Congratulations to the winners
ART AS A RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH 2021
Exhibition Closes 16th July 2021
All works are available to purchase.
Sponsored by
Elisa Rossi - WINNER 1ST PRIZE £400
Title of your work
I formulate infinity and store it somewhere deep inside of me
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
48x36 inches
Price
$4140
Complex PTSD causes a permanent state of fight or flight response in the nervous system, which when stretched over years molds reality under this limited reaction response.
Most of my art and in particular this work have been my best and only way to get out of the trap of fight or flight response and to expand my spectrum of possibilities.
I used to perceive my PTSD as a shameful toll and something that robbed me of my real self forever, without escape, making me feel unworthy. Art changed that. This artwork in particular important to me because it was started at a very challenging time, when I was unable to sleep and day- living chased by flashbacks. Along with its development things changed for the better and quite fast. It offered an opportunity to reinterpret my perception of traumas: it's not all loss, it is also a gift with respect to the capacity of expand the spectrum of emotional and cognitive responses. Parallel realities that I would glimpse in some isolated peaceful moments were turned into this painting and the figures that emerged in it, in spite of being enigmatic and a conundrum still, are definetely friendly beings who make me feel I am never alone.
I formulate infinity and store it somewhere deep inside of me
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
48x36 inches
Price
$4140
Complex PTSD causes a permanent state of fight or flight response in the nervous system, which when stretched over years molds reality under this limited reaction response.
Most of my art and in particular this work have been my best and only way to get out of the trap of fight or flight response and to expand my spectrum of possibilities.
I used to perceive my PTSD as a shameful toll and something that robbed me of my real self forever, without escape, making me feel unworthy. Art changed that. This artwork in particular important to me because it was started at a very challenging time, when I was unable to sleep and day- living chased by flashbacks. Along with its development things changed for the better and quite fast. It offered an opportunity to reinterpret my perception of traumas: it's not all loss, it is also a gift with respect to the capacity of expand the spectrum of emotional and cognitive responses. Parallel realities that I would glimpse in some isolated peaceful moments were turned into this painting and the figures that emerged in it, in spite of being enigmatic and a conundrum still, are definetely friendly beings who make me feel I am never alone.
Ernada Husic - 2ND PRIZE - £300
Title of your work
I tried to fly but I used my wings too soon
Medium
Acrylic painting on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
100cm x 120cm
This work was done during a pandemic, during the winter period.Feel of helplessness and while we are in confined space and while trying to overcome it all various thoughts pass through our heads.It seems that time has stopped and that every day is one and the same day.
I tried to fly but I used my wings too soon
Medium
Acrylic painting on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
100cm x 120cm
This work was done during a pandemic, during the winter period.Feel of helplessness and while we are in confined space and while trying to overcome it all various thoughts pass through our heads.It seems that time has stopped and that every day is one and the same day.
James Rocke - 3rD PRIZE - £200
Title of your work
Fragmented
Medium
Oil and graphite on primed watercolour paper
Dimensions (in cm)
56x76 cm
Price
£600
My work is a depiction of my inner struggles, having suffered from depression for many years, I have found that through my art I have been able to find an identity, a means to truly express myself as a person and an artist.
The fragmented self portrait is a reflection of my damaged self, slowly but steadily rebuilding my confidence through a creative process.
Fragmented
Medium
Oil and graphite on primed watercolour paper
Dimensions (in cm)
56x76 cm
Price
£600
My work is a depiction of my inner struggles, having suffered from depression for many years, I have found that through my art I have been able to find an identity, a means to truly express myself as a person and an artist.
The fragmented self portrait is a reflection of my damaged self, slowly but steadily rebuilding my confidence through a creative process.
John Mole - FINALIST
Title of your work
Self-portrait in a blue shirt
Medium
Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
46 x 36
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£220During the pandemic there has been much that has impacted on the mental health of the nation. Children unable to meet their friends, the stress of daily daily news reports detailing horrific numbers of casualties, lack of stimulation for dementia sufferers and so on. As an artist I have struggled to find appropriate subjects for artworks in such circumstances. Eventually I decided on a portrait, to focus on our common humanity. I opted for a self-portrait, not as an inward-looking response, but rather to say: this is me, one human being amongst many, I am getting through, I hope you are too.
Elizaveta Sanglier - FINALIST
Title of your work
Didn’t solve the riddle
Medium
Oil, canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
70cm 50cm
Price:
£1000
This painting depicts a man and a Sphinx. The Sphinx is the personification of the chthonic principle, the horrors of the subconscious. The fate of the man who failed to solve his riddles is a foregone conclusion.
Didn’t solve the riddle
Medium
Oil, canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
70cm 50cm
Price:
£1000
This painting depicts a man and a Sphinx. The Sphinx is the personification of the chthonic principle, the horrors of the subconscious. The fate of the man who failed to solve his riddles is a foregone conclusion.
Ivana Stefanova - FINALIST
Title of your work
Be gentle to yourself
Medium
digital painting
Dimensions (in cm)
40 x 30
Mental health is really complicated but small steps such as treating yourself gently and slowly taking yourself like a flower could do so much!
Be gentle to yourself
Medium
digital painting
Dimensions (in cm)
40 x 30
Mental health is really complicated but small steps such as treating yourself gently and slowly taking yourself like a flower could do so much!
Joanna Cohn - FINALIST
Title of your work
The Sleepers
Medium
Etching
Dimensions (in cm)
40 x 50cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£280 framed, £220 unframed
I used to work at Her Majesty's Theatre in Piccadilly. Every night I would come out of work and see so many homeless sleeping by Piccadilly Circus Tube. I can't help feeling these people, who have had to make the streets their home, should be being supported for the mental health/ addiction issues they are suffering from. It seems exposing your most intimate living - even making the tube entrance your bedroom- only does more damage and means health and wellbeing is even further away. The intimate becomes public, like me performing every night onstage. Only this is not theatre.
The Sleepers
Medium
Etching
Dimensions (in cm)
40 x 50cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£280 framed, £220 unframed
I used to work at Her Majesty's Theatre in Piccadilly. Every night I would come out of work and see so many homeless sleeping by Piccadilly Circus Tube. I can't help feeling these people, who have had to make the streets their home, should be being supported for the mental health/ addiction issues they are suffering from. It seems exposing your most intimate living - even making the tube entrance your bedroom- only does more damage and means health and wellbeing is even further away. The intimate becomes public, like me performing every night onstage. Only this is not theatre.
Abi Price - FINALIST
Title of your work
The Devil In Disguise
Medium
acrylic paint and watercolour
Dimensions (in cm)
81cm by 101.5cm
I decided to create an abstract portraiture piece as a response to mental health 2021.
To convey the struggle of mental health I opted to use contrasting colours on the colour wheel- red and green- in order to demonstrate the inner conflict that many people with mental health issues face. The colour green for me in this piece shows the happy side, the bright and the happiness that people put on as a facade to hide the “red” which to me is the anger, the hurt, the pain and the raw emotion that people internally go through, hence the title “Devil In Disguise” as it shows people hiding their inner demons with a bright cheery front.
This also brings me onto another key colour in my piece that I incorporated to illustrate my message of mental health- gold. I used gold on both sides of the piece to show how the lines become blurred between happiness and sadness when you’re trying to put on a front to make sure people think you’re okay and to hide your internal pain.
