Check out this item in my Etsy shop, available to buy now. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/741042804/reflections-from-the-moon-by-charlotte
Support small businesses this Christmas.
Thank you for your time.
Tag: Affordable art
Mental Health Awareness Month: Donate to get an original piece of art by Charlotte Farhan
As you may already be aware a close friend of mine Lisa Reeve, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for me to get a psychiatric assistance dog as I have not been able to leave the house on my own for over 9 years now due to sever mental illness and neurological damage from trauma.
To find out more please click HERE
To help raise money for this I have decided to sell some of my paintings from my old collections for a limited time only at MEGA low prices, so that people can donate and receive an original piece of my art in exchange.
I can only offer FREE POSTAGE & PACKAGING to those of you who live in the UK / Europe.
However if you are from other countries you can still donate and get a piece of art, but I can NOT offer FREE postage and packing and will have to charge you for this.
To take part you need to fill out this form below with your details, tell me which one of the paintings you are interested in. I shall then allocate the painting to you and confirm this, then you follow the GoFundMe link, donate the correct amount for the painting to the campaign, once I get the confirmation of your donation I shall ask you for your address and send you your painting.
This is a First–come, first–served deal.
Here are the prices:
Small paintings are £10.00 each:
- She is the Sky,
- Cat Among the Flowers,
- Isabella,
She is a Warrior,- True Colours,
- L’été À Ma Fenêtre,
With Flowers in her Hair,Autumn Flowers,Omar,Feeling Love,Sitting Pretty
Medium Paintings are £20.00;
- Escapism,
- Body Positive,
Amman (Rainbow Street),Autumn Tree,Just to Make Your Smile,Summer is Coming,Amman at Dusk
Large Paintings are £25.00 each:
- Dans les rues de Grasse,
Laying in Flowers,Earth
X-Large and Framed is £50.00:
Maison des ville, Grasse, France
Here is the form:
We have already raised £750 of our £2000 target and I am so grateful for all the love and support offered.
To read about why this is so important to me and for my health please read my article on this:
Charlotte Needs an Assistance Dog – Please help me have a better, more independent life.
Thank you for your support xxx
Art Spotlight – Female War – By Charlotte Farhan
Female War – By Charlotte Farhan
Acrylic On Boxed Canvas 10″ X 12″ X 1″
This Depicts The Want For Freedom For Women.
From The Rigid Gender Roles That Society Has Imposed Upon Us.
Our Gender System Has Created Oppression And The Female War Has A Mission To Overthrow This System By Any Possible Means.
We Believe That We Must Wage A War Against Patriarchy And The Gender System Which Confines Us To These Rigid Social Roles.
The Domination Of Women Is The Oldest And Worst Kind Of Oppression In The World. This Is Because It Spans Across The World Oppressing Women Of Different Races, Ethnicity, Classes And Culture.
“As Anarchism Is A Political Philosophy That Opposes All Relationships Of Power, It Is Inherently Feminist”
(L. Susan Brown)
If you are interested in this painting for your collection, for an exhibition or would like to buy a print, please use the form below:
The Artist and her Cats – Painting our Feline Friends
Cats have been of extreme importance to me throughout my life of 31 years. Having reared kittens, rescued cats and met many along my journey, these majestic and complicated feline friends are to me more than beautiful creature but are inspiring and have become my best friends and even family.
I decided to start painting cats when I realised how important they were to my artistic process. My three cat progenies who my husband and I treat as our offspring (not as human babies) but as the wonderful species that they are, are called Omar (our 10 year old moggy), Isabella (our 8 year old Burmese) and our youngest Logan (a 5 year old Bengal).
They rush to greet us as we arrive home, they speak to us in a language which we have adapted to best understand one another, they are attached to us as we are them and require constant attention and care, which we are more than happy to give. We feel privileged to share our lives with our fury brood and at times when I am unable to leave my home or am so overwhelmed by sadness or trauma my phenomenal little ones comfort me and lick my tears away.
So I shall continue to honour the species I feel akin to by painting them and creating lasting impressions of them.
Here is my latest called “Lucy Loves Laziness”
Lucy was my Mothers cat when I was little, she was a wise cat, full of neurosis, who did not particularly like me, but I shall always remember her curled up in the flower beds, whilst keeping a watch out for small insects to eat.
