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WAGGA WAGGA

11/26/2015

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I came across an incredible storm on my drive from Dubbo to Wagga. It was terrifying not knowing the road, especially when I saw a sign on the road warning of frequent flooding.

I drove through with branches dropping on the wind and hail smashing the windscreen – praying it wouldn’t break. Of course I loved every bit – stopping to photograph every few metres!
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Brett Chalker and Phillip Robinson (Robbo) in Wagga were both so keen to do the Imagine Me workshop that I detoured and added Wagga to the rural workshops specifically for them. Both Brett and Phillip knew some things about photoshop, but had no previous training.

Once a truck driver and having survived an extraordinary road accident, Phillip is fairly house bound. Phillip is lucky to have a wonderful wife and surrounded by children and grandchildren who mostly all live in the same street. Phillip spends his days scanning and retouching old family photographs that he is including in an autobiography that he is writing. The photoshop skills he has learned are incredibly useful to him for this hobby.

We created the image of Phillip playing a banjo – he posed pretending to hold the banjo that we downloaded form the internet.
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Phillip Robinson
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Brett Chalker
Brett Chalker, once a professional, is now fairly house bound also. He is very computer literate and a keen amateur photographer also. We discovered that he also has a natural talent and inclination for creativity in both visual and written pursuits.

Brett had the idea for many years of a visual metaphor with his physical being like a can – the contents of the can (and the contents of his soul) are intact and unchanged while the outer can itself (and his body) have been damaged.

We used this concept to create his portrait, placing his face inside a crumpled can.

Thank you Wagga Wagga!

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MORUYA/SYDNEY

11/20/2015

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I was set to work with Brendan Hackett in Moruya, but circumstances changed and we ended up working in Sydney instead for one week in November.

Brendan had been hit by a car as he walked home one evening after a night out in Moruya when he was only 18. He nearly died 3 times on the way to hospital. As a result, he has a brain injury and is an amputee above the knee on both legs and the tops of his fingers on both hands.
Now in his early 30’s, Brendan tries very hard to do things for himself as much as he can. He is very frank and open about his disability, having a spinal and brain injury.

Brendan told me that when he was still in hospital he came up with the idea of anthropomorphising his brain injury. He invented two characters - The 2 forces that distract him. He calls them Dulgni (representing his brain problems) and Ulock (representing his distraction). Another character he calls Storm acts as his protector.

I found this to be a fascinating and really practical strategy - He can let out his frustrations at these characters, rather than at himself or anyone else.
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Thanks Brendan for a great workshop experience!

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DUBBO

11/18/2015

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Our workshop in Dubbo was hosted at the Dubbo Senior Campus, thanks so much to principal Andrew Jones, head teacher James Eddy and photography teacher Lisa Wilson for all your help. This campus is sensational, all accessible and has the most relaxed atmosphere for a high school I have ever experienced.

Dubbo Zoo was a must see attraction in the area, and as I cycled around the first kilometre I was lucky enough to see a female eland beginning to give birth.  Asking  the zoo keeper how long the process would take myself and a few others came back after a couple of hours just in time to see the young attempting to stand for the first time on very wobbly legs. It was so wonderful to see the herd come to over to  the mother and baby and nuzzle the infant in encouragement and congratulation!!
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Mother and baby receive support from the herd
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Rhino chilling out in the water
I stayed at the billabong camp at Western Plains Zoo – a fabulous night – clean bathrooms, comfortable camp bed. I fell asleep to the calls of lions and chimpanzee and woke to bird calls and the rising sun across the billabong, very invigorating!
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View from the camp
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Giraffe
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Tiger feeding time!

During the workshops, James Heilbronn was one student who especially enjoyed the process. He was reminded of skills he knew from TAFE and learned new skills in photoshop which have changed over time.

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James practicing with the camera
I went to James’ house to work with him to create his artwork. James is an avid fan of Warhammer — a fantasy game involving the creation of miniature figures. James meets friends regularly to play the game at each others houses – whoever has an available dining table.

We decided to use his Warhammer figures to create his portrait, as this game is so much a part of his life and allows him to be immersed in this fantasy world.

Thank you Dubbo!

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ARMIDALE

11/14/2015

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In Armidale I had the chance to view (and help to create) some great artwork!

The new England regional art museum has a fabulous collection of early Australian painting from the Howard Hinton Collection. I was lucky to have a private tour through the stockroom and saw some fabulous works by Lloyd Rees, Margaret Preston, Streeton and others. The Howard Hinton Collection, in the sheer breadth of its cover of Australian art from the 1880s to the 1940s, is the only collection of its kind in regional Australia. 
 
The gallery also has a fabulous café with outdoor courtyard, which is also accessible!
 