I also put gold in there to represent the strength on both sides and how there is strength from both happiness and sadness in life and it can be found in any situation.
I use a lot of subtle symbolism to push the message about mental health out there. I opted to use ginger hair on the good angel side as a subtle way of showing that within happiness is sadness or anger because ginger hair is commonly associated with the devil and generally bad things.
I used sunflowers in the good angel side of the piece to show the strength in being able to get to a point of happiness similarly to the way that sunflowers grow tall, strong and stay stable. Van Gogh famously used sunflowers in his work, and he is known to have struggled with his mental health, so I added them to pay tribute to him.
The devil side of my piece represents bad mental health, so I used a devil horn to show the way that society depicts bad mental illness in a negative way and paints people that struggle with mental health as inherently bad and evil manipulative people- which is simply not true. The devil side has cracks across the face that start to seep into the happy side to show that when we eternally break down the façade we put on begins to break and at that point we have to get help.
I included a question mark instead of a face in this piece to show that mental illness doesn’t have a “look” and anyone can suffer with poor mental health, and we can tell who at face value.
I used a black border that slowly gets thicker in some sections of the piece to show how in a state of bad mental health you feel like you’re being suffocated and drowned in the darkness, loneliness of your suffering. The chaotic red, orange and black background is there to represent fire and flames, which shows how unpredictable and changeable someone’s mental state can be, but I also included gold in there to show the strength that you can still find in yourself when going through a mental illness.
I relate to so much that I put into this piece. One of the main things that you can take from this piece is that as a 14-year-old year 10 student lockdown and home schooling has been a hard time for us, and it is easy to see how it has had a negative effect on so many of my peer’s mental health. The devil side can be interpreted as us feeling down, under pressure to keep doing well and uncertain of what’s going to happen to our education in terms of exams, qualifications and future careers, as well as wondering when we would next go to school. The happy angel side shows the relief of being able to see friends again when lockdown lifted, and school resumed and hoping things are going to be going back to normal. However the green also shows the envy of when being back at school, wishing to be back at home laying in, doing home school in in pj’s.
Doing this piece to represent mental health and being able to show people’s struggles and stories felt very freeing because it makes it feel like peoples' voices including my own are being heard. Moreover, I use art to cope with everything going on in the world and it helps me so much It is something I can project on to and show people they are not alone in whatever they are going through. I hope you can see that in my work.
Richard Tony - FINALIST
Title of your work
Idol Hands
Medium
Original Art Print
Dimensions (in cm)
29.7 x 42
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£70.00
The focus of this piece is on the idolisation of money and issues surrounding money, as it reflects my own personal mental struggle with it.
This piece came about because I wanted to show the effects that addictions and strongholds can have on ones life and mind, and ultimately how the happiness of it is short lived.
Your addiction can become your idol, and this can lead you to some very dark places. That is what I am trying to capture in this piece - the control, deceitfulness, evil, and darkness of addictions. Yet, your addiction can also be desirable, and this desire is what leads to the mental battles raging inside you, the thoughts and choices that you try and fight everyday. In todays world this is a fight that many people can relate to.
Idol Hands
Medium
Original Art Print
Dimensions (in cm)
29.7 x 42
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£70.00
The focus of this piece is on the idolisation of money and issues surrounding money, as it reflects my own personal mental struggle with it.
This piece came about because I wanted to show the effects that addictions and strongholds can have on ones life and mind, and ultimately how the happiness of it is short lived.
Your addiction can become your idol, and this can lead you to some very dark places. That is what I am trying to capture in this piece - the control, deceitfulness, evil, and darkness of addictions. Yet, your addiction can also be desirable, and this desire is what leads to the mental battles raging inside you, the thoughts and choices that you try and fight everyday. In todays world this is a fight that many people can relate to.
Nicola Morley - FINALIST
Title of your work
If I Cry, My Tears Will Be Solid Morphine
Medium
Photographic print on Gylcee paper
Dimensions (in cm)
70x50cm
Price
£120
This project is in response to my once active mother coming to terms with terminal illness and healing our brokenness.
In October 2018 my mother drove the long journey from rural Lancashire to London. The next day she went to a funeral in Windsor before driving all the way back. She was 85, alert, active and fiercely independent.
People would ask me how she was.
I’d say “Infuriating”,
They would laugh.
Within the year she had developed a lung disorder. She suffered torturous pain. Her skin tore like tissue paper. She ate sweet biscuits to give her energy.
We needed to mend. In the making of this project, she allowed me in at her most vulnerable. In turn I cared for her.
Only months later, still fighting, she gasped for breath. I held her as her fingers became soft and her arms as fluid as a ballerina. In that moment, she was gentle. In that moment, she became a memory.
Sara Burr - FINALIST
Title of your work
Caged In
Medium
Paint (acrylic/watercolour)
Dimensions (in cm)
21 x 30 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£30
The girl is stuck in her cage where she cannot escape her thoughts. The key to freedom is hidden from her and she can’t find the path to it. The use of the bird cage is to symbolise the people who don’t understand the inner battle she is facing but see her as “cuckoo”. Trying to call out for help, the telephone has been cut off and the recipient cannot hear her. She is also struggling to actually say the words hence why they have been scribbled on the wall. The weight of her deteriorating mental health, she carries everywhere she goes and cages her in.
Caged In
Medium
Paint (acrylic/watercolour)
Dimensions (in cm)
21 x 30 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£30
The girl is stuck in her cage where she cannot escape her thoughts. The key to freedom is hidden from her and she can’t find the path to it. The use of the bird cage is to symbolise the people who don’t understand the inner battle she is facing but see her as “cuckoo”. Trying to call out for help, the telephone has been cut off and the recipient cannot hear her. She is also struggling to actually say the words hence why they have been scribbled on the wall. The weight of her deteriorating mental health, she carries everywhere she goes and cages her in.
Anastasiia Viekua - FINALIST
Title of your work
Shadow
Medium
A3
Dimensions (in cm)
29,7×42,0
This photowork adresses the darkness inside me, that I need to respect in order to have a fulfilled life. I want to show that I contain extreme opposites like softness and rigidity, light and shadow, female and male. And there is no way to escape from pain without loosing joy. You either feel everything or you don’t feel at all.
Shadow
Medium
A3
Dimensions (in cm)
29,7×42,0
This photowork adresses the darkness inside me, that I need to respect in order to have a fulfilled life. I want to show that I contain extreme opposites like softness and rigidity, light and shadow, female and male. And there is no way to escape from pain without loosing joy. You either feel everything or you don’t feel at all.
Evenflow Creations (Natalie) - FINALIST
Title of your work
After Dark
Medium
Alcohol ink on Yupo paper - framed piece
Dimensions (in cm)
21 x 30 (painting without mount or frame)
Price )
£80
“Art for mental health is something which is very close to my heart. In 2020 my world changed forever when I was diagnosed with a life limiting disease and went through emergency life-changing surgery. It was by far the darkest time of my life; I felt shocked to my core by what had happened and simply couldn’t accept the person I had become post-op.
I went through a deep depression where I prayed for death many times. My physical recovery is still ongoing with my fight far from over, and I mourn for the woman I was pre-2020. Every day is a struggle both physically and mentally, but I now accept that recovery is a long process that will not be rushed.