Here is a look at the other cat portraits in my collection, most have been sold, prints available and greeting cards coming soon.
If you are interested in one of these or have a feline friend you wish me to do a portrait of please fill in the form below for further details.
Original paintings cost £55.00
Prints cost £25.00
Commissioned Cat Portraits cost £45.00
All images are 10″ x 12″ x 1″ and are on box canvas or high quality printing paper.
And here are our 3 beautiful family members:
Logan – Photography By – Charlotte Farhan
Isabella – Photography By – Charlotte Farhan
Omar – Photography By – Charlotte Farhan
Thank you for visiting…
The devil finds work for idle hands – Painting to Escape Negative Thoughts
In the past 2 weeks I experienced a relapse and have been struggling with day to day life. Being so overwhelmed by emotion, feeling unable to move or speak. My ability to self analyse had gone, my perspective skewed and my continuous questioning of reality was a preoccupation.
Unable to take my own advice and “paint my feelings”, not able to put pen to paper to explore the thoughts swimming around my head. So I lay there watching time do its thing, with every tick tock acting as a reminder of my own failings and stagnant mood.
So a few days ago I slowly moved towards my paint brushes… Inspecting paints, finding colours and tools, making sure I did not invest too much energy for the fear of disappointment.
A blank canvas stared up toward me? Begging me to surrender myself, asking me a million questions at once. The void of white seemed oppressive and scared me back into submission.
I decided to go to my art room and look through my paintings in search of a connection to something, which I felt had seemed to have been lost. However I did not get to do this as I was distracted by a stack of unfinished paintings. Looking sad and abandoned, five paintings waiting to be brought to life but like me were stuck.
So I bundle the paintings into my arms and scurried towards my sofa, I got water and a large palette on the way. Managing to create a fort of warmth was my only real concern on such a frosty January night, determined I got the biggest blanket I could find (that I did not mind splashing paint on, as this was an inevitability with me) and I arranged the cushions into a area of ease and comfort.
Then in pure bliss I began to paint, not with any particular emotion but more a sense of ease and fluidity. I found that by concentrating on the colours and strokes of the brush I was “in the moment” being mindful and able to focus on everything I was doing as if I were in a trance or meditative state. As I was working on 5 paintings at once I did not even get to break my concentration as I had organised myself into a conveyer belt of art, continuously creating…
This is not always a possibility with my conditions but when it is there is this feeling that I am complete when creating art. As well as reaffirming that there is meaning in the action and doing of art. In the application of creativity you can arrive to conclusions and acquire clarity without any of this being involved in the image you create. This session which I managed to self medicate with in my hour of need was cathartic, the reality I was so unsure of became less important and the moments of focused clarity became the ideal and the goal which my mind has set its sights on.
My advice to everyone is that in order to silence the negative thoughts you must become proactive. Allowing the intrusive thoughts to swallow you whole will only lead to an immobile mind and body. This is not to be confused with the “autopilot” mind set, this does not lead to clarity and release, in fact it can be even more dangerous as it allows the mind to go through the motions without any awareness. Which some may argue sounds wonderful, but it gets you no where.
This is not a post to tell you all your problems can be fixed by art or painting specifically. This post is to tell you, I am struggling with it all, life in general but I am a fighter and sometimes a begrudging survivor but one all the same. There is no option but to keep going against the odds and for me sometimes picking up my paintbrush is all I can do to survive these cruel mental fragilities.
Here are the 5 paintings…
Isabella No2 – By Charlotte Farhan
Hiding Beneath the Flowers – By Charlotte Farhan
Isabella No3 – By Charlotte Farhan
The Poetry of Flowers – By Charlotte Farhan
Omar No2 – By Charlotte Farhan
If interested in my art please visit my official website
Charlotte Farhan Art
Thank you for visiting
xxx
Art to end the Silence on Rape – by artist Charlotte Farhan
Art to end the Silence on Rape
Since receiving reliving trauma therapy for PTSD my mind has swollen and over-spilled with flashbacks and night-terrors. This intensive therapy has hurt like a thousand knives piercing my brain and heart, but with all intensive therapies it gets worse before there is any relief. I have yet to feel any deliverance.
The word ‘rape’ used to be an utterance I was unable to speak or think, the mere mention or thought of the word, would send me into a detached state, a complete shutdown and the escapist inside found a way of entering a safe place which was more like a dream world.
