We all have a wealth of personal memories - significant events, people we love, and favourite places. Memories are powerful subjects for making art, with artists making work about their childhood, families, and events they want to remember. Making art from our own memory not only helps to preserve events and our feelings about them but also allows us to share these experiences with our friends today, learning about similar experiences they have had too.

Fred Uhlman, The Studio, 1944

ACTIVITY: PAINTING MEMORIES

Think about a memory you would like to preserve in an artwork. It might be from your childhood, a famous or special event that you remember, or something you would like to remember from today. Think about the details of the memory - where it takes place, the time of year, the time of day, the people involved, smells and colours that you can recall. Start by writing down as much information as you can remember, focussing on each detail, piece by piece. Once you are happy with your words start to make individual drawings or sketches for each small part of your memory. Use these sketches to plan a new, larger drawing bringing all these elements (including your words) together in one artwork.

MATERIALS

• Journal/sketchbook
• Pencil
• Drawing pen
• Drawing paper
• Watercolour paper
• Paints

Julian Trevelyan, Canal Holidays, 1975

TIPS

Use materials that you feel will enhance the character of your memory even more. Spread this activity over several different sessions so that you can enjoy more and more detail each time you revisit it. Once finished you can share your beautiful memory with your friends.

Artist Inspiration: Look at Peter Blake’s ‘The Toy Shop’, Lubaina Himid’s ‘Between the Two my Heart is Balanced’, and Howard Hodgkin’s ‘Memories’.

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