It was during my darkest of time that I began painting again. This is something that I hadn’t done in many years, but I instantly found it to be great escapism. When I paint, I don’t think about my trauma, depression, disability or the limited life in front of me. I get completely lost in the creativity. Painting has been my saviour and I would recommend this process to anyone struggling with their mental health.”
After Dark
Medium
Alcohol ink on Yupo paper - framed piece
Dimensions (in cm)
21 x 30 (painting without mount or frame)
Price )
£80
“Art for mental health is something which is very close to my heart. In 2020 my world changed forever when I was diagnosed with a life limiting disease and went through emergency life-changing surgery. It was by far the darkest time of my life; I felt shocked to my core by what had happened and simply couldn’t accept the person I had become post-op.
I went through a deep depression where I prayed for death many times. My physical recovery is still ongoing with my fight far from over, and I mourn for the woman I was pre-2020. Every day is a struggle both physically and mentally, but I now accept that recovery is a long process that will not be rushed.
It was during my darkest of time that I began painting again. This is something that I hadn’t done in many years, but I instantly found it to be great escapism. When I paint, I don’t think about my trauma, depression, disability or the limited life in front of me. I get completely lost in the creativity. Painting has been my saviour and I would recommend this process to anyone struggling with their mental health.”
Claudia Tong - FINALIST
Title of your work
A waking dream
Medium
watercolour
Dimensions (in cm)
30*40
This work abstractly portrays a person who is going through a psychological turmoil with all kinds of thoughts and emotions exploding within his/her mind. Mental health is personal, yet universal to all human beings, just like the skull which could be anyone's.
Supun Gamage - FINALIST
Title of your work
Calmness of the Lights of Eternity
Medium
Watercolors on paper
Dimensions (in cm)
12.5 x 15.5
Price
120$
Calmness of the Lights of Eternity is one of my fine arts in which I see not only stars but also the need of attraction towards that category as well. Don't just draw it... Feel it... Let others wander in the fantasy that you have in your mind...
Starry night skies are one of my favorites which help me to regain the calmness in my mind during harder times. Even in these pandemic times, we are living more stressful lives. If you can free your time for five minutes and go outside to feel the night sky and its quietness, it would be like a medicine to your mind. I added colors to this artwork hoping that every human soul in the world might feel that unspoken calmness and quietness in their minds through this artwork
Calmness of the Lights of Eternity
Medium
Watercolors on paper
Dimensions (in cm)
12.5 x 15.5
Price
120$
Calmness of the Lights of Eternity is one of my fine arts in which I see not only stars but also the need of attraction towards that category as well. Don't just draw it... Feel it... Let others wander in the fantasy that you have in your mind...
Starry night skies are one of my favorites which help me to regain the calmness in my mind during harder times. Even in these pandemic times, we are living more stressful lives. If you can free your time for five minutes and go outside to feel the night sky and its quietness, it would be like a medicine to your mind. I added colors to this artwork hoping that every human soul in the world might feel that unspoken calmness and quietness in their minds through this artwork
MUTEBER BURUNSUZ - FINALIST
Title of your work
UNTITLE
Medium
WATERCOLOR ON PAPER
Dimensions (in cm)
25X35 CM.
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£ 100
With different composition possibilities, the visual perception created by asymmetric densities on the surface exists with the fluctuations of line values. The layers of meaning, in which the objects of the outer world are symbolized and the colors are expressed with the integrity of lines and spots, are articulated on top of each other and form a layered discourse. The undefined aesthetic experience of irregular objects, transcendent immanentities, strive for existence. The forms in which the remnants of reality turn into emotional language are included in the aesthetic experience with the dynamic structure. First of all, certain color or color combinations do not impose content on a concept, but exist on their own within their own conceptual integrity. New constructions move towards a spatial journey with a coincidental integrity, with metaphor possibilities. Transformable images look inward and question the limitation that exists in limitlessness. The questioning of colors and the content it transmits will also affect our visual mind and memories.
UNTITLE
Medium
WATERCOLOR ON PAPER
Dimensions (in cm)
25X35 CM.
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£ 100
With different composition possibilities, the visual perception created by asymmetric densities on the surface exists with the fluctuations of line values. The layers of meaning, in which the objects of the outer world are symbolized and the colors are expressed with the integrity of lines and spots, are articulated on top of each other and form a layered discourse. The undefined aesthetic experience of irregular objects, transcendent immanentities, strive for existence. The forms in which the remnants of reality turn into emotional language are included in the aesthetic experience with the dynamic structure. First of all, certain color or color combinations do not impose content on a concept, but exist on their own within their own conceptual integrity. New constructions move towards a spatial journey with a coincidental integrity, with metaphor possibilities. Transformable images look inward and question the limitation that exists in limitlessness. The questioning of colors and the content it transmits will also affect our visual mind and memories.
Gianlluca Carneiro - FINALIST
Title of your work
Blue mood, blue heart
Medium
acrylic on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
80 cm x 50 cm x 3 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
US$ 1000.00
This work of art is part of a series called "doses of feeling" that explores human emotions during the pandemic. This art, in particular, is a dialogue about loneliness and depression. When I painted this work, I was in a period of extreme sadness and it was through this artpiece that I was able to get up and improve day after day.
Blue mood, blue heart
Medium
acrylic on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
80 cm x 50 cm x 3 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
US$ 1000.00
This work of art is part of a series called "doses of feeling" that explores human emotions during the pandemic. This art, in particular, is a dialogue about loneliness and depression. When I painted this work, I was in a period of extreme sadness and it was through this artpiece that I was able to get up and improve day after day.
Sashko Balabai - FINALIST
Title of your work
LESYA UKRAINKA. FOREST SONG. KILINA`S CHILDREN AND STARVELINGS
Medium
canvas, acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
60x80
I have a 14-year-old son who had also to decrease contacts with friends and get an online education during quarantine. I think a lot about how he is influenced by this situation and about children mental health. My painting describes children from the play of Lesya Ukrainka, behind which are mythical heroes - Starvellings, eternally hungry, evil creatures who can swallow our children in the dark world of ignorant, untalented and poor. Today it is happening because of a pandemic, once caused by political and economic problems in Ukraine, restrictions on the rights of the countryside population. Children have empty plates and smart toys, but with an empty stomach and, in my opinion, due to lack of knowledge, an empty head, there are no opportunities to develop, learn, become better.
LESYA UKRAINKA. FOREST SONG. KILINA`S CHILDREN AND STARVELINGS
Medium
canvas, acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
60x80
I have a 14-year-old son who had also to decrease contacts with friends and get an online education during quarantine. I think a lot about how he is influenced by this situation and about children mental health. My painting describes children from the play of Lesya Ukrainka, behind which are mythical heroes - Starvellings, eternally hungry, evil creatures who can swallow our children in the dark world of ignorant, untalented and poor. Today it is happening because of a pandemic, once caused by political and economic problems in Ukraine, restrictions on the rights of the countryside population. Children have empty plates and smart toys, but with an empty stomach and, in my opinion, due to lack of knowledge, an empty head, there are no opportunities to develop, learn, become better.