It took me 10 years to confront the word, not the act, just that word ‘RAPE’.
I had now accepted the word and what it meant for my continued existence, however I still can not truly accepted what has happened to me.
I still go over and over the incident, although the voice of society bullies my mind and the disbelievers ring in my ears. Telling me “but you fancied him? How could you not have wanted it?” and “But you are crazy, why would we believe you?”
Everything you could think of was used against me; my clothes, my mental health, home life and how well I knew my rapist were all used to justify what happened to me and I felt blamed, confused and as if I was deserving of it all.
Even after internal and external surgery caused by the rape, it was still said “she is so crazy she probably did the injuries to herself”.
The doctors, surgeons, police and mental health team all believed me and repeatedly told me it was not my fault and that the damage was clearly from forced intercourse and the bruises and marks were conclusive of restraint marks, but they were unable to undo centuries of victim blaming and misconceptions about rape, the world around me was singing from a different hymn sheet and I could not hear their support over the louder voice, saying “you were asking for it”.
The person who I needed to believe me was not my friends, family or even society, it was in fact me!
I only managed to do this, this year and strangely enough it was exactly 15 years since that day. Through reliving the rape in my therapy I was able to separate myself and all the other voices and see the truth. Although it was a relief to finally say to my 15 year old self “I believe you”, it felt as if it had just happened and felt more real than ever.
I am still struggling and receiving treatment. But as a survivor I decided to speak my truth, to be part of the change and help others like myself.
As an artist I have decided to raise awareness and help end the silence.
Here is one of my first pieces from this collection, which is accompanied by a poem.
Chained – By Charlotte Farhan
I was chained by my fear, after you held me down.
I was chained by your force, when my life was turned upside down.
I was chained by peers and the social pressure to conform, with not wanting to be different or to cause a storm.
I was chained by my clothing, which was used against me, as well as my self loathing.
I was chained by the trauma, which haunts me to this day and the wish for life to serve you your karma will never go away.
I was chained by you, by them, by me.
Chained by the idea that “I was asking for it”
I am still chained and wish to be free.
Thank you for reading.
Please share this post, be part of the change yourself.
At this present time I am working on an exhibition of art, sculptures and a book to accompany this project, to share my story, my suffering and my survival as well as highlighting rape culture in our society on a global scale.
Please help me in my campaign and like my Facebook page:
No Excuses – Sexual Violence Must End
For further advice and support :
Rape Crisis UK
Get Connected – Rape Support
RAINN | Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
The struggle with the unseen
My illness – The struggle with the unseen
Having any unseen illness is a struggle and for obvious reasons. Some say mental illness is not a physical illness which I strongly disagree with, how can the brain not be physical? Having had severe psychiatric illnesses since the age of 11 would make some assume I would be well adjusted by now or even that I must know my own illness through and through. These are all incorrect assumptions.
The fact is my life has become more of a struggle with age. Being 30 now has made me want to take charge more than ever but to my surprise it is proving far harder than I would have imagined as my younger self. As a young teenager I did not understand and just felt out of place and suicidal. Then as an older adolescent I just became reckless and would put myself in dangerous situations. My twenties became a decade of denial, I did not want medication, therapy, hospitalisation or even to really admit my illnesses to my friends. I drowned my emotions and masked symptoms and behaviours with alcohol and drugs.
However, mental illness does not just disappear in fact it spreads like an infection and causes more illness until the infection is so severe the body crashes and there is no other option but to admit defeat and seek medical attention. This is what happened to me at 28 and has been a uphill struggle since. Although this has made my life more difficult it has not stopped me having a successful marriage and a progressing career.
What you cannot see – By Charlotte Farhan
As a Borderline I spend an intense amount of time suppressing emotions. People often say to me after I have had an outburst, “I did not realise you were feeling so emotional and unwell, you looked fine to me” This is due to the combination of having had to be strong and resilient through major abuse and trauma as a child as well as being ridiculed and scolded for displaying extreme emotions as an adolescent. So I developed an emotion regulation strategy. This painting is of the emotions people don’t see.
My art is here to break down and challenge stigma as well as educate.
