013.
I had 13 solo exibitions and many group exhibitions, I participated in biennials and group exhibitions in Montenegro and abroad.
I'm doing paintings, objects and sculptures of different materials.
I am a lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niksic.
I am the  co-author of four textbooks and three teacher’s manuals.
https://www.facebook.com/ana.djukanovicmiljkovac?ref=bookmarks

Martin Hill

Martin Hill is an artist based in Dundee, Scotland, predominantly specialising in expressive oil painting.  He studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, and based on the success of his degree show he was selected and shortlisted for a multitude of 'Best Of' graduate exhibitions, including the Royal Scottish Academy's 'New Contemporaries'.  He was also awarded the 2009 Barns-Graham Travel Award which facilitated a journey to Greece, a country which has inspired and informed a great deal of his work.  Following the aforementioned award, he was invited to participate in the 184th RSA Annual Exhibition in 2010.  Regularly exhibiting across the country, he has enjoyed several successful solo shows, notably at The Sutton Gallery, Edinburgh, and Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow.  He also has work in the private collections of the University of Dundee and the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture. Proclaimed as “One of Scotland’s most exciting young painters” (-Artmag -May/June 2014), Hill’s paintings are characterised by expressive handling and lively brushwork.  Bestriding genres and subjects, and with conscious nods to art history, “his work has been described as expressive and distinctive, drawing on both landscape and figurative traditions.” (-informededinburgh.co.uk -June 2014), while similarly being termed “expressive and poetic” (-galleries.co.uk -30-05-14).
www.martin-hill.co.uk

Jane Walker 

Catriona Smith, Alban Low, Jeff Hunter and Sam M Harley - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Catriona Smith, Alban Low, Jeff Hunter and Sam M Harley. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Alban Low
"It has been heartening the way that so many people have cared for each other during the pandemic. We have all made sacrifices that will never be acknowledged."

Alban Low is involved in many creative projects, these include album artwork, publishing chapbooks, making films, maps, conceptual exhibitions, live performance and good old drawing. He is artist-in-residence at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Kingston University and St George's University of London. Low spends his evenings in the jazz clubs of London where he captures the exhilaration of live performances in his sketchbook. On Wednesday evenings he sketches the performers on the radio show A World in London at Resonance FM. During the 2020 Lockdown he made his first radio programme, The All Vinyl A to Z of Africa.
http://albanlow.com/

Catriona Smith
"Thank you so much for all that you have done during this pandemic, for everything you did before and for the many you will continue to help after this. I truly hope  that Nurses and Carers will finally get the recognition, respect and financial support they deserve after this."

Catriona Smith is a Glasgow-based multimedia artist who creates a range of work using different mediums such as photography, performance, comedy, spoken word,
 events and scriptwriting.  She believes in the importance of play and experimentation and loves finding new ways to present creatively what she wants to articulate. The work she does looks to include and engage her audience, bringing people together, inspiring
 positive emotional and social change.
minischmidtproductions.com

Jeff Hunter

Sam M Harley

Chloe Laurence & Tom Francome, Lucy Oates, Mary Conway and Poppy Field - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Chloe Laurence & Tom Francome, Lucy Oates, Mary Conway and Poppy Field. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Poppy Field
"As children, my siblings and I visited patient’s in my father’s care every Sunday morning. We’d begin by dropping into the staff room so my father could be brought up to speed by the Ward Sisters. I loved to look at their ever  changing display of thank you cards from former patients. It was a real testament to the sisters' energy, efficiency and warmth. "

Poppy Field (b. 1993; London, UK) read the History of Art at the Courtauld and trained in figurative sculpture at The Florence Academy of Art. There, she was awarded the inaugural “Graduate in Residence” fourth year prize for sculpture. Since graduating in 2018, Poppy has been awarded the Tiranti Prize for best exhibit by a sculptor under 30 at The Society of Portrait Sculptors’ Annual Exhibition. Poppy works from a private studio at Warren Park Heritage and Craft Centre in East Herts. She works from the life model, under natural north light, modelling  her figures in clay and casting them in bronze.
www.poppyfieldfineart.com

Lucy Oates
"They are always there. We take for granted how much they are there. They fought a long tedious battle with me and won. Fixing my vision on what was important and why. They helped me to overcome my biggest fears and allowed me to move on with the tools I needed to overcome my illness, and stop wasting time! I am forever thankful."