Lisa Banks - FINALIST
Title of your work
Narcissus and Nymph
Medium
pencils and wash on paper
Dimensions (in cm)
115x112cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£250
This image explores a scene where Narcissus is overthinking and has become oblivious. On the other side of the picture the nymph is more engaged in the environment. Overthinking can effect us all and each of us has to find a way of managing our mental health through engagement in the world around us.
Narcissus and Nymph
Medium
pencils and wash on paper
Dimensions (in cm)
115x112cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£250
This image explores a scene where Narcissus is overthinking and has become oblivious. On the other side of the picture the nymph is more engaged in the environment. Overthinking can effect us all and each of us has to find a way of managing our mental health through engagement in the world around us.
May Hopkins - FINALIST
Title of your work
Validation
Medium
Acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
90cm x80cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£800
I painted this piece during lockdown, I’m a prolific artist but lockdown stunted my creativity negatively, I was struggling with motivation, my delightful ex viciously claimed I had no validation in my life and as a direct response I got my brushes out and harboured all my anger and emotion into this piece. The only validation one needs is within, self love and care are paramount, with an extra helping of creativity.
Validation
Medium
Acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
90cm x80cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£800
I painted this piece during lockdown, I’m a prolific artist but lockdown stunted my creativity negatively, I was struggling with motivation, my delightful ex viciously claimed I had no validation in my life and as a direct response I got my brushes out and harboured all my anger and emotion into this piece. The only validation one needs is within, self love and care are paramount, with an extra helping of creativity.
Eloise Curtis - SPECIAL SELECTION
Title of your work
I want to break free
Medium
Marker Pen
Dimensions (in cm)
75cm x 80cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£30
As lockdown begins to ease in restrictions for much of the population, I have found my personal freedoms have plummeted on an inverse trajectory. I am sectioned under the mental health act which means (among other things) locked exits, metal detectors, no shoelaces, limited access to art materials, no privacy to go for a wee.
Within the drawing I have tried to use symbolism and striking contrast to describe the concept of freedom and what freedom means to different people. For some, freedom might mean going to the pub, seeing their extended family. For me, right now, the ultimate freedom is being allowed a pen.
This drawing is made with marker pen on the back of wrapping paper. I currently have no access to the materials I would usually use to create art and so have improvised. The staff are supportive and kind, (probably quite thankful I didn't scrawl directly on their walls.) and I would like to thank them for their support and help.
There is always hope.
I want to break free
Medium
Marker Pen
Dimensions (in cm)
75cm x 80cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£30
As lockdown begins to ease in restrictions for much of the population, I have found my personal freedoms have plummeted on an inverse trajectory. I am sectioned under the mental health act which means (among other things) locked exits, metal detectors, no shoelaces, limited access to art materials, no privacy to go for a wee.
Within the drawing I have tried to use symbolism and striking contrast to describe the concept of freedom and what freedom means to different people. For some, freedom might mean going to the pub, seeing their extended family. For me, right now, the ultimate freedom is being allowed a pen.
This drawing is made with marker pen on the back of wrapping paper. I currently have no access to the materials I would usually use to create art and so have improvised. The staff are supportive and kind, (probably quite thankful I didn't scrawl directly on their walls.) and I would like to thank them for their support and help.
There is always hope.
Helen Toluwa - SPECIAL SELECTION
Title of your work
Unbridled
Medium
Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
91 x 61
Over the past 10 years I have become increasingly disabled by illness. Previously, I was very active, travelling solo around the world, participating in competitive sports and running every day. Adjusting my sense of self and learning to live in a body that can do much less, and some days nothing at all, has been very challenging for my mental health. In art, I find freedom and purpose, and manage depression. I use texture, layers and vibrant colours to tell the story of who I am inside this body.
Unbridled
Medium
Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
91 x 61
Over the past 10 years I have become increasingly disabled by illness. Previously, I was very active, travelling solo around the world, participating in competitive sports and running every day. Adjusting my sense of self and learning to live in a body that can do much less, and some days nothing at all, has been very challenging for my mental health. In art, I find freedom and purpose, and manage depression. I use texture, layers and vibrant colours to tell the story of who I am inside this body.
Bonnie Dixson - SPECIAL SELECTION.
Title of your work
Why you always in a mood?
Medium
Mixed media, collage, acrylic, and oil
Dimensions (in cm)
24.8 x 19.8 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£130.00
I, myself struggle with PTSD, and it can flare up by the most minute triggers. Dealing with this is an ongoing practice that I try to supress daily, which will often lead to quirky behaviours (OCD) and mood swings.
In my attempt of self help, I began to create artworks reflecting my moods a while ago, creating a collection of artworks that each capture a moment or a thought within my life, reflecting my own mental health. This process has helped me massively, especially reactions from others on social media also stating they feel the same at times.
Knowing we are not alone can be the key to recovery.
I will often try to add in a little humour into my work along with colour to prevent the meaning from becoming to dark. Due to this process I fully embrace my own mental health and use it for my inspiration.
Why you always in a mood?
Medium
Mixed media, collage, acrylic, and oil
Dimensions (in cm)
24.8 x 19.8 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£130.00
I, myself struggle with PTSD, and it can flare up by the most minute triggers. Dealing with this is an ongoing practice that I try to supress daily, which will often lead to quirky behaviours (OCD) and mood swings.
In my attempt of self help, I began to create artworks reflecting my moods a while ago, creating a collection of artworks that each capture a moment or a thought within my life, reflecting my own mental health. This process has helped me massively, especially reactions from others on social media also stating they feel the same at times.
Knowing we are not alone can be the key to recovery.
I will often try to add in a little humour into my work along with colour to prevent the meaning from becoming to dark. Due to this process I fully embrace my own mental health and use it for my inspiration.
Patrick Hannay-Zaia - SPECIAL SELECTION
Title of your work
Left To The Ghosts (right to the dancefloor)
Medium
analog photo collage
Dimensions (in cm)
43 X 62
In 1986, at the age of 21, I was hospitalized with both suicidal tendencies and HIV. I was told that I had at the most 4 months to live (and I was told this in front of my mothers). One of the only nurses who dared spend any time in my room taught me to use collage as as form of self reflection and therapy. I still feel that I do not create my works but that they create themselves. This one came from me revisiting that time, almost 35 years ago; the loneliness, the isolation, my mothers trying to be so brave for me while my father offered nothing useful. All the while, I nursed a small egg of hope that there would be more to my story than that cold, stale hospital room. This is what I read into it AFTER contemplating what the work has become.
Left To The Ghosts (right to the dancefloor)
Medium
analog photo collage
Dimensions (in cm)
43 X 62
In 1986, at the age of 21, I was hospitalized with both suicidal tendencies and HIV. I was told that I had at the most 4 months to live (and I was told this in front of my mothers). One of the only nurses who dared spend any time in my room taught me to use collage as as form of self reflection and therapy. I still feel that I do not create my works but that they create themselves. This one came from me revisiting that time, almost 35 years ago; the loneliness, the isolation, my mothers trying to be so brave for me while my father offered nothing useful. All the while, I nursed a small egg of hope that there would be more to my story than that cold, stale hospital room. This is what I read into it AFTER contemplating what the work has become.
