SamiArt - 'To Inspire & Share Through Creative Communication'

2010 World Copyright applies to all images on this site
Please take a look at the Silk Road Pages - FKDSET & Treasure Village Montessori - for pics of what happened when the Silk Road went to Florida in September 2009 to help raise funds for the Florida Keys Down Syndrome Educational Trust

RAINBOW LIGHTS PROJECT EXHIBITION AT SUTTON CENTRAL LIBRARY EUROPA GALLERY MAY 2010
based on a proposal to the Imagine Arts Festival (LB Sutton) from sisters Hana Horack Elyafi (Rainbow Theme & Light Boxes) and Samia Tossio (Songwriting) created in collaboration with families from the Epsom & Sutton Home Education Group
special thanks to Pierpaolo, Jae, Jeff, David, Liz, Hannah, Mandy, Jo, Dee, Ingrid Hennze, Dell Lane Scout Hut, Sutton Film Makers, Elina Harlas, Charles Cryer Studio Theater and all the kids and parents that made this project a great success

WEAVE ART WORKSHOPS & LAUNCH OF THE IMAGINE ARTS FESTIVAL 2010

COMMEMORATIVE SILK PAINTING GIFT
FOR HRH PRINCE OF WALES
4th FEB 2010 to celebrate
"Spirituality In Action Day"for the launch of the
Centre for Spirituality & Cultural Advancement, an event sponsored by the Sufi Muslim Council of Great Britain
presented in person by Samia Tossio at Old Trafford
(pics with Prince Charles taken by Monir Ali)
Silk Road Imagine Festival 2009 Sutton High Street

Caught in the Act
Caught in the Act
I decided to lay out a basic framework on the Silk & then asked people to doodle around the lines & fill in the gaps.
Use your imagination
What colour shall I use? Use your imagination What design shall I do? Use your imagination How do I use the gutta? Let me show you, try it out on the scraps
Use your imagination
Gutta Designs
Gutta Designs
Gutta Designer
Gutta Designer
Melody Makers
Melody Makers
www.mrpeace.org providing a beat for all feet
Mr Bongo
and friend
Mr Bongo
Gutta Designer
Gutta Designer
Sutton is culturally diverse...we have gutta designers from all over the world living & working here
Gutta Designer
Gutta Designer
More Designers of all ages
More Designers of all ages
Using their imaginations
La Bomba
Serving up that slurpalicious ice cream
La Bomba
Sutton Carers Centre
for the Imagine Festival & National Carers Week 2009

Session 1 The Design
Session 1 The Design
Beginning with a blank piece of paper can be a daunting task. The comments range from - I'm no good at art to my sibling was the creative one. Dispelling the myths is always fun. By the end of Session 1 there are enough sketches to put together this basic design. They wanted something that would reflect the life of a Carer. I hand copied their selected designs onto this paper template. It's thrilling to see how the 'I'm no good at art' feeling has transformed into a surprisingly happy & wholly postiive reaction to this collaborative design
Session 2 Sutton Carer's - The Design Team gets Gutta'd!
Using Gutta, the design team have traced the lines of the template onto Silk making some modifications to the design in the process. There is much discussion & collaboration going on
Session 2 Sutton Carer's - The Design Team gets Gutta'd!
Session 2 The Gutta
Session 2 The Gutta
Working with gutta, the team shared the job of applying the lining agent to the silk
Session 3 Colours Everywhere
Choosing colours collectively & collaborating on painting while learning how to use silk paints for the first time
Session 3 Colours Everywhere
Session 3 Sutton Carer's Centre Logo
Session 3 Sutton Carer's Centre Logo
The logo was kindly reproduced with permission. This is the National Logo of Carers - it has been adapted slightly to suit. This was the only predetermined colour choice
Session 3 An Hour Later
All hands on deck! Look what's happening - discovering how the paints work is fun & exciting.
Session 3 An Hour Later
Session 3 The Finished Piece
Session 3 The Finished Piece
The banner reflects the hopes, fears, struggles & possibilities that Carer's are faced with 24hrs a day, based on the discussions during the first Blank Page session. The blue represents the need to communicate that clearly & truthfully. The orange reflects the courage required to overcome the struggles. The Salt effect works brilliantly as the silk is stretched on a frame. The final banner is ready with eyelets & hems wide enough to accommodate bamboo canes so the banner can be paraded.
The Peace
What we are all searching for
The Peace
The Light
The Light
Whatever your beliefs, whichever way you look, the light is always there - open your eyes & see. Marbled effect created using table salt.
Silk Suncatcher Birthday Party

The Artist at Work
The Artist at Work
The table was neat & tidy to begin with
Then the fun started
Sea Turtles
Sea Turtles
Having chosen a template, the designs are traced onto the silk & outlined with Gutta
Then the painting begins
Then the painting begins
Using the imagination to chose & add colours
Sea Turtles
Sea Turtles
The Heron
The Heron
Outlining with Gutta
The Heron
The Heron
The final suncatcher will hang on the family boat!
Colouring in with Silk Paints
The girl doing this one wasn't sure but
Sea Turtles
Sea Turtles
ended up creating this lovely bold suncatcher
Unicorn
Unicorn
Friends of the Elderly 2009 

SamiArt & The Silk Roads Exhibition at Europa Gallery 

Sutton, November 2009

Setting up
Setting up
A family affair
Setting up
Setting up
Making Silk Suncatchers
Making Silk Suncatchers
Silk Road Sutton Canopy
Silk Road Sutton Canopy


                  
 Text Fest 2008 
@
    Sutton Children's Library     

                        

SamiArt & Sutton Housing Society September 2008 
 
Predesigning Silk at SHSPredesigning Silk at Sutton Housing SocietyPainting Silk at SHS
Painting Silk at SHSSHS Close UpSHS Close Up
SHS Close UpSHS Close UpSHS Close Up
SHS Close UpSHS Close UpSHS Close up

 
'SILK ROADS'
More Pictures are on the Silk Road Pages of the Site
 
Artwork produced by Sutton Mental Health Action Group
 
 
Artwork produced by Orchard Hill - participants with mainly mild to severe learning disabilities
 
Artwork produced by Sutton Mencap, participants with mild to severe learning disabilities
Art work produced by the Friends of the Elderly participants
Participants from Friends of the Elderly /Cloverdale Court Day Centre at the Europa Gallery Exhibition, May 2008
EXHIBITION
Europa Gallery,
Sutton Library,
MAY 2008
 
The canvasses were the result of workshops I ran as part of the Taking Part project for London Borough of Sutton. The theme of the project was 'Future Present'. I worked as a visual artist with elderly, people with mild to severe learning disabilites, autistic & mentally ill & encouraged people to tap into their creative instincts & self expression. It was a hugely rewarding project for me & for them. To hear the laughter & see the joy & take part in the banter as everyone took notice of what the other was doing - inspiring, sharing, communicating & doing something different!
 What a present!
 
 
copyright 2010 World Rights Reserved