Breathing   S  p  a  c  e  s

"I've been a driver for many years, cars and vans and always on the streets, in traffic. I have never taken time out for myself. But I do now, I take myself off to parks and gardens and I just walk around. I've never done that before. It's all through this project, I have learned how to take care of myself, how to de-stress myself. I haven't done that for 60 years! " Les took part in the workshop at Elizabeth Gaskell's House yesterday and here are a selection of the photograp

Yesterday was our last workshop at Elizabeth Gaskell House as part of their Ruskin Celebrations and exhibition : " “My Dear Mr Ruskin….” Friendship, Inspiration and Scandal, John Ruskin and the Gaskell family opened on 18 July 2019 at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, exploring the friendship between The Gaskell family and John Ruskin in a new year-long exhibition as part of The Ruskin Bicentenary. Click here to see photographs by Andy Atkinson from today's workshop Click here to ph

Thank you for your email. I’m not working today, but I’m walking to work over Pomona Island. For the journey. Writing an email and walking. Under the grafito there’s a sign for me to follow. I can’t read it but I already know where I’m going. They’ve left the gates open and I’m going in. Other than this sign there is no information about the island. No signs or plaques. Nothing in the papers. Nothing about the bounty they brought home from the colonies. Just a few smouldering

Just been doing some more research on Ruskin ahead of our final photography workshop at Elizabeth Gaskell's House next Tuesday (see What's On guide) when I came across this fab blog about photography, drawing and nature: https://www.paperblogging.com/stories/if-you-can-paint-one-leaf-you-can-paint-the-world: "Seeing and sketching, recording and writing are golden threads weaving together all my seasons" Michelle Geffken You will find lots of inspiration and links and ideas fo

Yesterday we returned again to Elizabeth Gaskell's House at 84 Plymouth Grove for the third in our series of drawing and photography workshops as part of the Ruskin Celebrations that are taking place across the city this year, in memory of Ruskin's birth. Images from our workshops will be part of the upcoming exhibition at the house: “My Dear Mr Ruskin….” Friendship, Inspiration and Scandal, John Ruskin and the Gaskell family will open in July 2019 at Elizabeth Gaskell’s Hous

We began our second session with Naomi Kendrick by reviewing the work created during the first session. It was a good opportunity to reflect on what we had done and discuss what came up for us and how we felt about working in this way. Then we set about working with the new materials for rubbings and continued with the work we started in session 1: And here are a few of the things we created :

A SIGN (For the poetry walkers) Len We meet amongst breezeblocks and fumes, the sustained roar of worn tyres and the deep grind of twenty four hour lorries. We turn our heads and loop up the cycle path, past flowers beds, gratefully allowed to sleep off a liquid lunch and within five transitional minutes, man-made machines become background. Wind begins to race through trees, birds premiere their newest music with guest soloists, fresh air eventually give us a natural high. U

What an amazing day out we had walking, listening, looking, feeling, collecting words and creating poems... just beautiful, look out for our poems coming soon...

Looking for the group in Highfields Country Park...