Jenny Blount - SPECIAL SELECTION
Title of your work:
The Last Bath I Gave Her
Medium
Brush pen on watercolour paper
Dimensions (in cm):
35x69
Price :
£750
The painting depicts the last bath I gave my mother; it was the first image I made of her a day or two after she died.
I wrapped her in a towel far too big for her fledgling body. We were both quiet, and gently so, as if sensing that this particular bath time must be special, and thorough and lasting. She pecked me on the cheek; the same woman who had been so ill and so desperate she’d hit her own baby - and the baby grew up taking care of her mother and never had children herself.
I made this image in the first flush of grief; knowing that the mother who’d abused me was also the mother I loved and missed. She never knew how much therapy I’d had, or why. In her view I’d always been tense; I was even tense as a baby and that’s why she’d had to hit me. To make me go to sleep.
Mother had dementia in the last three years of her life, which is when she came to live with me. She was imperious, eccentric and endlessly demanding, also funny, witty, charming and infuriating. Art was an activity of mine she thoroughly approved of. I used to work and she’d fall asleep whilst watching me.
‘Look mum!’ I’d say when she woke up, ‘what do you think?’
‘Oh, yes!’ She’d say, ‘It’s lovely dear! (and then add with great daring) Don’t accept anything less than £20!’
The Last Bath I Gave Her
Medium
Brush pen on watercolour paper
Dimensions (in cm):
35x69
Price :
£750
The painting depicts the last bath I gave my mother; it was the first image I made of her a day or two after she died.
I wrapped her in a towel far too big for her fledgling body. We were both quiet, and gently so, as if sensing that this particular bath time must be special, and thorough and lasting. She pecked me on the cheek; the same woman who had been so ill and so desperate she’d hit her own baby - and the baby grew up taking care of her mother and never had children herself.
I made this image in the first flush of grief; knowing that the mother who’d abused me was also the mother I loved and missed. She never knew how much therapy I’d had, or why. In her view I’d always been tense; I was even tense as a baby and that’s why she’d had to hit me. To make me go to sleep.
Mother had dementia in the last three years of her life, which is when she came to live with me. She was imperious, eccentric and endlessly demanding, also funny, witty, charming and infuriating. Art was an activity of mine she thoroughly approved of. I used to work and she’d fall asleep whilst watching me.
‘Look mum!’ I’d say when she woke up, ‘what do you think?’
‘Oh, yes!’ She’d say, ‘It’s lovely dear! (and then add with great daring) Don’t accept anything less than £20!’
Marc Springetti - SPECIAL SELECTION
Title of your work
Untitled (wrestling with Bartoletti)
Medium
Pen and Ink
Dimensions (in cm)
420 x 594mm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£400Using a lexicon of personal experiences and cultural references ranging from heavy metal, antiquity, greco-roman wrestling, queerness and esotericism, the work Untitled (wrestling with Bartoletti) crafts a drunken walk through a seemingly autobiographical, coded text creating a conflicting collection of abject, yet tender imagery. Both hideous and tragic and full of lust and longing, the work attempts to consolidate a dizzying tug-of-war between self and identity, and largely that of queerness and mental health.
Untitled (wrestling with Bartoletti)
Medium
Pen and Ink
Dimensions (in cm)
420 x 594mm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£400Using a lexicon of personal experiences and cultural references ranging from heavy metal, antiquity, greco-roman wrestling, queerness and esotericism, the work Untitled (wrestling with Bartoletti) crafts a drunken walk through a seemingly autobiographical, coded text creating a conflicting collection of abject, yet tender imagery. Both hideous and tragic and full of lust and longing, the work attempts to consolidate a dizzying tug-of-war between self and identity, and largely that of queerness and mental health.
Allissa green
Title of your work
Choices
Medium
Oil
Dimensions (in cm)
91 x 122.5cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£2500
I feel drugs and mental health go hand in hand a lot, and is a real issue but no one talks about it as though it is taboo. Never have been a drug user myself, because I chose motherhood, this is what I see when drugs are promoted to me as cool. Whoever you see in this image, yourself or your child, this piece should be used as a reminder, an awareness to not trap yourself in that world or your children because you never know who it will take away. Drugs no matter what they are, are the main culprit of many mental health situations today.
Choices
Medium
Oil
Dimensions (in cm)
91 x 122.5cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£2500
I feel drugs and mental health go hand in hand a lot, and is a real issue but no one talks about it as though it is taboo. Never have been a drug user myself, because I chose motherhood, this is what I see when drugs are promoted to me as cool. Whoever you see in this image, yourself or your child, this piece should be used as a reminder, an awareness to not trap yourself in that world or your children because you never know who it will take away. Drugs no matter what they are, are the main culprit of many mental health situations today.
Caitlín O’ Doherty
Title of your work
‘A girl’s world’
Medium
Mixed media - acrylic paint, plaster sculpture, textiles, instalment.
Dimensions (in cm)
183cm x 91cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
900
The patriarchy, misogyny, the male gaze, objectification, street harassment, period poverty and toxic masculinity are some of the basic human rights issues that women and girls have to suffer in their every day lives. “Don’t walk at night, don’t wear that, don’t wear headphones, always share your location, call someone, avoid public transport, get a taxi but always sit in the backseat, avoid alleys, avoid parks, stay on well lit streets, don’t react, don’t cause a scene but scream if you need help, just keep walking, don’t ignore them but don’t talk back, avoid eye contact, hold your keys between your fingers, buy a rape alarm, wear flat shoes, carry pepper spray, don’t breast feed in public, don’t mention periods around men, spend your money on period products, don’t wear short skirts you will look like you’re asking for it, don’t leave your drink unattended. Do this but don’t do this but do this!” These are just some of the things girls are told to do for basic SURVIVAL as they start to grow up. This is extremely unjust and overwhelming. We take risks just by going on a walk. This patriarchal society has had a massive impact on women and girls’ mental healths in their everyday lives for far too long. With news of the recent statistic of 97% of young women in the U.K. being sexually harassed, it is time you start educating your son, not protecting your daughter.
Frances Willoughby
Title of your work:
Escaping the Pull
Medium
Mixed Media Soft Sculpture
Dimensions (in cm)
82 x 54 x 60 cm
Price:
£950
Catastrophic thinking is a behaviour I find myself doing more often than I would like to admit. It is a habit I subconsciously slip into and pull away from, especially now, when there is so much time to contemplate. As the anxiety rises, my insides become entangled, until I recollect my thoughts and reconsider the likelihood of this idea becoming reality.
Escaping the Pull
Medium
Mixed Media Soft Sculpture
Dimensions (in cm)
82 x 54 x 60 cm
Price:
£950
Catastrophic thinking is a behaviour I find myself doing more often than I would like to admit. It is a habit I subconsciously slip into and pull away from, especially now, when there is so much time to contemplate. As the anxiety rises, my insides become entangled, until I recollect my thoughts and reconsider the likelihood of this idea becoming reality.
Tomas Clayton
Title of your work
Waiting In The Big House
Medium
Oil on Masonite
Dimensions (in cm)
80 x 69
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£850
Virtually all of my work is, in some way, an exploration of the 'human condition'. I use characters and themes from the early part of the 20th Century to convey feelings that are hidden, feelings that are often the result of trauma.
The bereaved middle-aged woman of my painting, a victim of the 1914/18 war, lives alone in a house that is suddenly too big.
