A Year Out, by Jenny Richardson can be seen from 9 October 2015 – 15 January 2016.

The series of paintings on display were made by Jenny in her sixties, drawn from memories of a year away from her family in a hospital for polio affected children in Edinburgh, when she was four years old.

We all have different ways in which we document our experiences. Some of us will draw, others write, and many of us will take pictures and now more often than not we will share these on social media. In essence, the arts are a tool of communication, both in terms of what we can make sense of and what we can’t. The arts can give us a new perspective on our experiences and provide new opportunities for understanding.

Over many years, Artlink has worked with patients and staff to encourage their involvement in cultural and arts activity throughout NHS Lothian. We realise that this work not only creates positive involvement, we also know that it supports better communication and contributes positively to recovery.

The complete series of drawings and paintings beautifully capture Jenny’s personal vision of this experience, and in revisiting these memories Jenny has come to realise she now has more energy and general wellbeing.

Jenny Richardson has worked all her life as a painter. She studied drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art and since then has lived and worked in Scotland and Ireland, having made her home on the Beara Peninsula.