Another Day In The Elephant Yard

Well when I say day it was only for a couple of hours! Jo and I are getting better at grabbing the public. We had some interesting characters this time. The group of sixth formers just out of exams who created a wild range of high quality models and were getting dangerously enthusiastic about plastecine were among the best.

Still a way to go but with a few more sessions with different groups we can get it filled in ready for display in Kendal Library from the 6th June.

How to approach people in this situation is a problem we discussed at length. You can stand there trying to look relaxed in the knowledge that you are in fact stood playing with plastecine as the shoppers and workers of Kendal hurry quickly past with fearful glances, horrified that these clearly insane people might pounce on them with plastecine ambitions.Your hope is that one might take sympathy. You can try and make eye contact but this invariably leads to accidents as people walk into walls attempting to avoid your manic stare. You try to step out in front of people with a friendly "Hello" but in your own fear it comes out like the squawk of a shot parrot which in turn sends your intended victim dashing off at high speed to catch an imaginary bus to the refrains of Barry Manilow over the centre tannoy.

A friendly smile to those who look, a pleasant "hello" to those who stop and a confident chat to those that linger: you soon find yourself tuning in to the passing crowds and before long they gather to make models and dwell on times past: getting plastecine stuck in their mothers carpet. And it is then that the worthwhile starts to emerge. The stories of a well loved past, the parent who thinks the idea of plastecine would be fantastic for their blind and disabled daughter, the stressed business man who briefly stops to smile and relax while he makes a model flower. Job done. Workbase is promoted and Wellbeing delivered.

It is only when I get home I pause to think how if twenty years ago somebody had told me that at 43 I would be playing with plastecine while listening to Barry Manilow, my life may have taken a very different course.

Many thanks to all those who stopped to talk to us and make models.

The Day We Ironed Our Artwork!

This all started when Jo came up with an idea she had once tried involving ironing wax crayons. Somehow things moved on from this and we kept experimenting and changing things until we ended up with something we were happy with.

First we drew shapes and designs in oil pastels. Then we washed over the top in coloured inks, scrunched up the paper and ironed it underneath a protective sheet with a very hot iron. This dried out the work. Then we took this and worked over it again in oil pastel, gave a second ink wash and ironed it once more. We liked the effect of the inks and oil pastels oozing into the creases and the breaks and tears appearing in the sheets.





The Day We made Some Postcard Art

We have been making postcards. In 2009 Workbase produced a postcard exhibition based on the theme "Imagine How I Feel?" for World Mental Health Day on 10th October.. It showed in an empty Kendal shop then moved to The Looking Well in Bentham.

Since then the project has moved to Keighley where a group called exciting futures is now running groups working towards another exhibition of postcards.At the WellArt group we have made postcards to send to the new group. We used collage and some backgrounds from mono printing we have done and cut up. Some use cut out text and others letter printing blocks to add text.





WellArt In The Elephant Yard

I (Mat) along with Jo have been out in the Elephant Yard in Kendal promoting WellArt along with Workbase. We have been asking members of the public to build a picture out of Plastecine. The idea came from a picture I recently created called "Cluttered Mind"

Cluttered Mind (2011)

The new picture is slowly taking shape. We are very grateful to the Elephant Yard for letting us borrow an empty shop and our thanks in particular go to Peter Boyd. The finished picture will go on display in Kendal Library along with other artwork from Workbase from the 6th June 2011 for two weeks. Here is the picture at the moment- still a long way to go.

For more information contact workbase through our website:
www.workbase-kendal.co.uk