There are many women and men today who live in houses that have become too big. It could be argued that they also are feeling the seismic consequences of a war that took place over a hundred years ago.
'Embedded' coverage of international conflict has sheared away the comfortable parochialism of former generations. Today we live in a 'Big House' that, for many, no longer feels like home.
Waiting In The Big House
Medium
Oil on Masonite
Dimensions (in cm)
80 x 69
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
£850
Virtually all of my work is, in some way, an exploration of the 'human condition'. I use characters and themes from the early part of the 20th Century to convey feelings that are hidden, feelings that are often the result of trauma.
The bereaved middle-aged woman of my painting, a victim of the 1914/18 war, lives alone in a house that is suddenly too big.
There are many women and men today who live in houses that have become too big. It could be argued that they also are feeling the seismic consequences of a war that took place over a hundred years ago.
'Embedded' coverage of international conflict has sheared away the comfortable parochialism of former generations. Today we live in a 'Big House' that, for many, no longer feels like home.
Margarita Ivanova
Title of your work
Wedding
Medium
acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
80x100
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
1300$
With my work, I want to show that everything in the world depends on our perception. Someone sees that people have turned away from each other. But someone will see people hugging each other and letting everyone look in their own direction.
Tell us how this work is a response to mental health. Your answer will be available publicly and will be used in judging your participation.
Creating my work, I thought about the relationship between people who decided to connect life with each other. Who are they to each other? We can be bodies together, but in our thoughts each one looks in his own direction. And many people react in completely different ways to my work. For some, this is a story about an unhappy marriage, someone saw an unhappy self, for someone it even causes rejection. And then, of course, the question arises - where does such a reaction come from? Why is it so important for us to be looked at? After all, the people in my picture hug each other, but each remains an individual and looks in his direction. And if they do not look at us, this does not mean that they have turned away from us
Wedding
Medium
acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
80x100
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
1300$
With my work, I want to show that everything in the world depends on our perception. Someone sees that people have turned away from each other. But someone will see people hugging each other and letting everyone look in their own direction.
Tell us how this work is a response to mental health. Your answer will be available publicly and will be used in judging your participation.
Creating my work, I thought about the relationship between people who decided to connect life with each other. Who are they to each other? We can be bodies together, but in our thoughts each one looks in his own direction. And many people react in completely different ways to my work. For some, this is a story about an unhappy marriage, someone saw an unhappy self, for someone it even causes rejection. And then, of course, the question arises - where does such a reaction come from? Why is it so important for us to be looked at? After all, the people in my picture hug each other, but each remains an individual and looks in his direction. And if they do not look at us, this does not mean that they have turned away from us
Toby Haseler
Title of your work
My Weakness
Medium
Watercolour on Cold Pressed Paper
Dimensions (in cm)
23cm x 31cm (landscape)
Price £80 unframed
This art is a response to my own experiences of mental health - specifically depression and anxiety, and eating disorders.
The figure here holds a bottle, whilst staring fixedly ahead and clasping their head. They seem well dressed, the outline of a collar and tie just visible. That put together appearance, however, is lost in this moment as they confront their evident struggle.
The bottle is a representation of the challenge that I faced wracked with hunger, torn between my desires, what I'm told is good for me, and the headache inducing anxiety and self-doubt that comes with these conflicts and leaves you paralysed in that moment.
For me alcohol has never been a problem, but the bottle has been chosen as a more poignant and immediately recognisable challenge that has many parallels with other struggles in mental health.
My Weakness
Medium
Watercolour on Cold Pressed Paper
Dimensions (in cm)
23cm x 31cm (landscape)
Price £80 unframed
This art is a response to my own experiences of mental health - specifically depression and anxiety, and eating disorders.
The figure here holds a bottle, whilst staring fixedly ahead and clasping their head. They seem well dressed, the outline of a collar and tie just visible. That put together appearance, however, is lost in this moment as they confront their evident struggle.
The bottle is a representation of the challenge that I faced wracked with hunger, torn between my desires, what I'm told is good for me, and the headache inducing anxiety and self-doubt that comes with these conflicts and leaves you paralysed in that moment.
For me alcohol has never been a problem, but the bottle has been chosen as a more poignant and immediately recognisable challenge that has many parallels with other struggles in mental health.
Donna Borg
Title of your work
Confinement - Self-Portrait
Medium
Oil on Canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
51 x 40
Price:
£1500
This painting was done during one of the recent lockdowns (December 2020/January 2021) when I was feeling quite trapped and lonely working every day from home and not being able to visit anyone including my parents in Malta during what was a very difficult time for my family. I tried to express the loneliness, sadness, boredom and sense of confinement that I was feeling, but at the same time, the acknowledgment of my feelings and the strength to carry on which is why I chose to look straight to the viewers rather than hide my face in any way. The other items in the painting represent the things that were keeping me company and the most important things in my life: my easel, my books, pictures of friends and family, and my coffee, amongst others. I wanted to represent how crammed the room was and how it had become my whole world during the last few months. I wanted to create a sense of lack of space and restriction and I intentionally had the head put on one side and not fit in completely in the picture. This physical restriction also symbolizes the idea of feeling mentally trapped. Creating this painting was a very challenging but useful process for me as it allowed me to look deep into myself and reflect on what was happening in my life at the time and how I was feeling.
Confinement - Self-Portrait
Medium
Oil on Canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
51 x 40
Price:
£1500
This painting was done during one of the recent lockdowns (December 2020/January 2021) when I was feeling quite trapped and lonely working every day from home and not being able to visit anyone including my parents in Malta during what was a very difficult time for my family. I tried to express the loneliness, sadness, boredom and sense of confinement that I was feeling, but at the same time, the acknowledgment of my feelings and the strength to carry on which is why I chose to look straight to the viewers rather than hide my face in any way. The other items in the painting represent the things that were keeping me company and the most important things in my life: my easel, my books, pictures of friends and family, and my coffee, amongst others. I wanted to represent how crammed the room was and how it had become my whole world during the last few months. I wanted to create a sense of lack of space and restriction and I intentionally had the head put on one side and not fit in completely in the picture. This physical restriction also symbolizes the idea of feeling mentally trapped. Creating this painting was a very challenging but useful process for me as it allowed me to look deep into myself and reflect on what was happening in my life at the time and how I was feeling.
Zuzanna Grochowska
Title of your work
White force
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
150x120 cm
White force was created during first lockdown. The idea was to capture the condition of the contemporary man - wanting and full of fear.The title of work "White force" refers to the harm that we do to ourself by constantly self-doubt. Also it shows a facade - a mask that we as people put on when we worry, struggle and fail. It this painting I'm trying to send a message that there is no point in struggle alone and in silence, because this is misleading and ultimately destructive mentality and the only way that we can help one another is to show unity not indifference.
White force
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
150x120 cm
White force was created during first lockdown. The idea was to capture the condition of the contemporary man - wanting and full of fear.The title of work "White force" refers to the harm that we do to ourself by constantly self-doubt. Also it shows a facade - a mask that we as people put on when we worry, struggle and fail. It this painting I'm trying to send a message that there is no point in struggle alone and in silence, because this is misleading and ultimately destructive mentality and the only way that we can help one another is to show unity not indifference.
