Monday 31 March 2014

The Marvellous Marble Hall!






© Bailee Kasallis

During her visit to Norwich, Bailee (who lives in Arizona, USA) joined us for a couple of Eureka walks*. She is now back at home - "Hi Bailey!" from all your Eureka friends - and has sent us photographs from her time with us. Above, you can see some shots of the Marble Hall in Surrey House, near the city centre. A feast for the eyes!

* Please note: if you are a tourist visiting Norwich and would like to join us on a Eureka exploration of the city, please see HERE for further information

Thursday 27 March 2014

FAO Tourists Visiting Norwich

© Colin Howey - A Norwich City Church at Twilight

As regular visitors to our blog will be aware, we are offering places on Eureka photography walks to visitors to Norwich who wish to join with us to explore the city. We have been very fortunate to have our first such visitor join us for a couple of sessions recently. Her name is Bailee, and she is a young woman from Arizona in the USA. 

We asked if she could provide us with some testimony describing how she found 'the Eureka experience'. Here's what she said:

"I went to Norwich on my own personal vacation, and was so dazzled by my surroundings that I felt compelled to photograph anything interesting I saw. I happened to be taking pictures one friday morning at a park in Norwich, where the Eureka Wellbeing Photography members happened to also be taking pictures, and I was introduced to each of them, welcomed instantly into their group. I can’t convey how happy I was at receiving such a warm welcome from such an array of artists, all sharing a common passion. It was delightful to exchange stories and ideas and really connect with such a pleasant group. I can say dearly that, despite the brevity of my stay, I left Norwich with a good handful of new friendships that I intend to cherish for a long time!"

It was really lovely to meet Bailee and she is now a Eureka member - our second international member! 

If you are visiting Norwich and are interested in booking a photography walk with the Eureka members, please email Colin at howeychoosetouseit@gmail.com 

Here is some further information about the Eureka walks:
Connect Eureka

Best Wishes,
Colin Howey (Eureka co-founder)

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Wellbeing Walking Gorleston Harbour


© Colin Howey

Solve it by Walking - Alison Hall...

Solvitur ambulando!  'Solve it by walking', is an ancient piece of wisdom, acknowledging that the mind works differently when you're mobile.  I'd shared this phrase with a colleague many years ago, and then misplaced that knowledge myself.

Little did I know the phrase had lodged in Colin's memory and that we'd be leading a session about well-being together more than ten years later.  Our brains don't come with an instruction manual, and sometimes we all need a little reminder about how to look after it and ourselves - and this was exactly what this afternoon's session aimed to do - talk about some of those things we should all have in our personal well-being tool kit.

As the Exhibitions Coordinator for Time and Tide museum in Great Yarmouth, over the last few months I've been working on Frayed: Textiles on the Edge, an exhibition exploring textiles, self-expression and well-being.  Part of the associated programme of events was a session at Gorleston library looking at the exhibition in relation to the Five Ways to Well-Being, and the things you can do to maintain your own well-being in your everyday life.  The library-based session was followed by a well-being walk along Gorleston's quayside.


© Colin Howey 2014

The sun was bright, the breeze crisp. There were seagulls overhead and a seal struggling against the tide in the water below. Walking, looking, talking and taking photos occupied our next hour. The time and space to connect with someone else and the place you find yourself in was focused by the lens of an iPhone camera.  We gave ourselves an opportunity to take notice and  appreciate the beauty in the everyday, ordinary and unkempt.

I'd gotten out of the habit of taking walks to take photos, but the creative part of my brain soon got into gear. And the discovery of the square photo setting on my phone (I was aware of it before but I'd never really used it) meant I was starting to focus on what I was seeing and photographing in much the same as I would if I was making my own paintings and drawings (before museums became the focus of my working life I spent much of my time making series of small square paintings based on fragments and glimpses of landscapes and architecture.)


Ignoring the increasing chill in my fingers, I shot away until my phone's memory was full, devouring textures, light, shadows and spaces. So, here is a small selection of the photos I took that afternoon. I hope they inspire you to go for a walk of your own.

© Alison Hall 2014

Walking for Wellbeing - Colin Howey...

It was great to be reunited with Ali after so many years. We had previously worked together in the Interpretation team in the Norwich museums a decade or so ago. For this session at Gorleston Library I was working as an Norfolk Adult Education tutor, exploring and explaining the Five Ways to Wellbeing. In short, these are five healthy habits for your head. Our wellbeing and ability to overcome challenges and flourish is enhanced when we make time to:

Connect... with other people in relaxed social settings
Be active... and exercise your body - it's where you live 
Take notice...of the wonder of the world around us, and be focused on the present moment
Keep learning... be curious and explore throughout one's life-course
Give... be outward looking and empathic

In my experience the best way to demonstrate the value of the Five Ways to Wellbeing 'actions' is to put them into action. So that's what Ali and I did. We had allocated time in the session for a photography walk along Gorleston Harbour, so off we went...

It was really great to share the Eureka Wellbeing Photography experience with Ali. Wellbeing walking with camera to hand is a simply great way to recharge one's batteries. It really does activate the Five Ways, including 'Give'. After all, you can share images and give them to others as we are here. 

Having talked to Ali since this day, I am delighted to discover that she has invested time in photo walking and it has really ignited her creative spark. Her photos on the day were stunning. It's always fascinating to me how we all see the same things differently. I love her square texture photos and her awareness of shape and form. You can tell she is an artist. 

Following this day by the harbour, we plan to come back with the Eureka members and explore Gorleston with them. Keep an eye out for the resulting photos. 

© Colin Howey 2014

A Visual Tour...

Finally, here is a visual tour of the harbour illustrated with photos from both of us (click on images in order to view this)...


Gorleston Harbour
© Alison Hall & Colin Howey 2014

Geese

A great gallery of photographs of Egyptian and Canada geese by Eureka member, Nick Bowen...







© Nick Bowen 2014

Friday 21 March 2014

The Marble Hall





© Scott McCrum

Missing You Jill!



For the past five weeks one of our Eureka members, Jill, has been in hospital. We all miss her greatly and wish her well. This photo of a blackbird on a brick wall is dedicated to our friend. Get better soon Jill!

© Colin Howey 2014

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Canary Rainbow


Sometimes, the art of taking a good photograph is when it tells a story. Here is one such image, submitted by Norwich City fan, Chris George. He hopes that there's a pot of gold at the end of this particular rainbow at Carrow Road. 


Exploring Chapelfield Park

Here are some of the photos taken by Eureka members following our visit last Friday to Chapelfield Park in central Norwich...

David's Photos...





© David Vellenoweth 2014

Julia's Photos...





© Julia McNulty 2014

Colin's Photos...





One of these photos is not taken in Chapelfield,. Can you spot which one it is?

© Colin Howey 2014

PS It was great to have Bailee, a visitor from the USA, join us for the session. Really good to meet you Bailee!

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Stacks of Stunning Stuff!



These two photographs were taken in the most humdrum, everyday of settings. What are they images of though? As we Eurekarites say - find wonder as you wander.

© Colin Howey 2014