The Armidale art gallery in Beardy St is another great gallery in the area, with works by local artists.
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Lucy's finished self-portrait, "My Herb Garden"
My workshop participant in Armidale was Lucy Hutton. Now in her 20’s, Lucy was just 12 when she went in for an operation on her spine to help correct a severe curvature. She is now a paraplegic.

Lucy enjoyed learning how to use her camera and particularly liked the touch screen canon cameras with the adapted tripod mount. Lucy loves growing herbs in her garden and using them in her cooking.
 
Lucy's work was entitled My Herb Garden, and she said that her work was inspired by "[her] interest in cooking and gardening. I enjoy growing my herbs and vegetables that I can use in my cooking."

Thanks to Lucy and to Armidale!

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TAMWORTH

11/8/2015

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The first thing I noticed coming into Tamworth was the dramatic sky.

They are incredible due of Tamworth's geographical position just below the great dividing range – you feel so close to the sky and sometimes the horizon appears to be on fire.
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Amazing Tamworth skies
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The Pig and Tinder Box
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Delicious pizza!
The Pig and Tinder Box on Peel St, Tamworth is a fabulous restaurant that is also accessible. They serve fabulous pizzas, I had the mango and duck with basil mint. You can just sit on the front terrace overlooking Peel Street and enjoy the passing life of Tamworth.

Another great accessible food spot is a Nundle hotel called the Peel Inn. They also have fabulous food, a great bar and atmosphere.

I had the opportunity to spend a day in Nundle at the Nundle Camp Draft – a dusty but exciting horse and cow event where the ‘horseman/woman rides a stock horse showing their skills at directing a cow around poles in a dusty field … a bit like a slalom but with a cow.’  I was an absolute minority in my protective sentiments for the cows and the horses; in typical country style people would tell me “they’re right – they’re bred for it.”
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Exciting but dusty fun at the Nundle camp draft

My workshop participants for the Tamworth stop were Catherine Rae and Robert Dempsey.

Catherine was particularly interested in the photography aspect of the workshops as she wants to photograph polocrosse and other horse and cattle events such as the camp drafting. She used to play polocrosse, so she has a great passion for the sport and has many friends who play. She came with me to the camp drafting and we worked together shooting the action. She learned more about the camera controls – ISO shutter speed and aperture to improve her shots.

The photoshop workshop also gave her new skills in editing the images. Catherine took leave from work to attend the workshop. Her injury was caused by a fall from a balcony 8 years ago, which left her with mild brain injury and paraplegia.
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Sue working with Catherine on the tablet
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Robert at the camp draft
Robert Dempsey became a quadriplegic from a car accident and is under work cover insurance scheme. The OT from work cover came along to the workshop to see if there was any equipment that could be purchased for Robert to assist his return to work and independence.

Robert has been drawing cartoon style sketches about his life in the country, particularly his passion for ‘pigging’. As he can no longer shoot with a gun, the adapted tripod and Panasonic camera with full remote control including zoom functionality from the iPhone worked enabled him to be able to participate in the sport.

Robert was very interested in the photoshop work, as he learned how to incorporate his drawing into photoshop and combine the photographic image with the drawn. Through the process of the workshop, he made a new goal to create a body of images for an exhibition at the local Nundle art gallery. The portrait he created in the workshop is being entered into the local art prize by the Nundle publican (who also manages the art prize).

It is lovely to see how photography can allow both of these people to continue their involvement in activities that are not otherwise accessible to them, and maintain that connection to their community (whether it's pigging or polocrosse!)

Thank you Tamworth!

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COONABARABRAN

11/6/2015

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The drive from Bathurst to Coonabarabran was interesting, traveling through Dunedoo! A town that is so famous yet almost empty of life… I saw community and health centres closed with windows boarded up. Even the old pub was quiet. I arrived in Coonabarabran on a Saturday night.
 
I was asked if I could detour via Coona (colloquial for Coonabarabran) to work with a quadriplegic  woman named Del and her son Will who is a young artist. I was really interested in the opportunity of working with a mother and son together especially as he was already working creatively.

I was captivated in something about Del’s voice from the beginning as she sounded so kind, gentle and calm. I wasn’t disappointed.

Del told me that as she had become ill, when Will was only one year old, she had developed her voice as a way of soothing and calming him as a young child — since she was unable to hold him to comfort him. She is an extraordinary woman.

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Del working the camera
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Del's son Will
She spoke about believing that the thought of love could be expressed by feeling the emotion strongly within her, then expressing that feeling through her tone of voice and the words she chose.

Although she had so little, and rarely went out of the very small housing commission home she lived in, she was so thoughtful of others and so generous in spirit it seemed that she was overflowing with plenty.

Dels’ son Will is a cartoonist, and was doing the workshop with his mum as her collaborator and carer. He’s putting some of his own artwork into the Comicon in Goulburn being organized by STARTS.
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Gorgeous view in the Warrumbungles
Will also took me on a trip to see the sunset over the Warrumbungles. It was an amazing walk, and the scenery there was overpowering with exceptional beauty.

