Meet the community: workshop participant

(image: Helen Jaeger)

Last week, our artist, Kay, offered a free mosaic workshop for adults at the Castle in Wellingborough. There, participants learned the techniques Kay herself will use, when she creates the public mosaic artwork, that'll go up on the Hemmingwell estate.

One of the participants was Kelly Whitworth. Kelly is an artist and Mum, with a degree in Fine Art/Illustration from Loughborough University. After graduating in 1997, Kelly worked in London as an artist and at the Victoria and Albert Museum (where, btw, she was told off for sketching, when she was meant to be working!). Tho' loving London, Kelly returned to her roots in Northamptonshire, where she now lives with her husband and their two young children.

Kelly decided to come to Kay’s workshop because she’d always wanted to learn about mosaicing. She heard about the workshop from Cultural Community Partnerships (a creative, arts, sports and heritage organization in Northamptonshire).

“Mosaicing is close to collaging, which I already do. I love chipping away at things,” explains Kelly. “I do collages with fizzy drink cans - they’re very decorative.

Art is an important part of Kelly’s work and life. Kelly says:

“I’m a member of the Fellowship of Professional and Amateur artists (FPAA) and of Crabb Street artists' group in Rushden (Northamptonshire, UK), where I go to do life drawing. It’s really important for young people to belong to art groups, to bring their perspective and push an organization forward. I’m the FPAA secretary. We’re having our first exhibition at Wellingborough Museum later this year.”

“Going to Crabb Street is like entering a different world," she continues. "There are heavy drapes and fairy lights and we're brought cups of tea in china tea-cups, cakes from cake-stands or even olives. It’s wonderful and fun and run by John Frederick Black. There are all sorts of life models and people who go. I think there is a thriving art scene in Northamptonshire.”

Kelly hopes to build up her art to full-time work once her children go to school full-time. For now, she reckons a community workshop is a pretty good idea.

“Coming to a workshop like this gives you confidence to have a go and try something new,” says Kelly with a smile.

Is it important for people to belong to arts groups? What's your experience? Or have you been to a workshop that helped your own art? If you're interested, Northamptonshire County Council has its new course listings out now!