Sal Tonge - Our Interviewer
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Sal Tonge is a verbal artist- a popular performer in festivals, concerts and village halls. She works widely and often almost invisibly with people in hospitals, special needs settings and schools.
She loves to bathe ears in the music of language and investigates the spaces between story and song, sound and meaning.
In 2021/22 she co wrote, performed and toured the musical comedy JABS - based on her experiences as an NHS vaccinator during the pandemic - possibly the first and only drama in the country located in a vaccination pod!
She makes great marmalade and loves to hula hoop. She is fitness instructor, leads Silent Disco flash mobs and offers embodied, creative wellness adventures
www.saltonge.com
FB: SalTonge Storyteller
email: [email protected]
She loves to bathe ears in the music of language and investigates the spaces between story and song, sound and meaning.
In 2021/22 she co wrote, performed and toured the musical comedy JABS - based on her experiences as an NHS vaccinator during the pandemic - possibly the first and only drama in the country located in a vaccination pod!
She makes great marmalade and loves to hula hoop. She is fitness instructor, leads Silent Disco flash mobs and offers embodied, creative wellness adventures
www.saltonge.com
FB: SalTonge Storyteller
email: [email protected]
Jo Jukes
As an artist, writer, singer and creativity workshop tutor, the recurring themes of my work are the natural world and our relationship to it. The landscape of Shropshire with its mix of ancient settlements and birth of industry inspires me to explore the changes, the feel and the atmosphere of a place. My jewellery designs and textural artwork are organic, leaving a rawness about the metal which reminds me of archaeological finds or by-products of industry.
I work in a wide variety of media and am constantly developing new creative practices in my life’s growth. I am currently working on a series of paintings and collographs of the Shropshire hill forts inspired by experiences encountered in the writing my first book ‘Finding Home -Journeys with the Hillforts of Shropshire’.
My second book ‘Finding Beauty - A year of Nature Outside Your Door’ will be out later this year. During the past two years I have also been writing a collection of songs that will be released as an album in spring called ‘Weaving the World’ with my multi-instrumentalist, musician friend Rick Wilson.
jojukes.wordpress.com
Jo Jukes 5 Elements Facebook
wolfwordsandcrowspeak.com
[email protected]
Book link
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1116873970/finding-home-journeys-with-the-hillforts
I work in a wide variety of media and am constantly developing new creative practices in my life’s growth. I am currently working on a series of paintings and collographs of the Shropshire hill forts inspired by experiences encountered in the writing my first book ‘Finding Home -Journeys with the Hillforts of Shropshire’.
My second book ‘Finding Beauty - A year of Nature Outside Your Door’ will be out later this year. During the past two years I have also been writing a collection of songs that will be released as an album in spring called ‘Weaving the World’ with my multi-instrumentalist, musician friend Rick Wilson.
jojukes.wordpress.com
Jo Jukes 5 Elements Facebook
wolfwordsandcrowspeak.com
[email protected]
Book link
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1116873970/finding-home-journeys-with-the-hillforts
Kuli Kohli
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Kuli Kohli was born in India with cerebral palsy. Now lives in Wolverhampton, married with 3 children. She’s retired from Wolverhampton Council after working 32 years. She runs the Punjabi Women’s Writing Group. Her poetry Patchwork and A Wonder Woman are published by Offa’s Press. She’s performed at universities in London, Berlin, Liverpool.
She writes for Disability Arts Online. She’s performed at the British Museum. She has been appointed Poet Laureate of Wolverhampton 2022 to 2024. She’s been awarded an honorary doctorate degree, Doctor of Letters, by the University of Wolverhampton in 2022. She is involved in various projects around the country.
www.kulikohli.co.uk
https://linktr.ee/Kulikohli
She writes for Disability Arts Online. She’s performed at the British Museum. She has been appointed Poet Laureate of Wolverhampton 2022 to 2024. She’s been awarded an honorary doctorate degree, Doctor of Letters, by the University of Wolverhampton in 2022. She is involved in various projects around the country.
