My Piece is called
Painting a Memory, the idea of the piece was to show the process of memory from
a photographic form to another media form. The piece is a narration of a
conversational interview with my grandma who teaches a technique which helps
terminally ill patients to paint. The technique was my inspiration for my
piece, the technique was created by the late John Whyman MBE was awarded an MBE
for his art therapy services to the terminally ill. The technique uses a simple
template and a few watercolour paints to create landscape watercolour painting.
John Whyman MBE taught my grandma this technique to the terminal ill patients
at the local hospice where she has taught patients with all types of illnesses
including dementia. There is 800, 000 people living with dementia in the UK. A
creative approach to helping people with dementia. “Creative activities
including painting and drawing have been proven to help Dementia sufferers
reconnect with their surroundings and lessen their dependency on anti-psychotic
drugs.” According to Atkinson-Willes, B. (2012).
To show the technique and
the process of memory I used stills show this. The
images are of a dementia patient at the local hospice were my grandma teaches
the technique. The stills were shot over the shoulder as I wasn't allowed
to show the face of the patient due to security reasons. But I
didn’t see this as a big problem as I think faces can have a very personal
meaning and can change the way an audience view an image by the facial
expression. Therefore, by just showing only the hands and the arms the patient
could be any one furthermore I think hands can talk more as the gesture in the
stills shows the caring nature of my grandma without my grandma’s face being in
it. The lighting and the setup of these images of these images is natural as I
wanted the images to be as natural and documentary styled as possible. The only
post production used was crop and brightness and contrast just make the color
more vibrant. The stills start off with a title page I create in photo shop
consisting of two templates and the finished watercolor paintings that were
created from the templates. The font used for the title Painting a Memory is
brush script as it looks like brush strokes which fits in with painting theme.
I think if I had used another font it wouldn’t fit the theme and wouldn’t suit
the title. The first still is a photograph that is of a local lake that my
grandma used during the process of painting with the Dementia Patient. The photograph
is of lake with a pub and roaming hills and boat sailing. This photograph is the stimulus for the whole
piece as not just the painting process is focused on the photograph but also
the conversation element whilst doing the painting is key as to recall memories
of the photograph my grandma always refers back to the photograph. The next
still is the
card board template, this template is based on the photograph of the lake and
the starter of the painting as the template marks out the paint should go. This
technique is ideal for dementia sufferers as they tend to struggle holding a
brush or pen correctly as they have forgotten how too. But with the card board
template as the cardboard is raised over the canvas the dementia sufferers can
see where marks need to go. The next image shows the marks made by the
template, the pencil marks show basic shapes but these basic shapes are
simplified so one can see where the paint needs to go. The next three images
document the painting process, they show the colour being added starting with
blue for the sky and the lake and then green and yellow for the hills and the
wall. Then there are two images showing my grandma helping the dementia patient
finish off her painting with black paint as the tiny details can be difficult for
the dementia sufferer to do due to the mobility needs. The final image is the
Dementia patient showing the mounted finished painting the expression of the body
language shows that they are pleased with the outcome.
The audio is of a conversational interview with my grandma
who teaches the technique to the terminal ill. I asked her question like;
what do you do with these individuals and why?
how do you see the John Whyman technique can aid memories?
why using a photograph important?
how is painting helping to recall memories
does this process help the patient remember the photograph?
Also I asked her general question relating to the technique itself. She
responds by saying that she teaches patients to a paint using the John Whyman
technique using a simple template and a few colors. She says that she doesn’t
always use a photograph but it is important when she use it as it is
conversation starter which helps her connect with the patient and also aids the
patient to recall memories especially older memories. My grandma says that the
technique that john whyman can aid memories as the process of painting as the
conversation that coincides with painting can aid memories. Lastly I talk to
her about the technique and especially the watercolor element and the template
and I asked her that about template being simple and how the watercolor is
beneficial as mistakes can be rectified as the paint is water based. My grandma
explained that many times she has help to rectify mistakes but sometimes she
explains that the painting may look completely different to the original
photograph but she says if the patient is happy with it that is vital to the
process.
My piece is about the process of memory from one media to another but I
think that also my piece is a memory of the late John Whyman MBE as it is
technique and process that I am showcasing through my video so I my piece has
double memory meaning it shows the process and it is also a memento to the late
John Whyman’s work and his service to the terminal ill.
