Jenny Meehan, Melanie Honebone, Richard Young and Corinne - 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.... Corinne, Jenny Meehan, Melanie Honebone and Richard 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.

Corinne
“I deeply respect and am thankful for the carers, nurses, doctors and other health professions, who have dedicated their lives to our care”.

My distinctively dark and evocative self-portrait photographs intimately reflect my ongoing struggles with mental health. My fear of leaving home alone often leaves me feeling increasingly isolated.  I am currently working on a new series ‘ A Bedtime Story’ the photographs are all created within the same, 2 by 1.5 meter space; my bed . I believe my bedroom to be the keeper of my trapped and often repressed emotions. I enjoy exhibiting  my work, notable exhibitions include ‘Space’ a young artist exhibition at TATE Liverpool, ‘Prescriptions’ at The Beaney Museum of Art and Knowledge  and ‘Art of Identity’ at Dulwich Picture Gallery. My work also forms part of the University of Kent’s ‘Artist’s Books and the Medical Humanities’ Collection.

Melanie Honebone
"Without our carers we are nothing. Enriching the soul with arts is futile if we have no body left."

Melanie Honebone is a Wales-based fine artist and social care worker. She often works with mixed media and photography. Recent works have evolved her practice to include three dimensional mixed media art forms based on dolls, mannequins, and the human form. During the pandemic her art-making has taken a backseat in favour of supporting the health and well-being of her social care clients.
https://melaniehonebone.wordpress.com/

Jenny Meehan
"I found the nurses who cared for me during my total knee replacement a few years ago inspirational. It gave me an appreciation of how much love and care can transform really difficult experiences into pivotal, transformative times in a patients life. To be cared for well is healing and transformative."

Jenny Meehan is a professional artist who works mainly with paint, digital imagery, and writing.  

She takes process-led approach, and her work is autobiographically rooted and expressionistic. Her  artworking acts as a kind of ""re membering"": a way of bringing things together. Her interests include the contemplative way of life, trauma recovery, and psychoanalysis.
https://jennymeehan.wordpress.com/

Richard Young
I was unfortunate to have an accident during 2018 and suffered a severe nose bleed which I could not stop, despite stuffing my nose with tissues, tilting my head in all directions and covering my face with bags of frozen vegetables! I read online that if I could not stop the bleeding within 15 minutes, I should call 111. Upon doing so, I was asked how long it had been bleeding and approximately how many cups of blood I had lost and when I answered around 4 hours and several cups, though I had swallowed much more, an ambulance was immediately despatched to rescue me at 6am! The ambulance arrived within 10 minutes and the crew ladies were so kind to me. I felt soooo embarrassed being taken in an ambulance with a nose bleed and apologised profusely for my messy clothes and unshaven appearance. Fortunately, the A&E ward at the Royal Berkshire Hospital was quiet and armed with a trial solution, several inserts and lots of pressure, a doctor managed to stop the bleeding in around 15 minutes. Overjoyed that I was at last under control, albeit feeling quite wobbly, I sent a selfie to my partner Sarah who was working in Saudi Arabia and I had missed several of her calls. Sarah called immediately and although concerned, asked how I was now feeling. I said I was great, as I was in bed and had the undivided attention of three pretty nurses!!!! Obviously, Sarah caught the next flight home to rescue me once again!

On a serious note though. The 111 helpline, ambulance staff, doctor and 3 nurses were brilliant for something so stupidly embarrassing as a nose bleed!

Following recovery, I contacted the Voluntary Services Manager and was invited to conduct a month long solo charity art exhibition in several wards of the hospital in aid of the Foundation Trust’s Charity. I made lots of lovely people, have some great reference photo’s and was fortunate to sell 18 framed prints which raised £540 as attached: https://ryoung-art.com/2019/01/10/the-passion-of-dance-and-music-royal-berkshire-hospital-charity-exhibition/ 

Following on from this I am scheduled to exhibit there again in November / December 2020.

I am a professional artist based in Wokingham, Berkshire.
I have extensively developed my own personal style and technique, I create all oil paintings entirely using a knife and mixing only on the canvas.
The style of my artwork is a contemporary realism, influenced by the romanticism of my favourite post renaissance classical Masters and their timeless masterpieces. William Bouguereau in particular. My artwork compositions mostly entail dramatic lighting and shading. I simply adore light and am fascinated with its arguably undue influence on any subject.
Predominantly figurative, I aim to capture a carefully composed mood, atmosphere, drama, passion and emotion of the performance in a frozen realism, rather than a portrait of the performers themselves.
I am an award-winning artist and have exhibited extensively throughout the UK and internationally.
www.ryoung-art.com