Thank you Del and Will, it was a pleasure to meet you!

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COWRA & ORANGE

11/3/2015

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The Cowra workshops were a lot of fun with participants Rick Waterworth and Jayme Langfield.

Rick had been wanting to do a workshop like Imagine Me for a good while. He made great use of his time, trying out all the gear and learning to use a drawing program on the iPad. He had already purchased a new camera and iPad before the workshop ended!

Jayme was enthusiastic about the Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 with Leica 25-400mm zoom lens f2.8-f4. With the downloadable app that could control all aspects of he camera as well as the zoom, it made it much easier for him to manipulate. Like Rick, he also ended up buying a new camera because of the workshop! So great to see people inspired to continue creating.
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Rick Waterworth
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Jayme Langfield

Next stop was Orange, where I met some colourful characters and had a chance to take a look at some of the local culture, food and landscapes.

While in Orange I took some time to check out Orange Regional Gallery. Here I saw a great retrospective of Christian Thompson, a notable indigenous photographer who often works with altered portraits. I used his work as one of the sources of inspiration for the workshop.

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The participants in this workshop were Chris, Bettina, Prue, Glenn and Rocky. Here i'm going to discuss Chris' experience in particular, as I think it illustrates how beneficial the social aspect of the workshops can be for some participants.

On the first day Chris seemed quite cynical about the whole experience and didn't seem like he was convinced that he wanted to be there. The second day he was so late that I was worried he wouldn't turn up at all, but in fact it turned out there was just a problem with his morning carers. That day he seemed to be much more positive, and said the workshop was “getting him out of the house, a chance to talk to other people with similar disabilities who understood what it was all about… and a change from feeding and talking to the magpies on the back deck.”

Chris found the camera work difficult, but really enjoyed the creation of his own image in photoshop. He was especially enthusiastic about posing for the photograph and he went to the trouble of going to a local costume hire store to find a superman cape. Chris really liked talking to the others in the workshop and the others encouraged Chris to talk about his life and himself. To our delight we discovered that deep down Chris was actually quite a philosopher and a deep thinker. “It’s the fear that you are not empowered to speak up but that is exactly what changes people’s attitudes and perspectives. My playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing good about shrinking. I ask myself who am I. Who am I not to be as I am,” he said.

As the workshop went on Chris became more positive in his attitude about everything, was chatty and sociable with the whole group. The group in turn offered to meet up with him on a regular basis, just to catch up. These social connections made during the workshops can really be just as important as the skills learned for people who may not often get to socialise (especially with others who have had similar experiences).
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Chris got a lot out of the workshop, despite his initial uncertainty
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Glenn Cairns took leave from work to attend the workshop, he is planning to use the photoshop skills in his workplace.
When I was out and about in Orange, I found that the Union Bank hotel and restaurant has a fabulous atmosphere and architecture with indoor and outdoor courtyard. Luckily it is also accessible! I had the pleasure of eating these delicious vegetable dishes there, accompanied by my friend Rachel Ellis.
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Thanks to everyone in Cowra and Orange!

More updates coming soon
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BATHURST

9/20/2015

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During my time in Bathurst I was lucky to be able to stay with Rachel Ellis.

Rachel is an artist, and has a beautiful home filled with artful objects and paintings lining the walls. It was such a pleasure to stay there, and it made the whole trip a lovely experience. A big thanks to Rachel!
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One of Rachel Ellis' paintings
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Still life flowers in Rachel's home

This series of rural workshops, doing one after the other so close together, is making it even clearer that each new workshop is totally different from the last!

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In this particular workshop I worked with a group of 4 people. Their names were Sean Gibson, George Green, Ally Salter and Katherine Inwersen. Each had a different disability, and got different things out of the workshop program.

ALLY has cerebral palsy and let's us know if she likes something by an excited animated expression, as she cannot speak nor control her physical movements. She responded really strongly to the image previously created by Emily where her face is blended with that of a tiger. Ally loves animals and so we created a portrait of her in a beautiful fur jacket with a white tiger.

Ally is learning photography once a week and will now have a switch to enable her to control the camera shutter fitted to her chair. She is taking photos with her carer by expressing her excitement when she sees something she wants to make an image of.
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GEORGE was one participant who really enjoyed drawing with the Wacom tablet. He used the tablet and stylus to paint his portrait, which is painted digitally over his photographic portrait to create an entirely new image.

George paints on the computer at home and says that his self-portrait was inspired by a portrait by Picasso, because his style is so different and unique. It was great to see George embracing these techniques.
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SEAN took to the workshops straight away, showing a strong interest in drawing and cartoon-style imagery. For Sean, I developed an alternative program that enabled him to draw over the top of his photograph and then remove the underlying photographic image. He was particularly inspired by Popeye, using a pipe creating a speech bubble that has a statement about his concern for the environment. The result was amazing and he was obviously very engaged in the process.