www.kulikohli.co.uk
https://linktr.ee/Kulikohli
Anna Nierobisz
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Anna is a Polish-British artist based in UK who works across a spectrum of media: Theatre, Film, and XR. Central to her work is to bring the authenticity, excitement, and experience of live performances into the Virtual Reality (VR) environments. For this purpose, she works with game engines and the latest motion capture technologies and applies her knowledge of creating immersive theatre and storytelling to the XR media.
sensosis.co.uk
[email protected]
FB: @Sensosis
Insta: sensosis_vr
sensosis.co.uk
[email protected]
FB: @Sensosis
Insta: sensosis_vr
Katherine Soutar Caddick
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There is a Seamus Heaney poem called digging, which is his testament to the skill of his father and grandfather as farmers and how much their work was bound up with their way of being in the world and it ends with these lines
‘Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it’
This has always been my feeling about making art too. It is my way of being in the world, I dig in paper for what I can find there and bring into the light and what I find there is influenced by everything I have seen and heard and experienced.
As an illustrator my work has always focused on the evocation and enhancement of narrative. It brings together my deep love of story and folklore with my interest in the natural world and our relationship to it. Even as a small child, stories, songs and poems were as much a visual experience for me as they were an experience of reading and listening. There is a magic in storytelling I try to capture in my artwork.
https://katherinesoutarillustration.com
FB: Katherine Soutar Artist
Twitter: @Kate_Dancingcat
Email: [email protected]
‘Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it’
This has always been my feeling about making art too. It is my way of being in the world, I dig in paper for what I can find there and bring into the light and what I find there is influenced by everything I have seen and heard and experienced.
As an illustrator my work has always focused on the evocation and enhancement of narrative. It brings together my deep love of story and folklore with my interest in the natural world and our relationship to it. Even as a small child, stories, songs and poems were as much a visual experience for me as they were an experience of reading and listening. There is a magic in storytelling I try to capture in my artwork.
https://katherinesoutarillustration.com
FB: Katherine Soutar Artist
Twitter: @Kate_Dancingcat
Email: [email protected]
Kanjana Nicholas
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My Sri Lankan roots have infused in me a lifelong love of bold and uplifting colours. I draw on childhood memories; of times spent in my mothers’ garden filled with exotic plants and vegetables. These experiences continue to form my adult life.
My garden and allotment are a constant source of inspiration for my paintings. Sri Lanka is a country that is rich in culture and history. Living and growing up alongside different religions has given me a respect for all cultures, and a strong spiritual outlook on life.
I use symbols to convey a message of hope and optimism in my art.
The main focus of my various art forms, is my fascination with the natural world. Nature is a constant source of inspiration to me, and it is the way I restore and heal. My art is a response to the landscape I inhabit. My work explores the mediums of watercolour, acrylic & oil painting as well as felted textile
www.kanjnicholasarts.co.uk
Email:[email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/KanjNicholasArt
Insta: kanj_nicholas
My garden and allotment are a constant source of inspiration for my paintings. Sri Lanka is a country that is rich in culture and history. Living and growing up alongside different religions has given me a respect for all cultures, and a strong spiritual outlook on life.
I use symbols to convey a message of hope and optimism in my art.
The main focus of my various art forms, is my fascination with the natural world. Nature is a constant source of inspiration to me, and it is the way I restore and heal. My art is a response to the landscape I inhabit. My work explores the mediums of watercolour, acrylic & oil painting as well as felted textile
www.kanjnicholasarts.co.uk
Email:[email protected]
FB: www.facebook.com/KanjNicholasArt
Insta: kanj_nicholas
TANYA RAABE-WEBBER
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Tanya Raabe-Webber is an acclaimed disabled/visual artist challenging the notion of identity within contemporary portraiture, often creating portraits of high profile disabled and diverse people during live sittings in high profile public art galleries and venues.
She uses a mixture of traditional and digital painting and drawing techniques, often fusing the two together in an interactive live environment, inviting physical and online audiences to join in.
