To keep skills up to date and allow staff to familiarise themselves with our products and scrap, we arrange 3 training days a year in arts and crafts.  The theme is decided amongst the team, with the view to creating a new Ideas Gallery display at the end of it.

This time we wanted to create an informative display that would allow a lot of room for creativity. After much discussion the team settled on ‘Ancient Civilizations’.  Each staff member picked an area of personal interest to them and then did some internet research looking for inspiration and historical background.  Some staff members picked a civilization due to family roots; others merely out of personal interest or fond childhood memories.

The finished result is a vibrant creative use of scrap & shop materials that has a ‘school’-type exhibition feel which we felt suited the overall theme very well.  Travel through the diverse collection of ancient world cultures and collection of scrap tribal masks in the Ideas Gallery and collect your own inspiration!

Going Slow Exhibition, By Jim Russell

Going Slow is a photography exhibition by artist Jim Russell exploring the beauty and diversity of the natural world around us – if only we took the time to slow down and see it!  This series of photographs are the direct result of a year when Jim allowed himself the time to slow down and see the small things to be found in hedgerows, canal banks or waste ground around his hometown of Newry.  The exhibition certainly encourages everyone to do the same and explore the mini jungles on our own doorsteps and surely provides a wealth of inspiration for other arts projects!

Jim Russell is a regular contributor to Creative Paths projects and a highly experienced community artist with a collaborative approach who enjoys incorporating modeling, digital photography, music and story telling to his work.  Prints from the exhibition are available for only £20.  To find out more contact Jim on 028 3026 5990 or 07521 306 372.

They looked at the history of mosaics and modern day applications.  The finished pieces are a creative take on traditional mosaics that incorporate everyday and found objects to create beautiful and fun 3D effects.

In Katie’s world anything can be transformed into Art: hundreds of everyday objects find a new lease of life.  Take a closer look at the dragon and you will see it is made up of thousands of discarded children’s toys!

The modern flotsam and jetsam of society is salvaged and reinvented by Katie.  The Dragon, originally commissioned by the Island Arts Centre for their Children’s Arts Festival, grew and grew with the contribution of several other artists who volunteered their time including Ben Allen, Frank Quinn, Bobbi Rai Purdy and Susan Scott. Along with Katie several of them are regular contributing artists to the Creative Paths Arts Programme.

For more information about Katie’s work as a community artist and artworks for sale visit www.katieblue.com.