Voices
Voices Forum ArtistPerceptions Forum
Rethink
15th Floor
89 Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7TP
Dear Mr P. Lancaster,
I am a student at a Lincolnshire college and I am doing an art course. My group and myself have looking at your work and have really enjoyed learning about how you use art as a survival technique.
I have been reading about the way that you use art as a survival technique and I have to say I have learnt a lot and I never knew how difficult it is to live with a mental illness in particular schizophrenia.
I myself love art as I really enjoy painting and drawing and being creative and I never realised that it can be used to help a person, but then I realised that when I am feeling happy or feeling sad this shows in my work in such ways as by using colour, texture and by using different styles of media, for example if I did a painting with warm colours it would show warmness and or happiness where as if I were to use cold colours sad feelings would be shown as the cold colours may make you feel cold.
I found it really interesting that you listen to music whilst you are working which I find really helps as all background noise is blocked out and you can just be focused on your piece of work and almost get lost in your own little world with no distractions. At college we are no longer allowed to listen to music as it was said to distract us. I feel that this is not incorrect at all as I can work a lot better with music on as people distract me and as people distract me and I also cannot get focused.
One expressive piece of work by you that I particularly enjoyed looking at is ‘Torment of the Soul’. I love how the hands surrounding the face look like they keep on touching it. The way you have used four eyes I find interesting, as it seems like there is a voice inside that will not go away and is annoying you, as it cannot be controlled. I feel the picture shows really well how you feel and in some ways the picture can be seen as a nightmare, which I imagine it does feel like. Also the eyes all around the face seem like everyone is watching you all the time.