With our diaries scrubbed of social engagements, activities - and for myself equestrian competing - 2020 has proved an awkward, disillusioned year so far. I hope you have managed to stay safe and well.

Blesma activities going online has kept isolation anxiety and loneliness at bay. I was grateful to join the Virtual Family Friendly Art Workshop via Zoom, a three-day activity spread over three weeks.

It is run by Metal Southend, who have hosted Art workshops with Blesma in the past, and it really gave me something different to look forward to.

Experience with drawing was not necessary....phew!

Starting with pencil drawings, the first day we were given a warm up exercise of drawing anything that was in front of you, but without taking the pencil off the paper. I immediately thought back to the Etchasketch!

Afterwards we then spent the rest of the hour sketching a view from our windows. Being a wheelchair user, my 18th century cottage is totally inaccessible to enjoy any views, so I drew the curtains instead. This gave me the chance to experiment with shading and folds.

The second week, our warm up exercise involved drawing in colour, to represent our feelings. A difficult task, which I tried to conjure up with fire and brimstone! (Pretty much sums up me up!)

The main exercise for this session was then to take inspiration from the Great Artists. I chose George Seurat, Bathers at Asnières (1884), and gave it a twist by making the boy which the original artist focuses on an amputee in a wheelchair thinking of better times.

The third and final week was about self-portraits. In the warmup we had to draw ourselves - but without looking! The finished product resembled trolls and gonks (if you are old enough to remember those characters from childhood days.)

The final exercise was of course a self portrait again, for this main exercise instead of portraying my whole face, I went obscure and drew one eye. I used a 12B pencil for this task, using a small piece of leather (I'm a saddler by trade) for smudging. This was definitely my best piece from the entire workshop.

My thanks to Blesma for organising this Zoom activity. It was thoroughly enjoyable. It was lovely to be able to chat and catch up with other Members. Being social without leaving the house! Please can you do more art workshops?

Susi Rogers- Hartley