I’m a visual artist from the South Side of Glasgow. I gained my BDes (Hons) in Illustration at DJCAD in Dundee in 2017, and since then have been working freelance, selling my work at shops, markets and online, and doing exhibitions.
I work across different mediums creating illustrative work in murals and window displays, prints and 3D works. I specialise in screen printing, using paper cut-outs to make the layers which gives my prints a handmade and experimental feel. I depict familiar objects portrayed in unexpected ways, with a slightly surreal feel inspired by my love of collage.
I recently gained an HNC in Working With Communities at Glasgow Kelvin College through which I have increased my understanding of participatory arts and working with disadvantaged groups. I already have extensive experience delivering art workshops to a range of groups, and am particularly experienced in working with adults with disabilities and long term health conditions at organisations like Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust and Project Ability. I am also interested in working with young people having some experience of this when working with Hot Chocolate Trust, and am looking to further my skills in youth work. I am comfortable planning and delivering workshops either in person or online, most recently having delivered three Zoom sessions to forty participants with Pollokshields Development Agency. I am passionate about increasing access to the arts for people experiencing poverty, discrimination and other difficulties, and believe that exploring creativity can be really empowering for people across the community. I am interested in making art fun, accessible and playful.
I bring my own experiences to my work which enables me to work with a diverse range of participants. I have lived experience of mental ill-health and so I can empathise with participants who have mental illnesses or are facing difficulties in their lives. I have close relationships with several people with Autism, and so I have a good understanding of how neurodiversity can impact both positively and negatively on peoples lives. Additionally as a member of the LGBTQI+ community I am mindful of issues relating to gender and sexuality and discrimination people might face across these categories. I have built on this lived experience in these areas through my HNC course where I have consolidated my understanding of anti-discriminatory practice across race, gender, class and disability.
I’m keen to build on my experience and facilitate and collaborate in community and participatory arts project, to give more people in Glasgow access to the opportunities that creativity provides.
Email:
Website: http://www.jenniebates.co.uk
