Here is a message from Art Lab tutors to all the people that have been attending the art labs across Lewis and Harris.
Stornoway Art Lab
From Ruth
Hi everyone, l hope you and your families are all well and you are keeping busy during lockdown. It’s a really good opportunity to practise your artistic skills, especially drawing as once you’ve got those drawing skills up to scratch you’ll have the confidence to tackle any subject. It’s so important to use the arts for expressing how you feel about things, you may like to do a series of work on the present time, or just keep going on your own lovely ideas. Art lab has been a good way for you all to do just that, practise your skills and try new things and to just be yourselves. I’ll keep in touch and hopefully see some of new work online, looking forward to that. I’m painting away too, a good chance to build up a new stock of work for when things get back to normal. Stay well, stay home, cheers Ruth.
Tarbert Art Lab
Hi guys, it’s Mhairi!
I’m so sorry and sad not to be meeting you every week for Art Lab, but hope you’re all still having plenty fun and being creative like you always are :)
It was a really brilliant few months at Art Lab with you all. You did so much hard work on the puppet show and you should all be SUPER proud of yourselves - from making the puppets themselves to painting all the backdrops, writing the story, acting it out, making the music - so many different skills in there, and you did it all with so much excitement and creativity.
I’m glad as well that we had the time to try something new - it was so lovely to see everyone’s enthusiasm for drawing, and in the last few sessions of concentrating on different exercises, I could see your confidence growing in it - don’t stop drawing! Now’s the perfect time to take a simple pencil and paper and draw what you see, remember what we practiced, and have fun!
Katie, keep drawing your lovely wee birdies, and don’t be scared of making mistakes, go for it!
Emma, be creative and have FUN!
Grace and Kaitlin, you probably can’t get out on your horses at the moment, but you were getting so good at drawing them even from memory- how about trying to copy some photographs?
Dylan, you were drawing the best and coolest characters like Venom, and drawing them really well, keep going!
Calum, I hope you’re still drawing as much as ever, you were creating some really accomplished still-life’s, how about setting up some cool objects or plants for yourself and keep practicing?
Isobel, you were drawing some beautiful still-life’s in our last session, keep practicing, I can’t wait to see the results!
Fiona, remember my one rule? You CAN draw, which you totally proved to me and yourself! Remember the circle exercises we practiced? Why don’t you see if you can perfect it?
Remember, don’t be scared of making mistakes - like in our line game, the chances are if you feel like you’ve made a ‘mistake’, you can always turn it into something new! Practicing will help you feel more confident and figure out what you enjoy best :)
Like I said, I was super impressed with you guys and all your hard work, and I also took joy from you all being a truly lovely group of friends, hope you’re all having fun even though you can’t meet up just now - you’ll see each other soon!
I’m still working on the final edit of your immense puppet show, and you’ll be the first to see it when I’ve finished! Until then, keep drawing and have fun!
Mhairi
x
Lional Art Lab
'Dear Art Labbers
I was so sorry that we had to stop Art Lab so suddenly when you have all been working hard on so many fantastic projects. I hope you are all keeping safe and well and have no doubt that, with you all being such highly qualified Art Labbers, that you are finding lots of ways to be creative at home with your families. Joe has been working hard as always to find ways for you all to access creative projects, ideas and share what you are doing so he has put this page together to help keep all the good Art Lab vibes going. We hope you will enjoy it and keep going with all your awesome creativity!
Take care Elaine'
Uig Art Lab
Hello my friends in Uig!
I hope you are all doing well! Uig must be the best place in the world to be in lockdown (apart from Marvig of course ☺) It’s a great time of year, the days are getting long and it’s reaching almost 10 c temperature so you will soon be paddling and going for swims on the beach!
I’ve got to say I’ve been missing you all very much, and I’m so sorry I haven’t managed to do a workshop with you now since before Christmas! Almost every Saturday this winter was a severe gale and it was just too dodgy for us all to be on the road. Now we have the situation with the virus, which is really serious but we are in a good place as our lockdown came at an early stage for the island; so as long as we are patient and follow the instructions we will all be safe.
I know you are all very dedicated artists and designers, and I hope you are keeping your enthusiasm going. It’s not always easy without the usual structures of schools and activities and that’s why we are working at An Lanntair to prepare some resources for you.
Maybe you could think about the things you miss most from our artlab days, or new things you would like to try and we’ll see what we can do.
We are available to be contacted with any ideas or any worries too.
We would also love to see what you are doing so please take some photos and email them to us, and we can also put them on our new art lab blog.
Take care guys and keep on having lots of fun!
Sandra