2011 Highlight

Happy New Year!

I'm excited to do my first blog of the year and thought I'd share a highlight from 2011 with you all.

I had the honour of being asked to be part of the Womans Weekly Centenary Portrait Exhibition, Infinite Variety, in London.  The exhibition was to celebrate, along with Dame Harriet Walter, the lives, experiences and marvellous individual beautry of their readers.  Women whose lives are reflected in their faces. Women who have experienced happiness and sadness, raised families and cared for others, loved and been loved in return, embraced and experienced life and all it has to offer – good and bad.
So I met up with 2 lovely local ladies, Brenda and Hazel to take their pictures.These were to be included in the exhibition, which toured Britain and at the Women's Weekly HQ in London.

It was a great opportunity to work on an important project, one where I could use my skills to highlight that there is beauty in the ageing female face......

Brenda is a wonderful lady who, despite having her own health issues, volunteers every day at her local Sheltered Housing Scheme, Oakfield Court in East Herrington, Sunderland. She was nominated for the portrait by Scheme Manager Janine Proctor as she is an invaluable member of the team with an abundance of energy, vitality and a lust for life. Her smiley face and sunny disposition is valued by all. The Scheme has a lovely homely atmosphere and I was made so welcome by Brenda, all the residents and staff at Oakfield. Thank you so much. x

Hazel is a lovely lady who has had MS for 7 years but that doesn't dampen her passion and enthusiams for gardening. Her grandfather was the head gardener at a local Hall, from which she has inherited her green fingers. To celebrate her love of gardening we decided to do the photo shoot in her garden with her gorgeous purple flowers, which she is so proud of. Thanks for the stories and looking through your modelling photos which you've treasured over the years. x

Claire