Raabe-Webber is also an establish leader and mentor to other artists and a specialist in supporting learning disability artists and artists practice. In 2014 she presented a collaborative research into supporting learning disabled artists with Glasgow based Project Ability at the ‘Contemporary Outsider Art: The Global Context’ conference in Australia, followed by being artist-in-residence with Project Ability, as part of their ‘International Summit of Learning Disabled Artists’.
In 2015 she set up ArtStudio01 (AS01): an inclusive artists collective in Shrewsbury now supporting 11 learning disabled artists in their creative and professional practice.
https://tanyaraabewebber.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]
tanyaraabewebber.wordpress.com
She uses a mixture of traditional and digital painting and drawing techniques, often fusing the two together in an interactive live environment, inviting physical and online audiences to join in.
Raabe-Webber is also an establish leader and mentor to other artists and a specialist in supporting learning disability artists and artists practice. In 2014 she presented a collaborative research into supporting learning disabled artists with Glasgow based Project Ability at the ‘Contemporary Outsider Art: The Global Context’ conference in Australia, followed by being artist-in-residence with Project Ability, as part of their ‘International Summit of Learning Disabled Artists’.
In 2015 she set up ArtStudio01 (AS01): an inclusive artists collective in Shrewsbury now supporting 11 learning disabled artists in their creative and professional practice.
https://tanyaraabewebber.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]
tanyaraabewebber.wordpress.com
JAQUELINE COOLEY
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Jaqueline Cooley is an artist who describes herself as having her ‘fingers in many pies’! She has had a very varied career, often having interesting part time freelance roles running alongside her creative practice.
She studied Three Dimensional Design: Glass at University followed by 6 years working for a ceramics company, then 6 years as a technician in the glass department at the University of Wolverhampton. Self employment beckoned as she began working on a series of large scale public art projects. Ideas and imagery for these projects would often spill over into her studio work, such as Millstone and Leaf series. The experience she gained led to a number of fixed contract roles such as arts development officer for local councils, project coordinator of a regional touring exhibition and Business Manager at Designs in Mind.
Since 2010 she has worked for the International Festival of Glass as International Coordinator and from 2015 has worked with renowned disabled artist Tanya Raabe-Webber as her PA/Artists Assistant/Project Producer.
From 2017-2018 Jaqueline studied for an MA in Design and Applied Art: Glass. Her final project was inspired by the National Trust village of Quatt where she lived. Using the visual clues of former residents and the lives they once lived she created a body of work that represented a palette of images, textures and mark making, gathered together in a collection of vessels. Accompanied by video, photography and audio, the collection drew the viewer into the immersive world of Quatt.
Jaqueline is currently a member of the Boundary Way INKollective, a collective of artists working with homemade botanical inks who set regular postcard challenges reflecting concerns for the environment or interest in local folklore.
www.jaquelinecooley.com
FB: www.facebook/Jaqueline.Cooley
email: [email protected]
Insta: @jaquelinecooley
She studied Three Dimensional Design: Glass at University followed by 6 years working for a ceramics company, then 6 years as a technician in the glass department at the University of Wolverhampton. Self employment beckoned as she began working on a series of large scale public art projects. Ideas and imagery for these projects would often spill over into her studio work, such as Millstone and Leaf series. The experience she gained led to a number of fixed contract roles such as arts development officer for local councils, project coordinator of a regional touring exhibition and Business Manager at Designs in Mind.
Since 2010 she has worked for the International Festival of Glass as International Coordinator and from 2015 has worked with renowned disabled artist Tanya Raabe-Webber as her PA/Artists Assistant/Project Producer.
From 2017-2018 Jaqueline studied for an MA in Design and Applied Art: Glass. Her final project was inspired by the National Trust village of Quatt where she lived. Using the visual clues of former residents and the lives they once lived she created a body of work that represented a palette of images, textures and mark making, gathered together in a collection of vessels. Accompanied by video, photography and audio, the collection drew the viewer into the immersive world of Quatt.
