Thirty participants are currently on their creative journey with the 2024 Art Journal Project – a key aspect of OutPost Arts’ community-based work which creates opportunities for participants to connect with their ‘creative selves,’ enhancing wellbeing via creative expression, mindful practise, positive distraction, and the development of self-management tools.
Art Journaling is a creative well-being tool, where we put our internal selves onto the page, allowing for honesty and freedom to explore emotions. The art journal is a safe space for self-care, discovery, and self-development. It allows us to have a visual conversation with ourselves, distracting us from negative thoughts and feelings – offering an accessible and portable platform for us to escape, reflect, take stock and re-calibrate.
It’s a huge pleasure to be a part all of our participant’s creative wellbeing journeys, and support them to form new creative practises, patterns and pathways.
In the first phase of the project, the participants explored black and white, experimenting with tone, texture and mark-making – you can find out more about their work in Phase 1 by clicking here. Liz McQueen, our Adult Creative Wellbeing lead, has shared an update on how the programme has been progressing this summer in Phase 2 as the participants have been let loose with all things colourful!
“In the second phase of the Art Journal Project, participants have concentrated on the study of colour, resulting in great success! Building on the first phase, which centred on black and white and required participants to focus solely on lines and marks in a single colour, these workshops have delved into more technical aspects. They have explored colour mixing, the fundamentals of colour theory, complementary colours, printing techniques, the use of natural colours, and much more.
And after five weeks of remote sessions, the Art Journal Project participants finally gathered in person at The Bridge in Dumfries on June 1st for an exciting all-day workshop with wonderful artists Helen Walsh and Jackie Zehnder.
The day kicked off with everyone diving into the creation of mark-making sheets, which they later transformed into beautiful and intricate folded books. The group also delved into the art of mark making in clay, experimenting with various tools, leaves, textiles, and the sgraffito technique—applying a dark grey underglaze and skilfully scratching the surface to reveal stunning designs.
It was an incredibly inspiring and productive day, filled with creativity and hands-on exploration.
Shortly after, our Art Journal participants were thrilled to enjoy not one, but two exclusive guided tours at Gracefield Art Centre’s current exhibitions, “Crafted Selves” and “Central Booking.”
We were delighted to be joined by Arts Officer Dawn Henderby, who led us through the thought-provoking “Crafted Selves” exhibition, curated by Cat Dunn, showcasing diverse works by 13 artists exploring identity through various media.
We were so lucky to have curator and artist Maddy Rosenberg, visiting from New York, guide us through the captivating “Central Booking” exhibition. And D&G artist Hugh Bryden, whose work is featured in the exhibition, joined us for the tour as well.
After being so inspired by the variety of book art on display, our Art Journal Project participants ended the day by collaborating on a large folded book of their own.
We have recently finished our final Zoom session and are now looking forward to two very special events – firstly, a workshop at Shambellie House with Lucy and Ed of The Old Mill, and secondly, a day trip to Glasgow for an immersive experience of gallery hopping.
As we explore various exhibitions, participants are encouraged to engage deeply with the artworks, making personal connections even with pieces that might not initially capture their interest. This approach aims to broaden our perspectives and deepen our appreciation for the diverse forms of artistic expression we will encounter.”
To keep up to date with all the latest Art Journal Project news, head over to the page by clicking here.
And have a look at some of the wonderful work our Art Journal participants have been creating below!