TeamChallis: Art Club

One of the programmes we really enjoyed watching through lockdown was Grayson Perry's Art Club. This was a show where members of the public and celebrities submitted art on different themes and Grayson and his wife Pippa also created something each week. It had a lovely feel to it, inclusive, inspiring, encouraging. It was all about expressing your own view of the world, finding your own style and creativity. It was nothing about skill development or rules about what art is. It was a programme that said art is expression, creativity, and therapy. Being during lockdown gave it an extra edge; it was about documenting and exploring something we were all going through, something important and historical and in that way - big, universal. But also each peice was personal- the individual perspective shared within a supportive community.

There was a first series within the first lockdown. I particularly remember a drawing someone had done of the scene outside their house. They hadn't painted before, but they had seen what was a potentially ordinary and bleak scene: a bin with graffiti and by capturing it they had made something fantastic. The bin had been graffiti-ed with the words "nuts about life". It was incongruous, it was funny, it was uplifting amidst a bleak situation.

The second series came out during the second lockdown. And for this one all the artworks chosen were to be displayed in the Bristol museum. I had known the exhibition had been there for a while, and I was really keen to get out to it. Mark and I watched all the episodes and I knew there would be something special about seeing it all IRL.

So we had planned to go today. Mark has been super busy with work this week. He's worked very long hours and done a lot of travelling so he did a few early hours this morning but then by 9.30am was done.

We started off by going down to Andrew's to clear a load of stuff to the tip. It was 2 trips, quite physical and mucky in the intensifying drizzle. I do find going to the tip cathartic and it was nice to spend the morning with Mark with our head in a task. We got home about 12.30 and showered - I was so filfy and damp - it was one of those showers you feel really grateful for.

We went to the cafe to grab a quick lunch. I'd had a run in the morning and then had a pineapple smoothie for breakfast so with all that physical activity I was ravenous.

We then drove into town and parked up in Trenchard Street. We had just the right amount of time to explore the whole exhibition before the girls came out of school.

This digital collage was a real favourite. I had remembered it from the programme but seen up close it was so effective. The background was the artist's zoom background. She'd put herself in a Rossetti style dress and had this Pre-Raphaelite pose but that spoke perfectly to the boredom and low level glumness of the lockdown for many home workers.

This one was quite bleak with its harsh lines, but so effective.

I loved this one when I saw it on the telly. It was like an Edward Hopper painting with that stark light. There is something comforting though about the lights of a place like this: offering sanctuary on a journey - a place to refuel, go to the loo, get a chocolate bar. And in lockdown where even this kind of travel was exotic, it felt really poignant.

In the programmes they always had a celebrity join by zoom for a chat and the celebrity would make an artwork too. This was Norman by Johnny Vegas. I think what he expressed which was so lovely and also a common theme for many was that making his artwork had been so therapeutic for him. Engaging with his creativity again had turned his life around.

Another celebrity work that I didn't have a picture of was by Harry Hill. It was a performance piece - a video where he went out looking for a tree to hug - he found a tree with his mum's face on. How he talked to her, hugged her and expressed how much he loved and missed her was so genuine and moving. I cried when I saw it on telly and I cried again when I saw the video in the gallery.

I liked this map of the UK Grayson had made about his perspective looking out from London. We bought a tea towel with it on. I feel like it's a good souvenir of covid times and suitably domestic.

There was an A-Z of jokes that had a sad back story about a dieing father but this one made me laugh out loud. Many of the art works came from people trying to deal with really difficult personal situations and these peices had given them something to focus on along with an element of remembrance or monument to that person or cause.

Like this lady who was shielding and so had asked all her family for their favourite smells and curated this collection of scents.

This one was from the comedian Holly Walsh. She had seen pollarded trees and thought they looked like furious fists shaken at the sky. I just love the idea.

This was one I hadn't really noticed on the telly, but each day this person had gone for a walk and painted a miniature scene from each walk in incredible detail. Daily walks became such a common activity and I love how this picked up on all that detail.

This one made me chuckle...Favourable chicken - so understated! Not great chicken but Favourable!

It is such a good exhibit even if you didn't see the program.

Anyway, by about 3pm I guess, we heard from the girls that they were out of school and in their way to us. We met up and went to the car park so they could change out of their uniform into some clothes we had brought into town for them.

We discussed what the plan would be and decided to head to the M-shed where the Wildlife photographer of the year exhibition was on.

We couldn't take pictures in that exhibition but it was really engaging. Some of the imagery were disturbing but we all found images that we connected with or found fascinating.

We looked around some of the other floors including watching videos about Bristol festivals. It made me think about how much I love Bristol. We stayed until the M-shed closed.