Jaqueline is currently a member of the Boundary Way INKollective, a collective of artists working with homemade botanical inks who set regular postcard challenges reflecting concerns for the environment or interest in local folklore.
www.jaquelinecooley.com
FB: www.facebook/Jaqueline.Cooley
email: [email protected]
Insta: @jaquelinecooley
MARIA GILLEN
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Maria is an Irish Storyteller and Dramatherapist, She has an M.A. in Dramatherapy from Maynooth University with an emphasis on the medicinal story. She's Storyteller in Residence for Kerry Writers Museum from 2020 to 2022, and Artistic Director for Listowel International Storytelling Festival 2021 and 2022
· Storyteller, Workshop Provider and Compere for Listowel International Storytelling Festival
· Well known Bean An Tí (Irish Session Host)
· Creator of original stories based on the traditional storytelling skills of Ireland (Bean Feasa)
· Award Winning Storyteller - Winner of Sean McCarthy Cup Finuge, Butter Roads Storytelling Competition and Bealtaine Hero Award for for healing reminiscence stories
· Delivered workshops for Adobe, Johnson Controls, Forasa, UCC, Maynooth University and Olomouc University in the Czech Republic.
· Delivered Resilience Through Story Workshops throughout Ireland and in Czech Republic and Germany.
· Works intergenerationally in the community with stories.
I have curated the Storytelling Session at the world famous Listowel Writers Week (founded by famous Irish authors who were responsible for films and books like The Field and the Quiet Man) in 2022. During this festival I told the 'story that was never told' by pulling red threads from the audience and performing that story in 'real time'.
Email: [email protected]
www.storyfromseeds.com
Insta: Story Seeds (@beansceal)
YouTube: Story Seeds Maria Gillen
ELLA BARON
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An editorial cartoonist and comics artist, I create visual narratives with drawings that are dark, spiky and detailed. They tend towards social commentary and satire.
I grew up with a stylus in hand: a born digital artist, I have a First in English Literature from Oxford, somewhat to my surprise given my thesis focused entirely on the space between a comics’ panels. Fulfilling all the cliches, I live in a warehouse in East London.
My debut graphic novel INTERFACE will be published by Virago. I've taken commissions from publications, NGOs, businesses and individuals
www.ellabaron.com
Email: [email protected]
Insta: @ella_baron
FB: EllaMBaron
I grew up with a stylus in hand: a born digital artist, I have a First in English Literature from Oxford, somewhat to my surprise given my thesis focused entirely on the space between a comics’ panels. Fulfilling all the cliches, I live in a warehouse in East London.
My debut graphic novel INTERFACE will be published by Virago. I've taken commissions from publications, NGOs, businesses and individuals
www.ellabaron.com
Email: [email protected]
Insta: @ella_baron
FB: EllaMBaron
AMY DOUGLAS
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Amy Douglas is a vibrant professional storyteller with a passion for traditional stories and riddles. She is the Author of two books, Shropshire Folk Stories and Shropshire Folk Tales for Children
She first discovered storytelling at the age of 14 and has been a devotee of the art, broadening her knowledge, experience and skills as a storyteller as well as promoting and celebrating the art form ever since. In 1993 Amy was awarded the first West Midlands Arts Storytelling Apprenticeship and spent a year studying with professional storytellers throughout Britain and further afield including Helen East, Hugh Lupton, Liz Weir, Jim May and Duncan Williamson.
She was a founder of member of both the Tales at the Edge storytelling club and Festival at the Edge international storytelling festival. She served two years as a Director of the Society for Storytelling, organising the Annual Gatherings for 1999 in Stockport and 2000 in Telford. She is the founder of 'Taking the Tradition on' a series of podcasts and YouTube Videos
Amy is experienced in community projects, performance, workshops and working with children, teenagers and adults in all environments using storytelling for education, or pure entertainment.
Email: [email protected]
www.amydouglas.com
Insta: amy_douglas_storyteller
Twitter: AmyDStoryteller
YouTube: TakingTheTraditionOn
She first discovered storytelling at the age of 14 and has been a devotee of the art, broadening her knowledge, experience and skills as a storyteller as well as promoting and celebrating the art form ever since. In 1993 Amy was awarded the first West Midlands Arts Storytelling Apprenticeship and spent a year studying with professional storytellers throughout Britain and further afield including Helen East, Hugh Lupton, Liz Weir, Jim May and Duncan Williamson.