A detailed list of the unseen illnesses I suffer from
Here is a list of my unseen mental illnesses the definition and severity. The list is done from the most severe to the least. As well as identifying which illness (untreated) led to another.
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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder – develop after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic events, such as sexual assault, warfare, serious injury, or threats of imminent death. The diagnosis may be given when a group of symptoms, such as disturbing recurring flashbacks, avoidance or numbing of memories of the event, and hyper-arousal, continue for more than a month after the occurrence of a traumatic event
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Borderline Personality Disorder – is a cluster-B personality disorder, is a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image and emotions. Impulsive behaviours, self-injury, experiencing severe mood swings, feelings of emptiness, and intense anger.
Depersonalisation Disorder – is a mental disorder in which the sufferer is affected by persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization and derealization. It is classified as a dissociative disorder and an independent neurotic disorder. Feeling disconnected from one’s physicality or body, feeling detached from one’s own thoughts or emotions, feeling as if one is disconnected from reality, and a sense of feeling as if one is dreaming or in a dreamlike state.
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Agoraphobia – Anxiety about being places or situations from which escape might be difficult or in which help may not be available in the event of having a panic attack. Situations are avoided or endured with marked distress, many require a carer or companion.
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General Anxiety Disorder – is a neurological anxiety disorder that is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry
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Panic Disorder – is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioural changes lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear or worry (obsessions), repetitive behaviours aimed at reducing the associated anxiety (compulsions), or a combination of such obsessions and compulsions.
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Diabetes – Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly.This is because the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, or not enough insulin, to help glucose enter the body’s cells – or the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance).
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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – is a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of female sex hormones. This may lead to changes in the menstrual cycle, cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, fatigue and chronic pain.
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Anorexia Nervosa (Restricting type) – individual does not utilize binge eating nor displays purging behaviour as their main strategy for weight loss. Instead, the individual uses restricting food intake, fasting, diet pills, and/or exercise as a means for losing weight.
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Chronic Erythema nodosum – is a type of skin inflammation that is located in a part of the fatty layer of skin. EN results in reddish, painful, tender lumps most commonly located in the front of the legs below the knees. With chronic pain and tightening of the skin.
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Depressive Psychosis – refers to a major depressive episode that is accompanied by psychotic symptoms.
The Struggle
With these unseen illnesses it is hard to explain on any given day why I can’t do what I need to do, or why some days I am able to do these said things. As someone who as had these issues longer than not, I am unaware sometimes that people take me at face value and as I appear “well” or “normal” to a certain extent people can often disbelieve if told or just can’t understand as I am not in a straight jacket, rocking in a corner, dribbling or fit into any other misconception or stereotype people have about mental illness.
So this can prove to be very distressing in our world. As a survivor and someone who will not give up, I am left with only one option and that is to share my story, educate and break down these rigid ideas of what mental illness is. Mental illness does not mean you cannot have a life, friends, family and a career. However it does mean you may need to alter your opinions on what social norms you wish to follow or like myself hope to create a diversity in our society that will accommodate us all better. Such as attitudes towards work, money, health care, relationships and appropriate behaviour. These are all areas which may need to be reinvented and philosophised to draw the best conclusion for your life.
You will still be met with certain attitudes and archaic beliefs.
TOP 10 WORST THINGS SAID TO A PERSON WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
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“Don’t tell people you have mental health problems, they will not understand.”
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” You always seem so happy, confident, well… I can’t believe you have a mental illness.”
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” Everyone feels like this sometimes.”
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” Why can’t you work in proper job?”
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” Stop focusing on the past, negative, bad times…”
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” Get over it!”
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” You would be fine if you just went out.”
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” Your illness is a state of mind.”
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” Stop mentioning your illness it brings people down and makes you seem like an attention seeker.”
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” I don’t believe in mental illness.”
Final Thoughts
Living with my unseen illnesses everyday is just a fact of life. I don’t feel bitter or unlucky. All I wish for is that the world would see us and accept us. We are here on this planet and we deserve a voice and consideration. My wish is to stop negative associations with unseen illness, to break down the separation between mental and physical illness, to allow people the freedom to speak of their illnesses in social and work settings without the fear of stigma and unfair treatment.
