Artist Name: Joanne Callaghan

I create Colourful, Surreal, expressionist style pieces to show the inner workings of my over active imagination. Some are representations of what is happening to, or around me and although not initially apparent many are of a highly personal nature. Others are just expressions of the characters I see which others don’t. Being both physically and visually impaired does make you see things differently but even before this I was always told “Joanne, you have very Strangeways”.

I first became involved with art in all its forms in 2003 shortly after becoming medically retired. It was mainly due to Boredom and frustration. Not being able to express myself fully like I used to writing short stories, poems and being involved in many political groups, I found that this was a great way of venting and telling new stories. They do say “A picture paints a thousand words”.

 I work within the art field in a number of different capacities now, delivering workshops at a number of different venues. I work with an artist group called Beyond the Walls with a dancer/choreographer, performance artist and the later edition of a film maker. We do site specific workshops in schools with children in school years five and six around the Gloucestershire and Bristol area. I have worked with Art Shape in one capacity or another since later 2003 and gladly became a board member in 2008. I have exhibited in a number of exhibitions over the years including Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, Bristol, Birmingham, York and Germany. I’ve also had an online presence with an artist’s studio in Barcelona in which I also gave artist workshops via skype alongside exhibiting. I do a number of collaborative works with other artists.

For more in depth profile and many more items please visit www.strangewaysjcart.com