Colleagues from our Plymouth Talking therapies for anxiety and depression service alongside Plymouth Artists Together (PAT) joined together last Thursday (22 June 2023) to celebrate the official unveiling of 6 bespoke paintings that are now proudly hanging on display at Centre Court.
The artwork has been created to help brighten up the waiting areas and to contribute to the improvement of wellbeing for service users and our staff.
20 people submitted an interest in creating artwork for the waiting rooms. These bios and concepts were narrowed down to 12 and then voted on by members of the Plymouth Options team to choose our final 6 competition winners. The quality of all submissions made for a tough vote.
The brief and theme given to artists was about creating a positive environment that will make people in the waiting room feel a bit better and in turn, promote how creativity can boost wellbeing and how the environment is a factor that can affect a person’s mental health.
Selena Arnold – Plymouth Talking Therapies staff member
“Our waiting area is quite bland, and we see hundreds of clients a week in Centre Court. When Kevin approached us with this idea of using art to create a nicer area for our service users to wait in, we couldn’t say no, and it was a great way to work with the community.
“When service users are sat waiting for an appointment, being able to not stare at a blank wall and stare at something that makes them calm or distracted, is quite a positive thing.
“I think the other thing on top is about promoting what we do. A lot of people don’t know that we’re here, so this is another way to try and get the word out there that Plymouth Talking Therapies are there and you can self-refer.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to Kevin Davison. He’s someone who’s got a genuine passion for reaching out to the local community to assist in building better lives. It was his idea to bring this artwork to Livewell and without him this launch wouldn’t be happening tonight. He’s used his own personal time, which is amazing, he fireproofed the art himself and he’s put all the artwork up in the centre. Kevin has been the driving force of this project and he wants to continue projects like this throughout Livewell.
“I also want to say thank you to everybody at Plymouth Talking Therapies for their support.”
Kevin Davison – Livewell staff member and art launch organiser
“Following a project that I completed for Plymouth Artists Together consisting of 5 murals for the Cumberland Centre and all the wonderful comments that were received, Livewell decided that artwork projects like this could be introduced further into the organisation to improve areas and hopefully increase wellbeing to staff and service users alike. As I am based within Centre Court, I thought that the waiting area could benefit with some artwork in the area to make it a more welcoming place for visitors; I approached the management team and suggested the idea to them. This was received with open arms and the project was born. Being a member of Plymouth Artists Together, I thought it was a great opportunity for Livewell to reach out to a local community group to participate in the project and encourage staff and service users to participate. The results speak for themselves. All the ladies who have contributed to the project have done an amazing job and have made me proud. Hopefully we will see more of these projects in the future.”
Emma Biggs – Livewell staff member
“I entered the competition and was overjoyed when Kevin let me know that my work had been chosen to be on display. My painting was inspired by the fact that there’s hope around the corner. Initially, I thought I was going to paint a beach scene, but once I put my brush to the canvas It turned into something else.”
Bex’s (Becky Reynolds) – Plymouth Artists Together member
“This painting was inspired by a beach trip in January with my family. It was cold, but it was a beautiful sunny day. My son is autistic, so he struggles at the beach with the sand and all the different textures. He’d been resistant to it all the whole time, but the sea looked so amazing that he got down onto the beach and he was just immersed in the shore break looking out to sea.
“I took some photos because he looked thoughtful, and he was really enjoying it.
“When I came across this opportunity to paint and read the brief, I looked through my pictures and I thought this picture would work perfectly for the theme. It’s the kind of photo/painting that’s Incredible for people to immerse themselves into.
“I was happy when I saw the opportunity come through for something that I could do and that would contribute to the community.
“I hope people enjoy seeing my final piece as much as I enjoyed painting it and being at the beach.”
Olivia Jak– Plymouth Artists Together member
“My art is inspired by nature, Specifically the organic feel that you get from nature, you know, the smell, the trees flowing, the sounds. I used a range of colours in my piece to fit the brief.
“I love creative projects, especially when the work I’m doing is for the public.
“I’m so happy people, you know, I get like people’s attention captured in it.”
Heather Knight – Plymouth Artists Together member
“The image comes from a trip I took down to Porthmeor Beach in St. Ives.
“When I went there, I was struck by the colours of the beach, the emerald colour of the sea and the pinks in the sand. When I came home, I felt really moved to paint it because it gave me a real sense of peace and wellbeing just being there.
“I tried to capture the essence of that through the pinks and greens and tried to get across the feeling of serenity and peace.
“I’m a big believer in that arts help wellbeing. Art can be used for community development, social change and for wellbeing.
“I love that however you feel, you can try and express that through the paint, but also the therapeutic feel of pushing a brush around a canvas and seeing what emerges is lovely.
“This is a great cause, and it feels a real honour to be able to have my work here and to support Plymouth Talking Therapies.”
Alix Temple – Plymouth Artists Together member
“I’ve used the facility before for anxiety and cognitive behavioural therapy. I’ve been sat in that chair, so I know what it’s like to feel in that anxious space and want some help. Also, drabby waiting rooms are not ideal when your minds taken over.
“My painting shows an acacia tree. I just saw a picture and liked the symmetry of the actual tree and thought it’s a very distinctive image.
“You will see a little white rabbit in there as well as the footprints, which are linked to barefoot walking, and I’ve tried to convey a message of connecting with nature and life within my painting.
“A lot of people seem to like my work and particularly people with ADHD because they say there’s a lot of things to look at. Different patterns and movement and colours.
“I wanted to just give something back and I believe art is important. It has helped me with my mental and physical health, so that was the reason and the inspiration behind my piece.”
Rosie Cunningham – Plymouth Artists Together member
“This is part of a series that I’ve now finished. I thought this particular piece fitted the brief well because they wanted something that was colourful and inspired by nature. Although my flowers in these paintings are abstract, they are based on real flowers.
“In my painting you can see lupins, fox gloves, seed heads, wisteria, there’s berries and then there’s things like hummingbirds and people.
“I started off as an abstract artist and then sort of morphed into painting women in a quirky style.
“The beautiful thing with abstract is that people see what, they see.”
If you would like support from our Plymouth Options team, you can self-refer on our website by visiting https://www.livewellsouthwest.co.uk/plymouth-options and completing the self-referral form.
You can also speak to your GP who will send the referral on your behalf, or even easier, you can call the team on 01752 435419 and complete a referral over the phone.
As soon as you self-refer, a member of the team will be in touch and book you in for an initial assessment.
