Leaving the exhibition room of Fred Appleyard's work in The Arc, we stopped briefly at the reception desk as this artist is new to us and I was interested to know more. The young lady at reception told us that Fred's family themselves approached The Arc, mooting the idea to exhibit the paintings most of which normally reside in the homes of family members and friends.
I bought a copy of Rising Splendour: Fred Appleyard. I was quietly admiring the beautiful bright ladybirds on the receptionist's headwear. And then found myself asking her for a portrait, explaining how I would use it. Her surpise over, Ashton did, laughingly, agree. I took some shots from two different angles.
Ashton told us that she has worked at The Arc since last August, working before that in a cafe and prior to that, as a volunteer with The Bless Network, a UK charity supporting refugees in and around Caen in northern France.
She is passionate about this work, telling us the practical help the organisation provides to refugees, also explaining ways the refugees themselves help each other: the Sudanese refugees leave their shoes outside their tents for the use of others, who have none of their own.
Ray asked Ashton if she speaks French and she replied not much and explained was not really an opportunity to learn as the founders of charity, 10 years ago, are English and English tends to be the language of choice when classes are provided to the refugees. She spoke about the status of people who, having had a good education and good careers in their native countries, now find themselves 'refugees' with a drastically different life.
I imagined this voluntary work to have been a worthwhile but stressful experience. Ashton likened her homecoming to England as a feeling of being in the same room and with the same items in it, but with everything moved to a different place and said it took her a long while to adjust. She took the café job believing it would be a help in settling down again but found quite the opposite. She feels that she is 'floating' now, waiting and hoping to begin a career helping people.
As we said thank you and goodbye I told Ashton that I liked her headscarf with the red ladybirds. And I discovered they are not ladybirds but, you know, those poisonous mushrooms you do not see very often. A closer look revealed that the ladybirds do, indeed, have stalks and are fly agaric aka amanita muscaria.
I have sent photos to Ashton - such a lovely but thought-provoking encounter.
A small and belated September update for 2024, where I am still, after many years' membership, on 365 Project, also now posting elsewhere but wanting...
What a fascinating conversation you had and that work sounds so interesting. I wish her well for her future. Love those agaric mushrooms and the blue hair! Gorgeous happy portrait.
Ashton is a people person for sure , respect to her . I also love the back story as it gives an insight into the hardship of refugees and is a must read to the "stop the boats" brigade
@briaan @jamibann @phil_howcroft @dailypix @haskar @pcoulson @pcoulson @seattlite @casablanca @happypat