Did you know painting is proven to improve brain health and support emotional wellbeing? It is officially endorsed by the World Health Organisation as an effective means to a greater quality of life.
Something as simple as painting pottery can give us a sense of accomplishment and tap into the healthy inner creativity we don’t often get to use in our day to day lives- plus it’s just plain fun! Especially when we do it together, encouraging and supporting each other along the way.
Here at Veterans Outreach Support, we’ve organised several fantastic new ceramics activities in recent months for local veterans of the Armed Forces/Merchant Navy and their partners, spouses, and/or carers here in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The activities have been a huge hit!
Read on for pictures and quotes showing how our community got on.
Painting for Wellbeing at Artypotz, Portsmouth
Some of the workshops took place at Artypotz on Castle Road in Southsea. Artypotz is a Portsmouth-based company that has been created to teach simple but effective techniques for painting pottery or creating your own pieces from clay and it’s something we thought our service users would love to try.
Everyone had a great time unleashing creativity and producing their very own painted ceramic masterpieces. Check them out below!
We had some amazingly painted skulls, decorative plates and vases, along with a butterfly and a very happy-looking gnome.
Stanley (the VOS mascot) also popped along to oversee everyone’s handiwork and he was very impressed with what he saw.
A big thanks to Artypotz for such a great workshop, and to everyone who came along. It was such a fun time painting pottery and you all created some really amazing work. If you want to check out Artypotz Ceramics or want more details on the workshops they run, please check out their website.
Painting for Wellbeing at Fired Arts, Ryde
Over on the Isle of Wight, our vibrant VOS IOW community has enjoyed some painting at Fired Arts Ceramics Studio in Ryde on two separate occasions. Each time, VOS members and their family members came together to enjoy some free food and soft drinks as they painted ceramic figures of their choice- including some with a nautical theme. We do love our seafarers!
You can find info about the location and business hours of Fired Arts Ceramics Studio on the business’ Facebook page if you are interested in visiting for yourself.
“Painting on ceramic at Fired Arts in Ryde produced some lovely china art!” shared VOS IOW Manager Tony on Facebook.
“And great company too,” added one of the attendees in a friendly comment. It was ‘liked’ by many of those who also enjoyed the day.
We’re always thrilled to see our community enjoying creative time together. Be sure to check out our Wellbeing page to see what sort of creative activities we’re getting up to next. Whether it’s art journalling, ‘gelli printing,’ lino printing, a Paint & Chill session, or just relaxing with your own art project at one of our Craft & Chat events, you can be sure to find a local creative activity that suits you through Veterans Outreach Support.
For more on the benefits of getting artsy with a group like VOS, you can also read about the (military!) origins of art therapy in our blog: VOS Collaborates with the Soldier’s Arts Academy.
If you’re a veteran from the UK Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy (from any time of service) or a partner to one, VOS would love for you to join our community. We are here to offer our support: call us on 02392 731 767, visit an upcoming drop-in, or email admin@vosuk.org.