My unseen world is not unseen because of shame or fear. It is unseen because many choose not to see it. It is unseen because people don’t listen and it is unseen because I gave up explaining. However now I am not giving up, I shall explain and speak up and I shall not hide the truth. This will not change things over night but it will be my change, my contribution. I am a warrioress and my fight has just begun.
The Agoraphobic Artist – My Story
MY STORY
My story of Agoraphobia starts when I was 16 years old. Only recently discharged from an adolescent psychiatric hospital and having wanted and attempted to die for almost 5 years, (including standing in front of an oncoming train, but being rescued by a very brave train guard) I had survived and started to believe that it was a cruel, never ending punishment. However I was struggling with so many things and was having very vivid hallucinations and believed that I was indestructible.
Then at Reading festival in the year 2000 just after I had graduated from secondary school with almost nothing to show for myself as I had been in hospital for most of my GCSE’s, I went with the attitude that life was a massive joke and I was the punch line. There I met my (now) husband Mohammed, I was in love instantly. I even told my friends I would end up marrying him, they (as usual) thought I was insane, in most medical opinions I was. Sure enough I started dating Mohammed and he was and still is everything to me.
Having never had a kind, loving male in my life, having been abused by my Father and then abandoned by him and having been raped by a classmate when I was 15 (hence the break down and hospitalisation) I had found my prince in shining armour. Mohammed gave me and still gives me more than enough love to compensate for my Father not loving me and being treated the way I had been by boys and men. Mohammed truly saved me from taking my own life when I was a child. A gift of life he gave me and I was not about to waste this gift!
So after wanting nothing more than to die, I now had swiftly changed perspectives, I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to leave Mohammed, not for one second! This I have later found out is due to my borderline personality disorder and something which we have as suffers which is called black and white thinking (also known as splitting).
Everything suddenly felt unsafe! The world became scarier than ever, everything was potentially going to kill me, kill Mohammed and separate us. Slowly but surly I became withdrawn and anxious and developed Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I had gone from someone on the highly at risk register to someone who was preserving my existence with such an attention to detail that it was taking over my life and caused mine and Mohammed’s life to become harder and harder. We were kids, now living on our own and we were in over our heads. After almost being sectioned in an adult psychiatric ward in Guildford at 18, I decided I had to keep my mental illness hidden as much as possible, this also fed into my reclusive behaviour and soon enough I was not going out on my own, then only once a week with Mohammed to do the weekly shop and back.
This continued for a year, then when I was 19 I found ecstasy, a class A drug which allowed me to do things which I would never be able to do, it gave me back my flip side, my fearless side. Just 2-3 pills and I was able to counterbalance my heavy anti-psychotic drugs and fear, so that I could be like my friends and hide my torment and struggle.
I wouldn’t go out, especially without Mohammed and then orchestrated my life so that it was not an obvious problem. But soon, I was put on heavier medication and became like a zombie for a year and didn’t move really, let alone going out. I was starting to create my own world.
http://www.charlottefarhanart.com/
Then just before my 21st birthday I suffered a complete psychotic break from reality and broke up with Mohammed. I convinced myself that I was holding him back and that I was not good enough for him and wanted to become my other self, my reckless other side. I couldn’t make sense of anything and felt out of control. This led to a year and a half of heavy drug use, dangerous behaviour and living life as a fearless crazy person. I changed my identity, hide my illness, made friends out of enemies and had no regard for my future, just instant gratification, the thrill of being on the edge again.
However, one day I looked at Mohammed (who I was still very close friends with and who I still loved like no other) and I realised for the first time in my life that he was my future, my partner and my family and that in order to be with him I had to confront everything.
http://www.charlottefarhanart.com/
Mohammed and I got back together in 2006, although understandably he made me work for it, I had to prove myself and I put everything I had into winning Mohammed back.
After 6 months of being back together, I started feeling the panic coming back, the fear that I would die and not get to live this life with Mohammed. So I started withdrawing again from the outside world and sometime in 2006 I went out for the last time on my own.