She was a founder of member of both the Tales at the Edge storytelling club and Festival at the Edge international storytelling festival. She served two years as a Director of the Society for Storytelling, organising the Annual Gatherings for 1999 in Stockport and 2000 in Telford. She is the founder of 'Taking the Tradition on' a series of podcasts and YouTube Videos
Amy is experienced in community projects, performance, workshops and working with children, teenagers and adults in all environments using storytelling for education, or pure entertainment.
Email: [email protected]
www.amydouglas.com
Insta: amy_douglas_storyteller
Twitter: AmyDStoryteller
YouTube: TakingTheTraditionOn
Alex Vann
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Alex is an all-round creative: graphic designer, portrait artist, musician, songwriter, and workshop leader.
Having worked at various Midlands graphic design agencies on many global brands such as BMW, Cadbury, Marks & Spencer and the BBC he has been a freelance designer at various times in the past, most recently since January 2018 with his company Alex Vann Design.
He founded the company Real Arts Workshops Ltd (RAW) in the late 1990s, initially as a final year university project. RAW began as an environmentally minded concept, using recycled materials to make art with school children. Alex runs the company with his partner Gary who is profoundly Deaf and they use BSL to provide sessions that the Deaf community can access as well as wide range of other groups, charities and organisations.
Alex was a key artist on the ‘Wolves in Wolves’ public art project in 2017. He decorated 2 of the large wolf sculptures that were situated around Wolverhampton town centre: ‘Support Life’ which is now at University of Wolverhampton and ‘Old Gold’ which is at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Museum.
He started playing electric guitar in local rock bands at the age of 20: ‘Showground’; ‘Love Street’; ‘Rich Without Money’; ‘LIFT’ and ‘Zanzibar’ at the same time playing as a solo acoustic musician at open mics and pubs and clubs. He has supported many well-known personalities along the way including Paul Young and All About Eve and has self-released many albums. His latest album release ‘You Shine’ was made at M2 Studios in Coven and is a deeply personal collection of 14 self-penned songs which can be downloaded / streamed from his website and Bandcamp.
https://www.alexvann.net/
https://www.realartsworkshops.co.uk/
https://www.alexvanndesign.co.uk/
https://alexvann.bandcamp.com/album/you-shine
https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicManVann
Having worked at various Midlands graphic design agencies on many global brands such as BMW, Cadbury, Marks & Spencer and the BBC he has been a freelance designer at various times in the past, most recently since January 2018 with his company Alex Vann Design.
He founded the company Real Arts Workshops Ltd (RAW) in the late 1990s, initially as a final year university project. RAW began as an environmentally minded concept, using recycled materials to make art with school children. Alex runs the company with his partner Gary who is profoundly Deaf and they use BSL to provide sessions that the Deaf community can access as well as wide range of other groups, charities and organisations.
Alex was a key artist on the ‘Wolves in Wolves’ public art project in 2017. He decorated 2 of the large wolf sculptures that were situated around Wolverhampton town centre: ‘Support Life’ which is now at University of Wolverhampton and ‘Old Gold’ which is at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Museum.
He started playing electric guitar in local rock bands at the age of 20: ‘Showground’; ‘Love Street’; ‘Rich Without Money’; ‘LIFT’ and ‘Zanzibar’ at the same time playing as a solo acoustic musician at open mics and pubs and clubs. He has supported many well-known personalities along the way including Paul Young and All About Eve and has self-released many albums. His latest album release ‘You Shine’ was made at M2 Studios in Coven and is a deeply personal collection of 14 self-penned songs which can be downloaded / streamed from his website and Bandcamp.
https://www.alexvann.net/
https://www.realartsworkshops.co.uk/
https://www.alexvanndesign.co.uk/
https://alexvann.bandcamp.com/album/you-shine
https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicManVann
Fi Marks
Fi paint stories of women from history and literature. Fi says "Women have been and continue to be silenced, I give them a voice! I not only research these women, but the textiles of the time. These patterns surround the women, in their setting and clothes. Every detail is painted by hand and a wonder to behold"
Fi's journey has had many twists and turns (like the tales she tells through paint). As a child she always wanted to be an actress, however much of her time was spent with books and pencils, history and fashion being a huge passion.
