Picasso said it took him a lifetime to learn to paint like a child. Drawing Life puts this typically paradoxical statement to the test. Drawing Life works with people in all stages of dementia.
People who may or may not have done life drawing before express themselves in new and surprising ways. Explore our Gallery to see what we mean.
The drawings reveal something fascinating about life and memory to the artists themselves, they offer carers new subjects to talk about with those who may have lost the art of conversation and they show how people living with dementia want to preserve their identity with their own still relevant viewpoint.
Drawing Life is committed to making our classes and workshops available to more people and in more places. We are currently developing online creative training courses for carers so that they can do what we do further afield. Watch this space!
Life drawing improves the wellbeing of participants and in turn combats stigmas associated with dementia, raising awareness to the wider public.
Dementia is one of the main causes of disability in later life, ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke. In the UK, one person every three minutes develops dementia, and by 2025 there will be one million people affected, with this figure doubling in just 26 years. Drawing Life is working with academics in art and science to devise ways to contribute to research in this vital field.