My agoraphobia got worse in 2010, I moved to Portsmouth and within a few months of being in the city, I decided that maybe I could start working on my exposure work for my agoraphobia, so one day I decided to take a few letters I wanted to post to the post box a few meters outside my front door, Mohammed was indoors and I felt I could do this!! As I walked to the post box, I saw a man walking towards me, I didn’t really pay attention as I was on my mission. Suddenly I caught his eye and I realised it was my attacker who had raped me when I was 15, I felt all my blood escape my body, my heart stopped, I started sweating and hyperventilating, I turned on my heels and ran to my front door, thumbling around, franticly trying to turn the key, I fell through the door and couldn’t catch my breath and vomited all over myself.
http://www.charlottefarhanart.com/
I felt this was another cruel joke which a sinister God was playing on me. I knew this man lived in Portsmouth, but it is a massive city and did not think this could happen. My world came tumbling down around me and I felt trapped and frightened.
This led to me not being able to go to a “normal” university as I couldn’t attend classes, even with supervision or assistance. I was then told by The University of Portsmouth I was to unwell to study and had to leave. I took this as a massive failure and as I could’t work either I felt I was nothing.
This is when I turned to art (Art Saved My Life) and am now an artist who works from home. I started at the end of 2010 and now am a professional visual artist, illustrator, art mentor and I am an artist in residence as well as being a massive promoter of art and it’s benefits to aiding and managing mental illness. I also raise awareness and break down the the stigma of mental illness through my own art.
It has been almost 7 years since I last went out alone, I am still able to go out with Mohammed, my Mother and a few safe friends, but this is only to certain places and it has to be all pre-planned with warning.
I do all this from inside my home, without leaving the house and it is a struggle everyday. I am still receiving medical treatment for my mental illnesses and am working towards a future when I can just pop to the shop across my road to get a pint of milk. People take for granted these little things which no one would think is a massive ordeal for some. I long for my independence and for freedom from my own prison. I take one day at a time. I am the sort of person that has evolved through all my trauma and pain to believe that we have no excuses, I have days when everything hurts me like I am covered in burns and other days when I can inspire over 36,000 followers and live out my dreams. All I know is that I am blessed to still be alive and to have the people I have around me and I will do everything in my power to help others like myself through art, change the world and I can only do this if I am alive, here and fighting the fight for us all.
Thank you for reading my story.
All my love, Charlotte Farhan xxx
The Collections – A solo exhibition By Charlotte Farhan
All photography taken by Lisa Reeve (New website being launched in 2014)
The collections exhibition by Charlotte Farhan which is on show throughout January and February, has had a very successful first month of December).
With a fabulous launch night, many tweets, Facebook messages and images of you all visiting the exhibition and giving overwhelming feedback and praise.
As well as being visited by fellow artists and photographer Philip Woolway http://www.philipwoolway.com/ who was a featured artist in Charlotte Farhan’s Artists of the Week.
With in the first week a sale was made and other exhibition offers started coming in for 2014.
Each painting was selected from continuing collections by Charlotte Farhan. To mark a successful year of 3 solo exhibitions and to highlight the themes and subjects within Charlotte’s work. So that 2014 may be started with a fresh outlook and room for many exciting projects and new art works, focusing on more in depth expressionism as well as exploring new styles and techniques.
http://www.charlottefarhanart.com/
http://www.lecafeparisien.com/
Please visit Le Cafe Parisien – Portsmouth and enjoy great service, food and a free exhibition by Charlotte Farhan.
If you do and like what you see, leave a comment, send a tweet, tag a picture of yourself next to your favourite painting, whatever you wish to do, just get in touch.
Official Website – Charlotte Farhan Art
Tag yourself in a photo/post on Charlotte Farhan’s Facebook Page
NEW YEAR WISHES FROM CHARLOTTE FARHAN ART XXX
Breaking through during waking – An Exhibition by Charlotte Farhan
A week ago today I was half way through my first solo two day exhibition at NSH Arts in London, Mile End. I was feeling very excited and felt very blessed that the evening before had gone so well and how wonderfully I had been received. My exhibition was organised by Art Saves Lives an organisation which I am a resident artist for in London. The exhibition was my largest yet with 26 paintings.
The Venue – NSH Arts – London
The Space
“A classic Georgian House the east end of London, 439 Mile End Road has been refurbished to offer a versatile set of spaces intended for exhibition of 2D and 3D installations, music, theatre and study. The scale is defined by the domestic setting – but the possibilities are dramatic – including opera and indoor/outdoor exhibitions.”
Nick Hugh the director was so helpful and operates his venue and organisation with a relaxed professionalism which is calming for the artist and audience.