Lucy is a multi-disciplinary artist, based in London. Her practice addresses both social and personal subject matters, creating work that responds to specific contexts, environments, and situations, focusing heavily on the human body and waste material. Lucy explores scenarios around the perceptions and preconceptions related to the body. Drawing in on her own anxieties and experiences. testing the boundaries of comfort and discomfort. Using her own body as a drawing tool to focus on 'problem areas’ which she goes on to translate through various mediums; print, sculpture and video. 
The strand of her practice involving waste material stems from her fascination of how one can manipulate these discarded materials, to have new identities, altering their aesthetic and function. This interest of waste material's qualities and functions is how she came to develop her own unique printing and joining method involving aluminium cans and plastic packaging. The images she prints are often formed from a visual abstract dairy of her journeys.  Lucy often fuses traditional techniques with modern technologies, her method of physical and digital collage acts as a starting point informing her work when creating larger paintings and prints.
https://www.lucyoates.com/

Chloe Laurence and Tom Francome

Mary Conway

B a r b a r a Schneider, Durre Sameen, Marina Medef and Sonia Ben Achoura - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... B a r b a r a   Schneider, Durre Sameen, Marina Medef and Sonia Ben Achoura. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

B a r b a r a   Schneider 
"Art of Caring & Art for Caring - Human Rights are UNIVERSAL Essentials.
Covid-19 pandemic causes a horrible and unforgettable crisis worldwide:
uncertainty, instability, fear and anger, pain and losses and even lack of humanity.
'Ingredients for a healthy life' are much more important during stressful times like Care & Caring too. Professionals are forced to fight at the so called frontlines to save lives. Nevertheless, we are all responsible and should think and care more about Care & Caring for each other. A healthy, happy & creative way of  living will enrich our life and future.
I hope you will all enjoy ""Art of Caring"".
It is a great pleasure to be part of the event. Maybe the exhibition will be an inspiration too.
Peacefully."

"imagiNATION -
is a world of F a N t a S y.
A FREE s p a c e for ART!"
She believes in humanity, freedom of art & thoughts as universal essentials for living and art & design.
B a r b a r a Schneider (b. 1966) is a designer, illustrator and multiple- disciplinary visual artist.
She graduated with a Diploma in Design (1991) in Hamburg / Germany. She joined further studies in related subjects in London/ UK and in Germany. 
She has a great passion for toys & children´s literature, fashion and photography. Some themes of her independent artworks are re-design, childhood and the discussion of humanity, our modern life and “our world cultures”.She has participated in international juried group art and design exhibitions, projects and contests and received international awards and recognitions. Pieces of art are in home and offices of international collectors and have been published in international design / art and craft books.
https://www.artavita.com/artists/3702-barbara-schneider
https://www.artebooking.com/en/barbara.schneider

Marina Medef

Sonia Ben Achoura

Durre Sameen

Katie Frost, Rebecca Sainsot-Reynolds, Shannon Amey and Teri Anderson - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Katie Frost, Rebecca Sainsot-Reynolds, Shannon Amey and Teri Anderson. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Katie Frost
"The role of nurses / carers in my life – I would have lost some family members several times over were it not for nurses and carers, in particular my Dad. I’ll be forever grateful to them for looking after my family, and more recently, myself, as I discover more about my autoimmune problems. A clap doesn’t quite cover it."

I am a textile based artist in the North East of England working with natural and sustainable materials. I also work a lot with hand embroidery, mainly to create pet portraits. My work aims to highlight the importance of both our natural environment and animals. When I’m not creating, I work as a Learning Support Assistant for college students with SEND, and I’m completing studies with the aim of becoming an Art Therapist.
https://www.instagram.com/katiefrost_oca/

Rebecca Sainsot-Reynolds
"My grandfather passed earlier this year and it was carers, official and unofficial, who helped with the day to day leading up to this. The carers in his care home where he passed were magical, having only just met myself and my Grandpa and seeing us through the last week of his life with care and attention."

Rebecca Sainsot-Reynolds is an artist and educator based in London. Her installation based work looks as space, place and story.
https://linktr.ee/rsainsotr

 Teri Anderson

Shannon Amey

Alexandre Santacruz, Dean Reddick, Katy Sayers Green and Vaiva Kovieraitė - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Alexandre Santacruz, Dean Reddick, Katy Sayers Green and Vaiva Kovieraitė. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Alexandre Santacruz
"Throughout my live, and in the most difficult moments of my battle with ill health, all the suffering has always been magically minimised; with the never ending care, dedication, hard work and skill from Nurses and Carers. To all of them I owe eternal gratitude; as without them I wouldn't be here!"

 Through different mediums, including collage, I explore the relationship between people in society.
Sex, gender, mental health issues  and identity are part of people’s everyday life but not always accepted or understood in their broad possibility of existence.
How much do we truly know about people around us, what’s going on their private existences behind closed doors? How different we can be on the outside; from what society allows us to freely be?
Throughout life, and while memories shape our identity, we all thrive to change misconceptions of our own self; projecting freedom and fairness all across the human race without judgements or fears
What a difference it would make if identity wasn’t a mere way of acceptance, filtered and observed under a magnifying glass by society, but a way to fully express and complement with acceptance of natural human nature
I resource all my materials in a recycling way from charity shops to flea markets and street finds; looking for past lives to shine through and help me create and show my vision.
The vision I have is about all of us.
Instagram @alexandresantacruz 

