Feel good in February!

There's lots of reasons to feel good in February, the days begin to stretch a little longer. Spring bulbs suddenly add a burst of colour where once it was just one long stretch of murky muddy brown and, as if that's not enough, Oldham run their ' well good arts' event! 

It's a glorious celebration of all things arty, from interactive performance to Zumba Gold (strictly for over 60s). African drumming to arty bike riding, it's a festival devoted to the feel good factor of arts.  Needless to say its something I was delighted to be involved in.

My task was to devise an interactive doodle, introducing the activities on offer and inviting arty participation, so how do I do is?

Step one: research the activities on offer, contact printers to make sure i now the scale of my pictures

Step two: get designing, doodling and creating

Step three: draw up designs in pencil and marker

Step four: send the designs to the printers, who print them off 100 times, what a reel!

Step five: my designs are scattered and plastered across the venue for Oldham's 'Well Good Arts' festival. Kids are doodling into the design, mums are carefully colouring in the lines and coasters are placed upon them as they cover the tables in the cafe.  

In fact; They're in the entrance, they're  up the stairs, they're in the cafe. Take a look in the library when choose your book!

So feel inspired, feel good, get some well good arts into your life as you spring into February!

Oh and thankyou to @Traffordmedia for doing a great print job for me.

Wonderful Ways to Work Together.

Up and down the country, in and out of the streets the beginning of July buzzed with communities working together in the name of Co-operation.  To kick start the very first Co-operative’s Fortnight the country celebrated the success of common partnership through open studios, band nights, quirky videos, and yes, you guessed it, mass participation Art.Works. 

Eager to participate in this national first Art.Works created the most artistic of afternoons slap bang in the middle of the birth place of Co-operation, Rochdale town Centre.  Together with the town’s folk of Rochdale we created a giant mural of the Rochdale Pioneer’s shop that would make co-operative hero Robert Owen proud!

On a blustery Monday afternoon Art.Works worked with fellow co-operators ‘Peace Effects Media’ to create a live art pastel picture and vibrant video.  We spread the co-operative message, (working together we can do so much more) and soon had a helpful crowd of passersby, shoppers and a whole assembly of school children ready to pitch in and pastel their town centre all the colours of the proverbial rainbow.

Without the good will of Rochdale’s finest residents we would not have achieved such a colourful creation, as one participant put it: ‘it’s good doing it like this innit? Get more out of it when we all pitch in’.  I couldn’t have put it better myself!

So huge thanks to the kids, the teachers, the grannies, the shoppers, the Falinge massive, the crew, them all.  Big up Peace Effects Media’ who are editing their awesome footage as I type (look out for the special blog post and feature on their finished product) and respect to Lindzi and John at Co-operative’s UK and David from the Co-operative Group for their help and expertise.

What a platform for an exhibition!

There's something quite therapeutic about gazing out of a train window when you pull into a station.   It's faintly cathartic to watch others board the train, or imaging the adventures of those disembarking.  Your eyelids might get droopy, your breathing may match the rhythm of the train, that is of course unless you pull into  Todmorden Railway Station!  it takes a second glance, an involuntary gasp of breath, a rush towards the train's doors before the conductor blows his whistle.  and what makes this small Yorkshire station prompt such a flurry of activity, why, an art exhibition of course!


From the 8th May to the end of the month Tricia (of Art.Works fame) will be exhibiting and selling her vibrant and 'quirky' paintings in the platform one gallery, Todmorden Railway Station.  After a hugely successful launch, in which 3 paintings where snapped up by eager eyed buyers, there's been a constant stream of visitors pouring over the colourful canvases.


Trish said 'I'm so happy so many people were able to come to the launch and I'm really excited to see all my paintings displayed together in one space.'


So, if you find yourself pulling in to Todmorden station why not hop off for the train for a while and indulge in a little creative delight guaranteed to put a smile on on the face of even the most miserable of Monday morning commuters!


Info: Platform one gallery is open Thursday- Sunday 11am-4pm.  all proceeds from sales will go  to buy clean water facilities for friends in Uganda.  Thanks to Phill Atherton for the photos!