For further details please visit NSH Arts website
http://www.nsharts.org/index.html
Organised by Art Saves Lives – London
“Art Saves Lives is a not-for-profit arts organisation dedicated to providing inspirational and inclusive arts experiences to engage marginalised and underprivileged young artists in the UK. We offer our artists a plethora of multi-media visual arts, performing arts and film opportunities to unleash their artistic potential and transform their lives.”
Mr Dean Stalham – Company Director, organised my exhibition and promoted it. Dean was amazing and I am very grateful for his help and dedication.
http://artsaveslives.co.uk/about-us-2/team-asl
Miss Sadie Kaye – Artistic Director, offered continuous moral support and aided me through out my creative process all the way from Hong Kong, as always I am very grateful.
Please show your support for Art Saves Lives and check out their site
- Exhibition Poster – created by Art Saves Lives
artsaveslives.co.uk
Here is my exhibition for all those who could not attend and for those who are just finding out about my art. I hope you will feel as if you were there.
Breaking Through During Waking – An Exhibition by Charlotte Farhan
My vision for this exhibition was a collection of my best work which represented my journey so far. From childhood memories, life stories and events, with political and religious comments and parts of my inner self which begged to be exposed and exploded from my mind on to canvas. My work is always reflective and is meant to provoke discussion and to reflect positive energy from colour.
This is my only and first attempt at a self-portrait. I also reflected my alter ego instead of my outer known self. My alter ego is a moody, dramatic and negative nightmare with no care for the world or their place in it.
From the collection ‘Jordan (the Hashemite Kingdom)’ 2012 A naive abstraction of shape and use of engaging colours to represent the feelings and expressions the city gives.
This is a depiction of anxiety. The 5 symbols are the main neurotransmitters involved with anxiety. Anxiety disorders are associated with decreased activity of serotonin, dopamine and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. Norepinephrine (NE) and Epinephrine (adrenalin) can be overactive and are the hormones and neurotransmitter which allows us to have the “fight or flight” response to stress.
Medication is as easy to get hold of as candy. People are being medicated and loured in by false advertisements and ideals towards states of constant happiness. Being locked into a system which is designed as a business, not an organisation for the welfare of human kind.
From the collection ‘The Power of Women and Femininity’ 2013 This represents the healthy acceptance of my body with the love of my husband and myself which has been an on-going struggle throughout my life. Being healthy is beautiful whichever shape you are.
From the collection ‘The Power of Women and Femininity’ 2013 Our inner feelings are often masked and not shown. This is a reflection on our inner voice and true feelings.
- Rainbow Street (Amman) & Amman at Dusk – By Charlotte Farhan
Amman at Dusk – By Charlotte Farhan
Amman, is a city which reminds me of how strong I am and reminds me of the adventure and diversity which exists on our planet. I have faced many fears to visit this amazing city in Jordan where my husband is from. It is a spiritual home where I found an inner peace on my second visit in 2011.
Amman, Rainbow Street – By Charlotte Farhan
“Rainbow Street” is in the historic area of Jabal Amman, Jordan. This is the home of the artistic community located at the heart of Amman’s oldest neighbourhood. An inspirational and energetic vibe is felt here.
Fear of telling a secret or confessing to feelings of despair or self-loathing can causes the silence to rule over you repressively. Our mind and body holds these feelings and thoughts and buries them in our memory to preserve how much our mind can deal with at any one time, dictating our thoughts.
This is from the collection ‘Ma belle France’ 2013 A naive impression of the famous cafe in Montmartre, Paris, called Le Consulat. In the background you can see the Sacre Coeur.
Love is genderless! Our culture and most cultures associate love to have different natures and to be felt differently by the opposite sex or that a same sex relationship has limits, boundaries and shame. Love is genderless, it is limitless.
This is a comment on the consequences of the over exposure and sexualisation which children are subjected to in our media. This directly has a negative impact on self-image and healthy development, self-image problems such as shame leading to depression and anxiety.
I like to think of myself as a survivor or more accurately a warrior. I have fought battles and defeated negative armies. I like the visualisation that my inner warrior is in control and can defeat negative thoughts instantly.
An expressionist representation of physical and spiritual dualism, from a philosophical view point. I asked myself what is spirit?
This is an expressionist piece reflecting the sadness and isolation experienced after a devastating trauma and how “that day” is frozen in time forever.