At the end of the workshops we discovered that Sean had been a graffiti artist, and had actually acquired his brain injury while doing his graffiti art. His carers from ABI and family came along to the final exhibition and saw his focused interest in the program. They said that they intended to purchase the apps and iPad for his upcoming birthday. Sean also wrote by hand a long message of text about the environment that accompanies his image, which the carer agency took this back to the office and framed – they believed this would be an encouragement to his carers to see what Sean was capable of.
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KATHERINE arrived at the workshop in a very negative space. She wanted to make an image that expressed her real feelings about her disability that she had always kept hidden since her horse riding accident 15 years ago. Her original ideas for her artwork were extremely bleak and lacking hope, so as we further discussed things I tried to focus on any positives I could find. After further conversation, I found that Kathy had a strong connection to her animals, and we spoke about how they loved and relied upon her.

The next day Catherine came to the workshop more positive and changed her image to include her animals and grandson in her portrait. They were waking with her down the road and leaving the bleakness behind. By the end of the project, Katherine said she felt so much lighter, having let go of the burden of her dark emotions. In an interview, she described art as "another means of self expression and communication" and saying that the workshops were "cathartic in the utmost degree."

While in Bathurst, I also had time to check out a couple of local food spots. The Church Bar served fabulous thin crust pizza with a great atmosphere, and the Hub Cafe offered lovely outdoor eating under the grape vine.

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The Church Bar, in a real old church!
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Me standing outside the Hub Cafe

Thank you Bathurst!

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GOULBURN

9/4/2015

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August saw the beginning of the Imagine Me Royal Rehab Rural NSW workshop series — first stop Goulburn.

I traveled out of Sydney on a dark and stormy day. As I drove along looking at this dramatic cloudscape, I couldn't resist stopping to take some photos.
Once in Goulburn, I had the chance to get my bearings and explore a bit. I stopped at the Grit cafe, well known by locals for its delicious food and accessible layout. The best thing I had was a salad of apple, celery and brown rice  to accompany an old favourite corn fritters with salsa. Yum!
horizon pic of clouds on the way to from Canberra to Goulburn
View on the way to Goulburn
The Grit cafe, accessible food in Goulburn
The Grit cafe

My first workshop was with Goulburn resident Jim Nichols. He was a pleasure to work with and had a lot of positive things to say about his life.

"Living in Goulburn is good. I know almost everyone. Have plenty of friends. One of the real pleasures of my life is to assist at the 2 local primary schools here in Goulburn. I help young children who have problems with reading and comprehension. To get a child to love reading, they have to read what interests them. I read them harry potter and flat foot rock! I was always a keen reader, when I was young I read comics – my hero was the Phantom!"

To reflect his love of books, we worked with this theme in his self-portrait.
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While in Goulburn I was lucky to be able to catch up with an old friend from art school at her property near Collector, NSW.

Her home is on a beautiful sheep-farming property called Bohara. Walking around the paddocks in the early morning, I was happy to be out in the country again. It was still really cold and frosty at this point, with tiny, glittering ice particles covering the grass — and even the sheep!
early morning mist at Bohara
Early morning mist
blue skies and frosty fields with trees
Blue skies and frosty fields

The next stop on the tour was a workshop at the Crescent School, a school that caters to young people with special needs such as intellectual disabilities and autism.

This workshop was quite different from my usual workshops teaching people with spinal cord injuries, and at first I was a bit anxious about how it would all work out. Luckily, the students and teachers were all so lovely and welcoming that my worries were quickly erased. It was actually really interesting for me to see how the Imagine Me program can work in different settings like this.

The students ended up with some great self-portraits and it was heart-warming to see that they were so proud of their finished work.
Sue Murray working with a student at the Crescent School Goulburn on his artwork self portrait
Working with a student

Before leaving Goulburn, I stopped in at another great accessible restaurant called 98 chairs.

Here I met up with my good friends Eloise Lindsay and Nugent Wade Brown. Nugent used to be a primary school teacher, and had been helping me out with the Crescent School workshops. It was so great to have him around to assist, as he has had years of experience teaching kids with special needs.

The restaurant served a totally fabulous gnocchi with smoked vegetables and cream sauce, which I really recommend to anyone who might be in the Goulburn area!
Nugent Wade Brown, Eloise Lindsay and Sue Murray at 98 chairs restaurant
Nugent, Eloise and I
the chef at 98 chairs restaurant in Goulburn
The chef at 98 chairs

Thank you Goulburn!

Next stop on the workshop tour is Bathurst, so look out for the next wrap-up post soon.
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    Sue Murray is a photographer, artist, and founder of Imagine Me

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