Josefin Steiner
Title of your work
Suffering in silence
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
30cm x 40cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
200
Way too many people are experiencing mental health issues, feeling not worthy enough to seek professional help. They suffer in silence. This portrait illustrates the darkness, pain and emptiness some of us are experiencing. In today’s society, mental health issues are still being stigmatized or not being taken seriously. We all should take action to show some awareness. What would happen if we treated mental health issues as physical injuries. Nobody would be suffering in silence, because very single one of us would feel worthy enough to seek professional help. We do need to change society’s values and point on views on mental health, because it matters! Especially in times of crisis like during the pandemic, we all are the change, therefore we need to take action to fight the stigmatization of mental health issues.
This painting portraits how many of us feel left alone with their darkness, trying to fight the demons others can’t see. The dark setting sets the mood of sadness and despair. The reflection of the person laying on the floor symbolizes the feelings only affected people can feel, unable to explain their suffering to others. However it’s not only the feeling they experience, but the promise they keep to themselves not to let their surroundings know what they are going through. Keeping a secret isn’t an option, therefore we should show more awareness what ist means to really suffer from a mental illness.
Suffering in silence
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
30cm x 40cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
200
Way too many people are experiencing mental health issues, feeling not worthy enough to seek professional help. They suffer in silence. This portrait illustrates the darkness, pain and emptiness some of us are experiencing. In today’s society, mental health issues are still being stigmatized or not being taken seriously. We all should take action to show some awareness. What would happen if we treated mental health issues as physical injuries. Nobody would be suffering in silence, because very single one of us would feel worthy enough to seek professional help. We do need to change society’s values and point on views on mental health, because it matters! Especially in times of crisis like during the pandemic, we all are the change, therefore we need to take action to fight the stigmatization of mental health issues.
This painting portraits how many of us feel left alone with their darkness, trying to fight the demons others can’t see. The dark setting sets the mood of sadness and despair. The reflection of the person laying on the floor symbolizes the feelings only affected people can feel, unable to explain their suffering to others. However it’s not only the feeling they experience, but the promise they keep to themselves not to let their surroundings know what they are going through. Keeping a secret isn’t an option, therefore we should show more awareness what ist means to really suffer from a mental illness.
unodanilo
Title of your work
Yellow Mango Sun
Medium
Gouache on Paper
Dimensions (in cm)
24×30.3
The sun is the free mental health boost we all need as per studies. But we could also be that sun to others who needs it specially these challenging times
Yellow Mango Sun
Medium
Gouache on Paper
Dimensions (in cm)
24×30.3
The sun is the free mental health boost we all need as per studies. But we could also be that sun to others who needs it specially these challenging times
Rachel Smith
Title: Sometimes you just need to escape
Acrylic on canvas
This is a response to the last lockdown. I am a single mum to a daughter with disabilities who is wonderful but sometimes it is overwhelming. During lockdown walks I loved looking up trees as I felt free. If I could be up a tree it would be a moment of calm and quiet. However everything is still there below but for that time you can escape it all.
Jeff Ko
Title of your work
1%
Medium
Collage
Dimensions (in cm)
29.7 x 42 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
75.00
This work employs statistics and quotes pertaining to mental health. These statistics are the abstracted to offer the viewer an alternative entry point into the facts and the to offer a new space to contemplate the reality of the current state of mental health and its place within the wider social and economic context.
1%
Medium
Collage
Dimensions (in cm)
29.7 x 42 cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
75.00
This work employs statistics and quotes pertaining to mental health. These statistics are the abstracted to offer the viewer an alternative entry point into the facts and the to offer a new space to contemplate the reality of the current state of mental health and its place within the wider social and economic context.
Fathima Nazreen Sajahan
Title of your work
"Holding on"
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
60cm × 91cm
This is my response to mental health during these trying times.
Holding on to that last breath as we emerge from the depths to the surface. We breathe out only when we know we will be able to replenish that breath.
I felt this is relatable to our current situation. We are all holding on. Everyone is affected by the current situation, some more than the others.
Have faith for this shall pass too. We will resurface stronger,until then please hold on.
The paintings focal point is in the yellow/orange which symbolizes hope. The different shades of blue simply highlight the focal colour so all your attention is drawn to that. This painting aims to give hope to those holding on to that last breath until we reemerge stronger.
"Holding on"
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
60cm × 91cm
This is my response to mental health during these trying times.
Holding on to that last breath as we emerge from the depths to the surface. We breathe out only when we know we will be able to replenish that breath.
I felt this is relatable to our current situation. We are all holding on. Everyone is affected by the current situation, some more than the others.
Have faith for this shall pass too. We will resurface stronger,until then please hold on.
The paintings focal point is in the yellow/orange which symbolizes hope. The different shades of blue simply highlight the focal colour so all your attention is drawn to that. This painting aims to give hope to those holding on to that last breath until we reemerge stronger.
Craig Hall
Title of your work
Thinking of Home
Medium
Watercolor and Ink
Dimensions (in cm)
30x23cm
I have been suffering with generalised anxiety disorder since November 2020 and painting provides me with welcome moments of calm and mindfulness. The third covid-19 lockdown exacerbated my mental health, but I found comfort from nostalgia - reflecting on happy moments from my younger years living in Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster, and where my family still reside. As the hospitality sector was massively impacted by the pandemic, I decided on this piece which shows The Foresters Arms, a place I regularly frequented and remember fondly. Mental Health Matters :)
Thinking of Home
Medium
Watercolor and Ink
Dimensions (in cm)
30x23cm
I have been suffering with generalised anxiety disorder since November 2020 and painting provides me with welcome moments of calm and mindfulness. The third covid-19 lockdown exacerbated my mental health, but I found comfort from nostalgia - reflecting on happy moments from my younger years living in Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster, and where my family still reside. As the hospitality sector was massively impacted by the pandemic, I decided on this piece which shows The Foresters Arms, a place I regularly frequented and remember fondly. Mental Health Matters :)
Maria Krylova
Title of your work
Jester pessimism
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
60x70 cm
Price
500 £
The image of a toy harlequin seems undignified and unnecessary. This is how we often relate to our feelings. This is partly a self-portrait. Having great opportunities in my hands, against the background of the holiday, I can sit and doubt myself indefinitely.
Jester pessimism
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions (in cm)
60x70 cm
Price
500 £
The image of a toy harlequin seems undignified and unnecessary. This is how we often relate to our feelings. This is partly a self-portrait. Having great opportunities in my hands, against the background of the holiday, I can sit and doubt myself indefinitely.
Stepanova Elizaveta
Title of your work
Walk
Medium
graphics
Dimensions (in cm)
25x35
painted in 2021 this work always reminds me of my vacation in Italy in Genova. I used to walk through the city and enjoy the architecture and the narrow streets.
Walk
Medium
graphics
Dimensions (in cm)
25x35
painted in 2021 this work always reminds me of my vacation in Italy in Genova. I used to walk through the city and enjoy the architecture and the narrow streets.
Vasily Zherebilo
Title of your work
Steve Vai - Gravity Storm
Medium
Steve Vai - Gravity Storm
Dimensions (in cm)
90-100 cm oil / canvas 8000 euros.
Good energy emanates from me and from my paintings.
