DJ Spoony opens Tibbs' first ever dementia art exhibition at Bedford's Eagle Gallery

A Tibbs Dementia Foundation member is holding his first professional art exhibition after a post-diagnosis discovery of previously hidden talent.

Foundation member, Phillip Watmough, discovered his artistic talent after his dementia diagnosis and since then has enjoyed years of creativity, producing vast collections of abstract pieces, using pastel on paper canvas, all with distinctive explosions of colour and imagery.

This all began through the encouragement and nurturing he received at the Tibbs’ Activatea sessions, which over time has helped him to cultivate this previously unknown ability, flourishing into the dementia artist who’s work we can all experience today.

Phillip’s story is a strong message of hope and a valuable reminder that there are many means of expression after a diagnosis with new adventures and experiences to be had.

The exhibition at The Eagle Gallery was officially opened by BBC Radio 2’s Johnathan Joseph – better known as DJ Spoony – who spoke to the gathered crowd, saying: “Music isn’t about the key or how the drums are programmed, it’s about the memories that it evokes. That is why music and dementia and art go hand in hand.”

The exhibition of Phillip’s artwork is running now until September 7.

All the artworks at the St Peter’s Street gallery are one-off originals and available to purchase: Framed pictures are selling for £65 with unframed pictures starting from £25.

All proceeds are being donated to Tibbs Dementia Foundation – Bedfordshire’s leading supplier of dementia care services.

Tibbs CEO, Sarah Russell said: “We are hugely grateful to The Eagle Gallery for making this exhibition possible, to Hatters and Claytons for their generous sponsorship and a special thank you to Phillip and Wendy Watmough and their family, for their hard work and dedication to ensuring that this exhibition is filled with so much truly inspirational art.”

If you have a friend of family member that is affected by memory loss or dementia and want to find out more about the activities and support services that Tibbs provides, email [email protected] or call 01234 210993.