ABIY BABATUNDE
Creativity has always been a part of me. Whether it be writing, photographing or painting, I’ve always felt it important to express what’s going on within me through art. I believe that there is so much beauty in the mundane, so being cosy, feeling safe and others feeling seen, are important to me and I try to convey it all in my art. Creating makes me feel at home, and making and sharing useable art for others to feel the same way is an honour.
I love all things orange, caffeinated and autumnal, it’s reflected in my work and how I express myself daily. When I’m not creating, I’m talking about mental health, Christmas, Shrek or the Sims, or I’m reading a romance novel.
JOKE AMUSAN
The initial driving force behind my art practice was the lack of black people I saw represented in the media and beyond as I was growing up. I finally decided that I didn’t want other black girls out there to feel underrepresented the way I did, and so I began to create my art pieces to empower them. To give them a platform so that they can know that they matter too.
I would describe my creative practice to be likened to a conversation in which stories are shared. I think the different stories and experiences of black women are much too often over simplified. In reality, we’re all complex, but there’s beauty in that. I’ve worked with materials and mediums such as sculpture, audio, and film to explore the many ways this can be expressed. In the end, I always go back to hessian, red wool, and concrete. I think they translate the conversations in my work really well because I feel deeply connected to those materials.
Words are also an important aspect of my work and they weave through my work like a narrative, joining everything together. I think we tend to forget how powerful words really are. Words unite us.
JOKE AMUSAN
The initial driving force behind my art practice was the lack of black people I saw represented in the media and beyond as I was growing up. I finally decided that I didn’t want other black girls out there to feel underrepresented the way I did, and so I began to create my art pieces to empower them. To give them a platform so that they can know that they matter too.
I would describe my creative practice to be likened to a conversation in which stories are shared. I think the different stories and experiences of black women are much too often over simplified. In reality, we’re all complex, but there’s beauty in that. I’ve worked with materials and mediums such as sculpture, audio, and film to explore the many ways this can be expressed. In the end, I always go back to hessian, red wool, and concrete. I think they translate the conversations in my work really well because I feel deeply connected to those materials.
Words are also an important aspect of my work and they weave through my work like a narrative, joining everything together. I think we tend to forget how powerful words really are. Words unite us.
NIKKI DUFFY
I have always loved being creative, partly as a hobby and also as a way to give personalised cards or gifts to friends and family. When I have the time in between working as an Assistant Head and SENCo in a primary school and looking after my own lovely little people (now not-so-little having started in Years 3 and 5 at school!), you may find me sitting on the lounge floor surrounded by stamps, inks, watercolour paints, brush pens, scrabble tiles, and a load of textures and patterns of paper and card.
One of my first loves when creating is to design and make cards; I am not a fan of buying ready-made cards, unless they are particularly special ones from a small business! I love to create using words as a starting point, to inspire, encourage and bring hope and joy. I like to play with how simple images could add meaning or a bit of fun to the message.
In the last few years, I have also started doing Bible Journaling as a way to spend time in and soak up God’s word. I’d love to share more of this with others who are starting out, sharing the lessons I have learnt and encouraging others to journal creatively as a way to engage in truth.
This led me to develop my hand lettering, which has become a new passion! I am certainly not accomplished yet and very much learning as I go, but practice is bringing (slow) progress. Projects so far have involved gift tags, cards, Christmas decorations, wedding place cards, and art for around the home. I have even ventured into lettering on the iPad and creating digital designs.
RUTH MOFFAT
As an artist I have always been inspired by the beauty and quirkiness of nature, happily spending many hours stalking butterflies for the perfect photo or gazing out to sea and watching patterns in the waves.
I have also loved books as far back as I can remember, sinking myself into the thoughts and worlds of the author. Words began to weave through the imagery of my art, questioning, imagining, challenging, celebrating…
In this season I have less time for wandering, watching, reading and pondering but am finding joy in new ways of being creative… obstacle courses to burn off toddler energy on rainy days, crafts that discover a whole zoo in the recycling box, and playing with books… cutting, folding, curling pages, enjoying the forms that emerge and hoping others will too…
RUTH MOFFAT
As an artist I have always been inspired by the beauty and quirkiness of nature, happily spending many hours stalking butterflies for the perfect photo or gazing out to sea and watching patterns in the waves.
I have also loved books as far back as I can remember, sinking myself into the thoughts and worlds of the author. Words began to weave through the imagery of my art, questioning, imagining, challenging, celebrating…
In this season I have less time for wandering, watching, reading and pondering but am finding joy in new ways of being creative… obstacle courses to burn off toddler energy on rainy days, crafts that discover a whole zoo in the recycling box, and playing with books… cutting, folding, curling pages, enjoying the forms that emerge and hoping others will too…
YELENA PODGORSKI
Although I only started to crochet around 2015, I’ve loved growing in my skills and trying all sorts of projects. I most enjoy making blankets and stuffed toy animals – it’s lovely to think of children getting a new toy to play with! I like to use pinks, light blues and light purple colours, rather than dark colours, and my favourite yarns at the moment are King Cole, Paintbox and Stylecraft Double Knit. Recently I’ve been exploring ways to use different stitches to create interesting edgings for my blankets.
To relax I also like to read or watch movies (sometimes with one of our four cats cuddled up next to me), explore stately homes (especially Highclere Castle and Blenheim Palace) and travel. The seafood and castles in Scotland are amazing so I’d love to go back there again! I hope I can visit Cyprus again too, as it’s also a place I enjoyed a lot.
My other favourite thing to do is baking all sorts of cakes and biscuits – I dream of working in a haberdashery or running my own bakery. I really enjoyed making meringue roulade recently… and eating it!