Louise Maclaren
Art forms: Visual Artist, Mixed Media and Printing, Photography and Digital. Art Tutor, Art workshops.
Summary: Mixed Media Art Workshops, Print Workshops, any Art/Craft based workshop, site specific , themed or otherwise, tailored to suit the needs of the specific group.
Consultations are offered before the Event if required.
Practicing Visual artist who offers portraits and illustration by commission, I also hold an Open Studio most years in May and display my work based on Printing, Watercolour/pen& ink work and prints made using reused polystyrene as a block printing Method on recycled paper.
Locations: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and London
Experience: I have had 12 years experience in the Field of delivering Art Workshops to different groups of people (often Socially excluded).
I am also a practicing Artist and believe in a Holistic approach: empowering students to express themselves creatively.
I was an Antique Restorer specializing in carving and gilding for 10 years before but also did portrait commissions and design work until I felt that I wanted to use my work to help people somehow.
Qualifications: 7 GCSE’s including a grade ‘A’ in Art. Three ‘A’ Levels: French, History of Art and grade ‘A’ in Art.
I passed my pre-Degree in Art and design at Worthing Art College in 1984 and was accepted at Trent Polytechnic to do a degree in Theatre Design but took up a placement as an apprentice restorer instead.
I went to West Dean College, in Sussex on picture frame restoration course in 1984. Then in 1992 I returned to West Dean College to do a course on 18th Century wood carving.
In July 2005 I obtained an ‘O C N’ of three credits in level 2 in Business Skills with ‘Weetu’ organization. In October 2005 I was accepted a place on ‘Fusions’ a unique training course at the time, in developing arts practice in health or social care settings and participatory related art’s work until February 2006. This was delivered by creative Arts East & Theatre resource at the UEA.
In 2009 I obtained a pass in a level 2 award for health and safety at work.
Groups worked with: Isolated and vulnerable groups of people, learning and physical disabilities, older people, people with mental health issues, children who are young carers, younger children and young people of different nationalities.
Projects: 1991 – 2009 I delivered Art workshops on a freelance basis with learning disabilities at Break Charity in their outreach groups.
In 2007 amongst other portraits I was commission a portrait by the Coke family of Holkham Hall, Norfolk.
I have work put on Norfolk’s Heritage Explorer website (sheep @ Godwick; http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/ – click on explore more, then art & archaeology, find the letter T and click, it will list my name & Godwick, click it and the work comes up )
NHER was a project created to publish Norfolk’s Historic Environment record on the internet. Art was used to show some of the important Archaeological sites.
I also became a regular Art tutor at a drop in centre at ‘First focus’, Fakenham, Norfolk and was there until 2009, we explored all aspects of art. Later I was to Run an Art workshop through ‘Salthouse Exhibition’07’ (North Norfolk Exhibition project) I themed it around ‘identity’ designed for students in care situations who often felt a loss of the personal in their situations. My aim was to explore this creatively starting with our hands, signatures & monograms.
In October 2008 I and a colleague Nikki Mcdonagh were chosen to run workshops entitled ‘representing others’. This was an art and drama based workshop for secondary school pupils encouraging them to break down barriers in our society and be more accepting of differences in people culturally and otherwise; organized by South Norfolk District council.
In the Spring of 2009 I exhibited at The Troika 7 small art Exhibition , Dragon Hall, Norwich, and have been exhibiting at various venues in Norfolk since then,
In the summer of 2009, I worked with children who were carers from Kings Lynn’s Willows Family support Centre for a project run by Action for children’s Art Matters, producing a mixed Media Mural based on the Maharajas’ procession, the work was exhibited at the V&A in London alongside The Maharaja: The splendour of India’s courts Exhibition that Autumn. It was a real joy to see their faces when they saw their work on display in such a wonderful venue.
I took part in the Norfolk and Norwich Festivals’ Open Studio 10 and exhibited at the Forum and Wells-next-the-sea.
I shall be opening my studio for NNF most years (see my website for details).
In 2010 I did two art workshops for clients and carers for NNEP; ‘Salthouse 10’ based on a printing method reusing polystyrene as a block print, an accessible method for different types of students whilst trying to put the question about why; despite it’s pet mark 6 logo for recycling this material is not more widely recycled?
I have more recently been helping run art workshops in Melton Constable for YESU a Sherringham based charity whom provide support for vulnerable groups of people.Groups worked with: Isolated and vulnerable groups of people, learning and physical disabilities, older people, people with mental health issues, children who are young carers, younger children and young people of different nationalities.
Contact details:
‘Boxing hares in red Gold and Green
‘Some things are meant to be’
‘No stone unturned’