Residents at Tallington Lodge have been recreating famous works of art and iconic photographs as part of a month of art therapy activities. The residents searched their home for props and costumes to recreate the artwork and had great fun posing, dressing up and discussing the original artworks.
“We started off by studying some famous paintings and decided to recreate the artwork with things we had to hand around our home,” explained Wellbeing Coordinator, Chantal De Vries. “We also made our own art using album and magazine covers. The residents chose a diverse range of paintings to recreate, from surrealist artists to photographers. We had so much fun creating the images and learnt a lot about colour, different styles and techniques. The residents were eager to try new things and explore the many dimensions of art.”
“It took a lot of planning and preparation to achieve the best results. We made a lot of mess, but we had so much fun along the way, it was definitely worth it! We had fun exploring colour and art too. We looked at primary colours and the colours created when you mix them. To make the theory of colour a bit more interesting we used a prism. The prism was a great way to visually demonstrate that white light is composed of seven different colours.”
The results of the residents’ artistic activities were shared on the Tallington Lodge Facebook page for their families and friends to enjoy: https://www.facebook.com/tallingtonlodgecarehome. The artwork created by residents will feature in the Country Court 2022 calendar. Care Homes from the Country Court group will submit their resident’s artwork and the best twelve pieces will be chosen to feature in the calendar.
“We have many talented residents in our care homes”. Said Home Manager at Tallington Lodge, Manju Panankavil. “This is a wonderful opportunity to share their creations and give people a sense of purpose. Everyone has enjoyed taking part in the activities this month, they’ve had great fun trying new techniques and styles.”
Art therapy activities have included drawing and painting, collage and photography. Art therapy can reduce feelings of anxiety, depression and stress. Studies show that older people who participate in creative arts experienced lower levels of depression and loneliness and were more positive in general.
