Bucks Art Weeks: The purr-fect remedy for stress after a tragedy

You can see her lovable cat pictures at Obsidian Art Gallery in Stoke Mandeville from 8th to 23rd June.

She tells us: ‘I create inky “pawtraits” with daily affirmations in a fast and loose style. After a career in fashion, film and as a solicitor, I turned to art in lockdown.

‘In 2020, Axel (one of our Norwegian Forest cats) escaped our garden and was killed on the road by our house. On top of the challenges of an excessively busy time at work, Axel’s death really impacted my wellbeing.

‘My personal mechanism to balance the stress of work is to create. After sewing scrubs for a charity during Covid, I decided to take some time out from my professional career to rest and recuperate.

"I took an old sketch pad and doodled my cats every day and added motivational quotes. This turned out to be the perfect therapy, and after posting each day on Instagram, I have a loyal and growing number of followers under the handle @i.am.melc.

"My drawings keep us balanced, inquisitive and kind, and remind us that our pets don’t judge and are loyal however we turn up.’

Now you can see Melanie’s paintings - and maybe even catch her at work - from 8th to 23rd June at Obsidian Art Gallery in Stoke Mandeville. It’s part of Bucks Art Weeks, which is the county’s largest visual arts festival - and it’s free to visit!

Every year in June the bright yellow signs go up across Buckinghamshire, and visitors can drop in on all the artists and makers taking part. This year there are over 300 painters, potters, glassworkers, printmakers, jewellers, sculptors, photographers, textile workers and others showing their work and processes.

As a visitor you might decide to visit artists on your doorstep and to consider buying work made very locally. Other visitors plan tours around their area using a town art trail, fuelled by a morning coffee or afternoon tea (many venues offer refreshments in exchange for a donation to charity).

Why not join other adventurous visitors who plan a trip further afield? The free festival directory and website has a map of the locations of creatives county-wide. Consider a day trip to North Bucks, the Vale of Aylesbury or the Chilterns and get to know the area through its artists and makers, combining lunch or a walk.

By going to the website www.bucksartweeks.org.uk you can decide on your stop-offs by looking at the online gallery belonging to each artist or maker, and check opening dates and times, parking, access and whether it’s a working studio with demonstrations.

Keep an eye on social media for updates too: @bucksartweeksofficial.