Fi went on to study drama and acted for a while before becoming a teacher in London. Her time in education was consumed with promoting creativity and the arts at the centre of the school curriculum. Directing productions, teaching art and dance was where her passion lay.
Fi is now a full time artist with her art selling all over the world. You can find out more via the links below
http://linkedin.com/in/fi-marks-939918188
https://www.facebook.com/fiona.marks.14
https://www.facebook.com/fimarks4
www.fimarks-art.co.uk
Fi's journey has had many twists and turns (like the tales she tells through paint). As a child she always wanted to be an actress, however much of her time was spent with books and pencils, history and fashion being a huge passion.
Fi went on to study drama and acted for a while before becoming a teacher in London. Her time in education was consumed with promoting creativity and the arts at the centre of the school curriculum. Directing productions, teaching art and dance was where her passion lay.
Fi is now a full time artist with her art selling all over the world. You can find out more via the links below
http://linkedin.com/in/fi-marks-939918188
https://www.facebook.com/fiona.marks.14
https://www.facebook.com/fimarks4
www.fimarks-art.co.uk
Andrew Fusek-Peters
Andrew began his creative life as a children's storyteller, poet, juggler and didgeridoo player. Over a career spanning 25 years, he performed and ran creative writing workshops in thousands of schools around the UK and beyond. He collaborated with his wife Polly on overt 100 books for children and YA, with their novels, poetry, plays and storybooks published in 17 countries and selling millions of copies. Their poetry is recorded in the Poetry Archive.
Andrew started a new career in 2014 as a wildlife and landscape photographer and he has gone on to achieve great success. Andrew is now an OM System Ambassador whose beautiful wildlife photos appear regularly in the national papers and magazines with recent cover shots for BBC Wildlife, the Times, the Guardian, Amateur Photographer and Country Life. His latest book Butterfly Safari, a celebration of UK butterflies was highly praised. 'A spectacular showcase of British Butterflies' BBC Wildlife Magazine 'Incredible photos... a beautiful book. 'The Guardian 'Breathtaking and beautiful photos... a butterfly book like no other.' Amateur Photographer. Andrew is a highly entertaining speaker and a passionate advocate for conservation.
www.fusekphotos.com
www.instagram.com/andrewfusekpeters/
Andrew started a new career in 2014 as a wildlife and landscape photographer and he has gone on to achieve great success. Andrew is now an OM System Ambassador whose beautiful wildlife photos appear regularly in the national papers and magazines with recent cover shots for BBC Wildlife, the Times, the Guardian, Amateur Photographer and Country Life. His latest book Butterfly Safari, a celebration of UK butterflies was highly praised. 'A spectacular showcase of British Butterflies' BBC Wildlife Magazine 'Incredible photos... a beautiful book. 'The Guardian 'Breathtaking and beautiful photos... a butterfly book like no other.' Amateur Photographer. Andrew is a highly entertaining speaker and a passionate advocate for conservation.
www.fusekphotos.com
www.instagram.com/andrewfusekpeters/
Amy Boucher
Amy Boucher is a writer and folklorist, who focuses on her native Shropshire. Her emphasis is primarily on the interplay between folklore, history and the paranormal, and perceptions of the past through the lens of folk beliefs. She is a writer for Haunted magazine and Ghostmag, has recently written an audio drama about Shropshire's satanic folklore, and shares Shropshire's folklore via her blog -
Blog: nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com
Audio Drama: The Best of Men - An Audio Drama (Part one)
The Best of Men - An Audio Drama (Part Two)
Blog: nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com
Audio Drama: The Best of Men - An Audio Drama (Part one)
The Best of Men - An Audio Drama (Part Two)