Steve Vai - Gravity Storm
Medium
Steve Vai - Gravity Storm
Dimensions (in cm)
90-100 cm oil / canvas 8000 euros.
Good energy emanates from me and from my paintings.
Paul Hartley
Title of your work
Lookin42
Medium
Mixed media on paper
Dimensions (in cm)
21x29.7cm A4
Price
£150
My work developed from a passion for drawing, printmaking and painting which has become more minimal and monochrome. Initially the mark making was abstract in nature, inspired by artists such as Cy Twombly and Tapies, but now relates to the fact that I wear glasses.
During Covid I have used art to help me cope with the stress and anxiety of the lockdown, family bereavement and general anxiety for the future. The imagery can be considered as an abstract response to the crisis. The marks on paper invite the viewer to untangle them.
Lookin42
Medium
Mixed media on paper
Dimensions (in cm)
21x29.7cm A4
Price
£150
My work developed from a passion for drawing, printmaking and painting which has become more minimal and monochrome. Initially the mark making was abstract in nature, inspired by artists such as Cy Twombly and Tapies, but now relates to the fact that I wear glasses.
During Covid I have used art to help me cope with the stress and anxiety of the lockdown, family bereavement and general anxiety for the future. The imagery can be considered as an abstract response to the crisis. The marks on paper invite the viewer to untangle them.
Vinnie Sant'Anna
Title of your work:
Straightjacket
Medium:
Charcoal and pastel on paper
Dimensions (in cm):
54 x 35
£500
Straightjacket portraits rather precisely my state of mind, not only during the lows of last year due to the pandemic but pretty much during my down times throughout my adult life. The feeling of being trapped, unable to move from a dark place is translated in this image inspired by a photo from a psychiatric hospital.
Straightjacket
Medium:
Charcoal and pastel on paper
Dimensions (in cm):
54 x 35
£500
Straightjacket portraits rather precisely my state of mind, not only during the lows of last year due to the pandemic but pretty much during my down times throughout my adult life. The feeling of being trapped, unable to move from a dark place is translated in this image inspired by a photo from a psychiatric hospital.
Orlova Alina
Title of your work
"Magnolia" from the series "Through the prism of subjectivity"
Medium
Mixed Media
Dimensions (in cm)
40cm х 70cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
600€
In my understanding, a person is identified with a flower: thin, vulnerable, defenseless, but at the same time strong and resistant to changes in the external environment.
With the depth of texture and color, I wanted to show the protection of the human character from the toxic changes in the outside world and society. The blue color and its shades speak of deep neural connections, blood and national kinship, social and human connections, which are important for maintaining mental health and communication in society.
"Magnolia" from the series "Through the prism of subjectivity"
Medium
Mixed Media
Dimensions (in cm)
40cm х 70cm
Price (please leave blank if not for sale)
600€
In my understanding, a person is identified with a flower: thin, vulnerable, defenseless, but at the same time strong and resistant to changes in the external environment.
With the depth of texture and color, I wanted to show the protection of the human character from the toxic changes in the outside world and society. The blue color and its shades speak of deep neural connections, blood and national kinship, social and human connections, which are important for maintaining mental health and communication in society.
Madeleine Tomlinson
Title of your work
Trapped
Medium
Pencil tone
Dimensions (in cm)
29.7cm-42cm
Within this piece I wanted to represent the physical and emotional demands mental health often leads people to experience. Having had my own experiences with anxiety I know from experience how destructive it can be to a person. I wanted my piece of work to bring awareness to how isolated mental health makes a person feel, representing how the mind can confine a person and make it almost impossible to complete simple day to day tasks. Using string on this drawing allowed me to create a metaphorical restraint to represent how much mental health can restrict a person, trapping them inside a mind, full of intrusive thoughts and changed behaviours. Which often makes people feel like there is going to be no escape.
Trapped
Medium
Pencil tone
Dimensions (in cm)
29.7cm-42cm
Within this piece I wanted to represent the physical and emotional demands mental health often leads people to experience. Having had my own experiences with anxiety I know from experience how destructive it can be to a person. I wanted my piece of work to bring awareness to how isolated mental health makes a person feel, representing how the mind can confine a person and make it almost impossible to complete simple day to day tasks. Using string on this drawing allowed me to create a metaphorical restraint to represent how much mental health can restrict a person, trapping them inside a mind, full of intrusive thoughts and changed behaviours. Which often makes people feel like there is going to be no escape.
Clara Morrison
During my second semester of my final year at University, I was living alone during the UK's third lockdown and felt extremely isolated. Unable to meet up with friends or family, and with no housemates to socialise with, I found myself becoming truly lonely for the first time in my life since I am usually very introverted and comfortable spending most of my days alone. And so, this piece was inspired by the feeling I got when trying to complete my university assignments while feeling this way. It depicts me sat at my desk, feeling disassociated and mentally drained, like my mind is fogged up and cloudy, finding it nearly impossible to focus on the tasks I needed to complete. Creating art has always been a method of documenting moments in my life, like a visual diary, and so I felt it was important to capture the way I was feeling during this time so that in the future I can gain perspective on the highs and lows I have experienced and to not be ashamed of my lower moments.
Etta Dunlop
Title of your work
Acne
Medium
Acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
122cm x 81cm
Acne’ depicts my own personal struggle with acne from the ages of 9-15. This struggle came to an end after trying various forms of medication, which now prompts me to reflect on how this journey impacted on my mental health, confidence and self-identity massively. I hope my work can comfort any young person who is struggling with a skin disorder.
Acne
Medium
Acrylic
Dimensions (in cm)
122cm x 81cm
Acne’ depicts my own personal struggle with acne from the ages of 9-15. This struggle came to an end after trying various forms of medication, which now prompts me to reflect on how this journey impacted on my mental health, confidence and self-identity massively. I hope my work can comfort any young person who is struggling with a skin disorder.
Matthew Ryan
Title of your work
Magic Bullets
Medium
Sculpture
Dimensions (in cm)
20x20
This piece addresses the risks involved with being administered anti-depressants and how they can increase depression and anxiety. The name “Magic Bullets” is derived from the medical term Zauberkugel, coined by Paul Ehrlich for the practice of killing specific microbes within the body.
Each of the 100 shell casings feature a gelatine pill cap as replacement for the bullet. Inside is an undisclosed white powder that cannot be identified by eye, representing the common practice of trying multiple types of medication on a patient until “one of them works”. The piece also addresses the irony that, during my own mental health crisis, shooting targets actually helped me control and lower my anxiety levels; the focused breathing and calmness required is actually the most common physical exercise recommended for anxiety.
Magic Bullets
Medium
Sculpture
Dimensions (in cm)
20x20
This piece addresses the risks involved with being administered anti-depressants and how they can increase depression and anxiety. The name “Magic Bullets” is derived from the medical term Zauberkugel, coined by Paul Ehrlich for the practice of killing specific microbes within the body.
Each of the 100 shell casings feature a gelatine pill cap as replacement for the bullet. Inside is an undisclosed white powder that cannot be identified by eye, representing the common practice of trying multiple types of medication on a patient until “one of them works”. The piece also addresses the irony that, during my own mental health crisis, shooting targets actually helped me control and lower my anxiety levels; the focused breathing and calmness required is actually the most common physical exercise recommended for anxiety.