Art as a path through grief

Carshalton artists Jo Sharpe and Kate Marsden are putting on an exhibition of work produced as a response to grief. The exhibition at The Vellum Mill, Carshalton previews 6pm Thursday 21st November and runs for one week.  

 Jo lost her father in 2020 and mother in 2022. It was a very sad and stressful time seeing the demise of both parents, especially during lockdown as the restrictions on seeing them were heart-breaking. During this period, unable to teach she spent much time in her studio where she created a mass of works on paper. Her normal joyful paintings were replaced with expressive seascapes and skies.

Jo says: “I also wanted to recreate the colours and stripes of the Norfolk fields that I missed walking around so much. When my dad was in hospital, and I was unable to speak to him, or visit, I began thinking of him as a bird and birds crept into the artworks.  I am still developing the collection. However, I want to share my visual story with my community to show how art can help and that dark days get lighter and with time, colour does come back into your life.”

Much of Kate’s recent work is based upon memory and loss. The pieces shown in this exhibition are inspired by her childhood memories along with recent experiences, and are created in a range of media including painting, textiles and sculpture. An uplifting and colourful take on the realisation that, as time goes by, the only things we really have to remember those we loved by are the memories.