Staff and residents at Barchester’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall got creative celebrating the birthday of one of the greatest post-impressionist artists of all time, Vincent Van Gogh, on 30 March.
Van Gogh was born in 1853 Groot-Zundert in the Netherlands and he created some of the most famous paintings in the world.
A prolific artist, Van Gogh’s work was notable for its beauty, emotion and colour. His paintings have been hugely influential since his death, however during his lifetime Van Gogh struggled with poor mental health, he was virtually unknown and remained poor. He completed more than 2,100 works consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolours, drawings and sketches.
Staff and residents spent the afternoon learning about Van Gogh’s life and his distinct style of painting, then tried their hand at recreating his famous sunflowers in a vase painting. Strachan House thought this was an important piece as Van Gogh himself called the piece “GRATITUDE”
Jimmy a resident at the local care home said “what an amazing day learning some facts I never knew about the artist. The art session in the afternoon was a time for me to be able to be expressive through attempting to recreate the famous sunflower picture”
General Manager, Gordon Philp said: “We have had a fascinating day finding out all about Van Gogh, he was such a talent and created some absolutely beautiful paintings.
“Many of our residents love to paint and they really enjoyed discussing their favourites amongst his works and trying to recreate his techniques.”
Marion Cooper, a resident, said: “We have had such a lovely day recreating one of his works. You don’t know how relaxing it is and I never thought I was much of an artist until today”
Our varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Strachan House is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides nursing care, residential care, respite care.
