Who is Wendy?

I’m an Artist, Creative Practitioner, Educator and Facilitator based in Medway, Kent. In a previous life I wore a secretary’s hat for several companies, but I’ve officially been wearing my art hats for 12 years. These are the hats that fit.

We all have stories inside us, some hiding, some open – in fact to me life is one big story, and a fascinating and intricate one at that! My ‘memory blankets’ are literally fragments of stories threaded together – which under light come to life, creating detailed shadows and transforming the environment in which they hang. Shadows feature heavily in my work – the possibilities are limitless – and they are great tool for creativity.

I work with all sorts of people, showing them how shadows can be fun, and not frightening, and how art is for anyone no matter their age, background or ability. Sometimes I am asked to make permanent pieces of work that grow out of these workshops, large scale murals in a variety of places, which are everlasting testimony to the creativity we found in the sessions! I call these ‘Shadowplay’.

I thrive on working with other people, sharing ideas, and exploring those pesky hidden stories… Sometimes I work in educational settings, at other times community events – it all depends on how we can make what I do fit your needs.

I also volunteer for Kent Association for the Blind, running an art club for mature, sight impaired residents of Medway. This is inspiring and exciting and directly feeds my creative practice – I believe strongly that disability is not an impairment to creativity.

“When I first lost my sight, I never thought I would ever again be able to do something like this …”

Testimonials

“Wendy is a pleasure to work with. She is invariably well-prepared and full of ideas and enthusiasm, but she is always careful to listen and respond to what participants themselves have to offer.”

Jeremy Clarke – Education Officer, Guildhall Museum, Rochester.

“Wendy is a brilliant mix of personality, creativity and practicality. The last year has been a fascinating and enlightening creative adventure leading not only to a fascinating outreach project, but what I hope will be a long standing partnership between art, spirituality and space in Medway.”

Annie Lucas – Interpretation Manager, Rochester Cathedral.

“Wendy has being running Kent Association for the Blind’s Medway Art Group since 2007. The group exists to provide people with sight impairments with opportunities for creative self expression and Wendy’s involvement has inspired participants to create art that challenges perceptions of the possibilities available to people. Her expertise in a range of media means that projects can build on each individual’s particular strengths and enthusiasms, and her understanding of and interest in creativity and sight impairments enables her to bring a profound understanding of the challenges as well as the possibilities for transformation that creative work offers.”

Charles Marshall – Head of Fundraising, Kent Association for the Blind