I decided to take my two girls (10 and 12) along to Brighton on Film showing on May 4 at Brighton University. The first short film was I See Me, a couple of artists working with a group of special needs students. The film showed us highlights of the creative journey they went on to produce pieces about themselves.

The students never seemed that sure of what they were doing and why they were doing it. This reminded me of working with secondary students on projects in art (I am an art teacher). The outcomes can always be quite impressive but whether they understand the process of getting there is questionable.

I was expecting to be bored by the Open House film. But there were some very honest comments from the artists who show their work from their own homes, particularly in relation to the preparation of their homes in the lead-up to the event. They described cleaning, painting the walls, de-cluttering and then hanging their pieces aesthetically. Being a naturally nosey person I like to look around peoples houses to see how they live and then to see if I would like to live that way. It reminded me very much of the property shows where you see the finished theme, always beautifully presented yet unlived in.

The other insight I got from the artists was that they see showing art work in a more homely environment compared to a gallery as a very positive way to introduce the public to art. Here I got quite cynical. A desire to strive to create great art and have it exhibited nationally is surely a good thing. So here the open-house artists revealed their low horizons.

To end positively, my 10-year-old decided today that you don’t have to paint just things but you can also paint how you feel and she has produced a couple of abstract pieces today expressing her emotions.