 Dean Reddick

Vaiva Kovieraitė

Website: http://vaivakovieraite.weebly.com

Social media: Facebook/Instagram - vaivakovieraite

Katy Sayers Green 

Ally Zlatar, Aran Illingworth, Lucy Clayton and Aaron J Little - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Ally Zlatar, Aran Illingworth, Lucy Clayton and Aaron J Little. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Aran Illingworth
"Before I embarked on a career in art, I was a trained nurse for 25 years. I worked in psychiatry for a large part of that time, however I left nursing in order to have and bring up my son. I eventually returned to education, and I completed a degree in Applied Arts from the University of Hertfordshire specialising in Textile. It has taken me a few years to establish myself as a textile artist, and in those years I have tried to perfect my work and the techniques that I use. I currently exhibit my work both in the UK and internationally, and alongside producing art.   Portraiture in I have always been fascinated by textiles as they provide a versatile medium through which I can create realistic images, and in my own art I set out to use fabric instead of paint to create a portraits. I love the colour and the texture of textiles and the endless possibilities for manipulation which they offer."
www.aran-i.com

Ally Zlatar
"For myself and many others, we all have needed health care practitioners at some point in our lives. I am truely grateful for the tremendous amount of support and dedication from those who are maning the front lines during these really difficult times. They are truely making a difference and I am so appreciative of the hard work."

Exploring art making as a methodology that suggests the human condition is more complex then it is currently understood, Alexandria (Ally) Zlatar examines, instigates and provokes notions of the individual experience through specifically focusing on philosophical discourse, body image, embodiment, animals & ethics. Zlatar acknowledges there is power within the un-well body and believes there is tremendous value  potency through examining these subjects through the contemporary art lens. Born in Mississauga, Canada. she holds a BFA in Visual Art & Art History from Queen's University & an MLitt Curatorial Practice from the Glasgow School of Art. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctorate of Creative Arts with the University of Southern Queensland. She has been involved in many exhibition creations & has had personal work shown globally. Additionally, she has worked on many curation projects with such galleries as Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Hunterian Art Gallery & Glasgow's Centre for Contemporary Art.  She is continuously interpreting, her desire to communicate & facilitate the theoretical concepts of art is highly valuable to her & her practice and strives to make a difference in society.
https://ally.pb.studio/

Lucy Clayton
"When I was growing up my nana had Alzheimer’s and was cared for by nurses in a care home. Her carers always chatted to her even though she couldn’t respond to them. Even though it was sad to not know the person she was, seeing that she was well looked after was comforting, and the care she received was excellent."

Through a process driven practice, I explore the instabilities that surround the term “nature.” What is nature? What does it mean for something to be natural? In a society reliant on single use products, and non-biodegradable materials, in light of this to what extent is our current “nature” natural. The once successful co-existence in the beginning of the Holocene, often referred to as the hunter-gatherer period, has seemingly become disproportionate, and humans have encroached upon nature. Unbalancing what is natural in the process. This illusion of a non-definitive line between humans and nature is questioned within my work.
During the current situation we find ourselves in nature plays a key role to our mental wellbeing. Confined to our homes, being able to leave the house and walk in the open creates some kind of normality and freeness to this strange situation.
https://lucyclayton12.wixsite.com/website

Aaron J Little

Jean Mooney, Ryoko Minamitani, Ayşegül Altunok and Danny Mooney - Art of Caring 2020

Welcome to the Art of Caring 2020. Today we introduce the work of 4 artists who have contributed work to this year's exhibition.... Jean Mooney, Ryoko Minamitani, Ayşegül Altunok and Danny Mooney. The Art of Caring is an annual inclusive international art exhibition celebrating Nurses, Midwives, Carers, and the NHS. Thank you to the School of Nursing at Kingston University for their support.

Jean Mooney

 "I would not call myself an artist as such, but I have always enjoyed making clothes and knitting – usually to patterns of my own invention. When I was a student, I found I had a facility for anatomical drawing.
I was captivated by the idea of entering something to the Art of Caring 2020, and this knitted panel of a haiku I wrote on the theme of ‘Ingredients for a Healthy Life’ is my first entry to any art exhibition.
After a lifetime of working for and within the Health Service I feel that I and my family have been, and still am, indeed fortunate to have benefited on so many occasions from the companionship, camaraderie, wisdom and dedication that is so willingly given by all members of the nursing and care staff."
Dr Jean Mooney, PhD, FFPM RCPS(Glas)
www.drjeanmooney.com

Ryoko Minamitani
"I explore the relationship between spirituality and artistic expression. During meditative states, I transfer the true nature of the inner unconscious behind the mental and emotional phenomena on the art works. In particular, I focus in capturing the expressions of the essential soul.

I believe that the beautiful mixed colours, shapes of abstract painting and vibration of work affect viewer’s mind positively and free themselves from negativism. I am influenced by abstract expressionism, psychology and spiritualism such as Shintoism, Buddhism and Healing therapies."

Born in Japan, currently live and work in Swansea Wales. My art works have been shown in numerous exhibitions and galleries, and some were chosen for selected shows and private collections. Studied various art courses included MA Art & Design at Leeds Becket University.
www.ryokom.com

Danny Mooney

Ayşegül Altunok