STAFF and residents at Lymm’s Cheshire Grange care home got creative celebrating the birthday of one of the greatest impressionist artists of all time, Claude Monet.
Oscar-Claude Monet was born in 1840 and he painted some of the most famous landscapes in the world – as well as creating a fabulous garden which is still visited by millions of people today.
One of the founders of the Impressionism movement, along with his friends Renoir, Sisley and Bazille, Monet rejected the traditional approach to landscape painting and instead of copying old masters, he began learning from his friends and from nature itself. Monet observed variations of colour and light caused by the daily or seasonal changes and recreated them in his works.
Staff and residents spent the week learning about Monet’s life and his distinct style of painting, virtually visiting galleries to look at his art and virtually visiting his garden where a great deal of his inspiration came from.
Then the real fun began as the residents tried their hand at recreating some of his artworks while adding their own creative flair into the mix, discovering some hidden talents along the way.
General manager Dawn Holsgrove-Smith said: “We have had a fascinating time finding out all about Monet, he was such a talent and created some absolutely gorgeous paintings. Many of our residents love to paint and they really enjoyed discussing their favourites amongst his works and trying to recreate his techniques.”
Beryl, a resident, said: “We have had such a lovely time looking at Monet’s stunning paintings. I’ve always loved painting and it was fun to recreate his work using pastels for a change.”
Cheshire Grange, run by Barchester Healthcare, has a varied life enrichment programme to keep residents active and provide a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