Trees have played an important role in many of the world’s mythologies and religions, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. My trees symbolise life and death and in particular the death of my friend Jenny who lives on in my art as a tree.
Paris is where my family are from and is where I spent so much of my life. I am proud to be French and will always enjoy and feel the need to paint my city
A political statement about the role religion plays and how it is used to accuse and vindicate our beliefs towards who is to blame for poverty, hunger and war.
From ‘The Flower Collection’ 2013 A gift that is given of beauty and nature has been used for centuries and its meaning is endless. The language of flowers, called floriography, was a form of communication in which flowers were used to send coded messages, allowing the expression of feelings which otherwise could not be spoken.
This is from the collection ‘The Power of Women and Femininity’ 2012 A mixed media piece which symbolises the feeling of being loved unconditionally.
I grew up as a French Catholic and went to Roman Catholic convents and schools in England. A concept and dogma was a faceless authority of all good and bad to me as a child. It has led me to another spiritual path of deism but the authority is still felt and engrained.
This explores the controversy surrounding suicide. This is a representation of my beautiful best friend Jenny who I met in an adolescent psychiatric ward, she committed suicide after suffering from severe mental illness and being hospitalised for years. Jenny’s medical condition caused her to make a choice. As devastated as we all were we all understood and felt no anger. Jenny is free now.
This symbolises the notion of “mother earth” and how nature can immolate gender association and how we anthropomorphize nature.
- PTSD – By Charlotte Farhan
This is a reflective piece. It is painted in a naïve style. This represents the image my inner child would paint to explain the emotions attached to this condition. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe condition that may develop after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic events.
From the collection ‘The Power of Women and Femininity’ 2013 Women have been associated with the physical side of life our role has always been described as being ‘closer to nature’. Women have been affected by the devaluation throughout time and this is reflected in our images and media, this is an image to empower and readdress the positive.
A women climaxing and feeling extreme pleasure and lust. Women are still thought of differently when thought to be sexually liberated. Negative associations and expectations are placed on women.
During my exhibition the fabulously talented pianist Fabio Tedde played his music. Fabio’s music set the scene for a relaxed evening. Pleasure for the ears and the eyes was our collaboration.
Here are some videos of Fabio Tedde for you to listen to
You can also visit his website
http://www.fabiotedde.com/en/index.php
The Wonderful singer/songwriter Lánre also sang three amazing songs and the one she picked especially for my exhibition, was this song called “inspiration”
Lánre – Inspiration
Lánre is a beautiful women with true soul which runs deep and pleases the ears with a delightful ease and passion. A rising star who has a long and bright future ahead, watch this space because Lánre is coming!!
Photography by Charlotte and Mohammed Farhan
Donated to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, in association with Art Saves Lives
GUEST SPEAKERS
We also had inspiring guest speakers and were supported by Community Options with Ian bland, speaking about the organisation and who runs a creativity project for Art Saves Lives called Credo.
http://www.community-options.org.uk/#
“Our vision is for everyone who is experiencing mental ill-health to have access to appropriate and timely support and to lead valued lives in the community as equal citizens.”
http://www.credoceramics.org/v/index
“Through gentle encouragement professional support and guidance we enable our members to explore their creative potential and build self confidence and self worth. “
Also Philip Singh, who runs a council funded user led mental health support group. Part of a network of 33 groups in tower hamlets called SUN.
http://www.swlstg-tr.nhs.uk/our-services/sun-service-user-network/
The Service User Network (S.U.N) is a group peer support service which helps people cope with personality disorder and emotional/behavioural difficulties.
It aims to help service users feel more supported, less excluded and more empowered. This is achieved through learning new coping strategies, which can help people have fewer crises, and be able to access other services more simply when needed.
S.U.N works alongside mainstream services
Inspiring and informative talks – Thank you
This painting is now in the permanent art collection of Nick Hugh the director of NSH Arts and this is a true honour.
Exhibition Photos – By Mohammed Farhan & Edited By Charlotte Farhan
I hope you have enjoyed my exhibition
Thank you for visiting – your support is gratefully received
If you are interested in my work please visit my website
http://www.charlottefarhanart.com/
An artist has every right – one may even say a duty – to exhibit their productions as prominently as they can.
(Jacques Barzun)
