Emma Christopherson tells how painting brought three generations of her family together

Hi Emma, For this May’s AOH, you are holding an exhibition showing work from three generations of your family: you, your mother and your grandmother. Can you tell us how this came about? `
We started painting together as a family after my Grannie (my Mum’s Mum) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in 2016. It was around the same time that I moved back in with my parents for a year after graduating from university – Grannie lived down the road and we all spent a lot of time together.
She was always such a vibrant and positive person, but the dementia diagnosis was a big knock to her confidence. I suggested we started painting together because I’d heard creativity could be beneficial for those with dementia, and I thought it would be a positive activity we could do together. She hadn’t painted since she was at school, but straight away she was doing really beautiful paintings. She didn’t overthink the process, just jumped straight in and created pieces full of the vibrancy she’d always had as a person. She was so proud of what she was doing too, which was a lovely boost to the self-confidence that dementia was slowly reducing in other areas of her life.

Would you like to tell us about the main themes of your exhibition?
The main theme of the exhibition is nature, because that’s what all three of us have always been drawn to and inspired by. Grannie’s favourite thing to paint was birds because she always loved watching them in her garden. My Mum paints beautiful landscapes and pieces inspired by plants and flowers as she’s also a florist, while I primarily paint seascapes and swimmers. I co-run the LAND & SEA GALLERY which is where we’re holding this exhibition – between us we’re showcasing the LAND, the SEA, and also the SKY by welcoming in Grannie’s colourful flock of birds.

What did you learn from the experience of this collaboration?
It’s been lovely working so closely with my Mum to bring this exhibition to life, and it feels really special to share our paintings alongside those by my Grannie / her Mum and to see the different styles across the generations. The three of us have always been close, and have spent a lot of time together – both in nature and when painting. It’s interesting to see how our painting styles vary despite all being quite similar as people.

What do you hope audiences might take away from seeing your family’s work?
I hope it inspires people to give painting a go, no matter how old you are or how long it’s been since you last picked up a brush. I hope it inspires people to start painting with their family members too, particularly if they know someone who has recently been diagnosed with dementia. As a family we’ve seen how beneficial it has been for Grannie, and we’ve got some beautiful memories and mementos of happy times painting together.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
We’re going to be raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society during our exhibition, with a percentage from sales of Grannie’s bird prints being donated.

Visit: Land and Sea Gallery
18 Bedford Place, Brighton, BN1 2PT
No2. on the Brunswick Town trail

www.emmachristophersonart.co.uk
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www.landandseagallery.co.uk