Luminate is an annual festival celebrating our creative lives as we age. Each October Luminate’s diverse programme attracts audiences from across the generations, showcasing dance, theatre, music, visual arts and community projects across the length and breadth of Scotland.
I was invited to work with residents at Edenholme care home in Stonehaven. Edenholme is a brand new care village so I was keen to create an artwork with the residents that could be left and enjoyed by all. With only 3 2hr workshops I knew this would be a challenge.
The artwork – patchwork garden.
I decided to stick to themes that would be familiar to everyone. The participants would create small square images using different printmaking techniques. These will then be collated together patchwork style.
Workshop 1
We worked with ink pads and real leaves to make prints. Then used patterned and coloured papers to create flowers to add to the leaves in the patchwork garden.
Workshop 2
This session we used paints, rollers and quick print to make designs from leaves and our own drawings. We have lots of great squares to make up our finished patchwork garden.
Workshop 3
It was time to turn all of our artwork squares into a finished professional artwork for display.
The finish artwork – Patchwork Garden
A result to be proud of and I think everyone at the home really is. I was thanked personally by one of the residents. She said, “Thank you for coming, I didn’t think I would enjoy it but I did.” This was the lady who didn’t want to be involved on the first day but was happy watching, she joined in on the second day and by the third she got stuck right in and thanked me at the end. I think because I ran a series of three workshops on three consecutive days I was able to build relationships and the residents were able to take their time and get used to me being there.
Thank you to all the lovely staff who either helped or were there with smiles and positive words.
sarahwakeford.art 
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