Portrait of a painter

Last weekend I went along to have my photo taken at the Castle pub in Norwich. Antonella Muscat a Maltese photographer living on the East coast of Norfolk has collaborated on a project with Shelly Telly. The project is called Inside out, which is part of an International project. All over the world people have the photos taken and then have them made really big and put up in random places. The photos should tell a story about the person and the life they have lived. Shelly has made the project be part of pride and in the small time frame she took Antonella to the places that Pride people might hang out. Like the local radio station for Pride live. Antonella took some great photos of everyone and then made them Black and white. I took a few props along and so she took an extra photo of me being an artist. Which is the colour photo above. The black and white photo will be on the Inside out website with hundreds of other photos from around the world and there will soon be a large print out, which will be put up somewhere in Norwich.

Chauncy Maples hospital ship fundraising

The stop junk mail campaign is also fundraising for charity's. Last year raising money for SOS children's villages. A charity that does not produce junk mail and just sends the cash straight to cause. I have friends in Java that help out at the SOS children's villages in Java and they are children's villages where orphan children live together. They need money for food, health housing and clothes.

Currently Stop junk mail is raising cash for the Chauncy Maples hospital ship restoration, on lake Malawi, Monkey Bay in Africa, also this charity does not produce junk mail. My Auntie Janie Hampton's project she has been doing for a few years and the ship is very near completion. Once the ship is completed, it will move around the lake visiting villages and helping people with little or no access to health care. One million pounds is still needed for this project. If you buy No Junk Mail signs from the Stop junk mail website we will give 10 per cent of profits to help finish the restoration of the ship.

Junk mail is over.

This month has been mega for junk mail there has been some major changes. Which will help the rainforest's breath again. You can find out more by going to the stop junk mail website.


Throughout the campaign I have been helping with art. These are just a few of my cartoons that are on the stop junk mail website.




The rainforest that get cut for wood chip for your fitted formica kitchens, toilet paper and junkmail paper, there are loads of different types of trees and millions of insects, animals, birds, plants that have not even been identified before, they get bludgeoned to death and pulped.

Trees are not the only thing that is devastated its the communities, animals, insects and the forests that help the planet breath.


Stop junk mail has still more to do there is a petition to try change the law involving op out boxes.


If you feel like you dont believe it, unless you see statistics, there is plenty of that on the website. On the website there is also links to the stop junk mail blog and diary.

Bands and Flowers at the NNUH solo show

Here I am with my exhibition of bands and flowers. Not only did I put up my exhibition on the 3rd floor, central block at the NNUH. I also put up my Mothers on the 2nd floor and 4 exhibitions on the 1st floor. My mothers work had to be mounted and named this took me a week to do as there was so much to sort threw. I am a volunteer at the hospital working for the hospital arts project, for nearly 10 years. I do what ever I can do at the time. This year I had a big ear operation so I had to have a break from doing as I didn't want to spend to much time in the hospital after the op, so that I could recover properly. We had to cancel a fashion show in the summer which would have been a great fundraiser.




These poppy's I painted when I was recovering from my ear operation and sitting in the garden. The first poppy of the year came out then the next day was the 2nd. they are the giant Poppy's that my mother planted 40 years ago. I remember having my photo taken with one when I was a small child and the flower was as big as my head.

I kept drawing the garden, with no intention of exhibiting them it was more for recording the garden as it grew and for my own therapy to try and get back into the world. The flowers were first exhibited in the summer in St. Margaret's church in Norwich for the Pride without Prejudice show.




This is some rainbows that were also from the Pride summer show. The City hall picture was commission by Shelly Telly for Pride and smaller prints, mugs and fridge magnets are all for sale to raise money for Pride if you would like any please get in touch.




Emma Jarvis hospital arts coordinator helping with the exhibitions on the 1st floor. We halved the time and put them up together.

Marian O'Hare 1st Solo Show at the NNUH hospital 2011

Marian O'Hare first solo show at the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital, central block on the 2nd floor.

Marian was born in 1941 and grew up in London during the 2nd World war with her 3 sisters and brother and Mother Verily Anderson and Father Donald Anderson who were both writers.

Marians father died when she hit her teens and her Mother had to survive with 5 kids. Marian got a bursary to go to Hastings Art school, where she had a wild and exciting life that her sister wrote about in a book and Marian illustrated in that 50's pen and ink style we all know today.

Marian went on to study theatre and costume design at central art college.




Marian did various theatre jobs while at Art college, her first job after leaving college was at the Old Vic theatre in Bristol where she worked as a Props mistress. She also worked at the famous Glyndebourne Opera house. She moved to Ireland and then worked for the Lambert Puppet theatre illustrating there programmes for there shows.




She moved to Ireland with her husband Jim O'Hare who she met at art college and he became a set designer for Irish film and television. In Ireland they raised 3 children and one foster child. They now have 6 grandchildren.

Marian went to many evening classes and learnt lots of different crafts while bringing up children. She also was know as the water rat as she cleaned out her local canal. She also done voluntary work one of which was driving wheelchair people to day centres. She worked on designs for a lighter wheel chair and helped get ramps around Dublin.




Her latest book is about Allotments in Norfolk and Marian is a keen gardener and flower arranger. Currently she is illustrating a book for disabled children.




Marian is also about to go on a trip to Australia where she will be drawing and painting the wildlife.

This is a picture of her drawing with her friends in North Norfolk. She has a few groups of people that she likes to do art with and exhibit as a group.




This was a lithograph she has done in 1970. Marians work spans for 60 years.




This is a small part of her collection of art she has done over the years.

There is 35 pictures in the show and they are all for sale. She hopes to sell some work to pay for more materials and opportunities to show her work. Contact me if you would like to buy her work. If you are unable to see her work at the hospital and would like to see more then I can send small images to view via email. The hospital has complete wheelchair access and buses run from the Norwich city centre. Parking at the hospital costs a small fee.

The exhibition is free and supported by the hospital arts project, which is a project run by charitable donations.

Emma Jarvis the hospital arts coordinator helping document Marians art work.