The idea behind SplashArt idea was inspired by Mercy Health CEO, Stephen Corneillson who was exploring expressive artistic options for residents of Mercy aged care facilities. Activities such as colouring in and painting are meditative pastimes that are proven to assist in reducing problems of depression, boredom and isolation for older people in nursing homes. However, these activities are often a wonderful opportunity for use in student/resident programs to inspire conversation and shared experiences.
Fraynework CEO, Deb Carter said “Stephen wanted an activity that was Mercy centered and I wanted to expand the concept so that it could have a wider appeal and usage for all ages and a variety of Mercy ministries, especially in an educational setting. I really wanted to create something that was a more meaningful experience by adding the story cards so that the resource could be used in pairs or groups as a conversation starter not just as an exercise in itself.”
And so the idea of SplashArt evolved. It is a remarkable product, a fun and relaxing aesthetic experience suitable for all ages. There are no paints required, just a cup of water and brush is used to unveil five exquisite custom drawn illustrations, each paired with an accompanying story card to form a creative formation and educative tool for schools, aged care homes, social services, hospitals and other workplaces.
Painting with water is not a new concept, however, the Fraynework team worked with manufacturers over many months and prototypes to develop a process whereby after the painting exercise is complete, the illustration dries to its original white state, ready to be used over and over again. In fact, up to 200 times.
Deb said ‘We have been really focussed on the issue of sustainability and searching for ways to support this vision in our ministry.’
The first series is titled Discover Mercy especially designed to encourage and inspire conversations about significant aspects of the Mercy story.
In this series, engaging themes of Mercy are explored through the topics of Catherine’s Response to Need, A House of Mercy, Extravagant Hospitality, In Celebration of Catherine and Care for our Common Home.
“Developing the Discover Mercy series over the last year has been such a wonderful opportunity for all the Fraynework team to be involved in creating this resource, from choosing the Mercy themes, to hand-painting the illustrations, to writing the copy and designing the packaging and website, to working with the manufacturers on the technical aspects of the printing process. It’s been a great formation exercise for each of us and hopefully will be as well for our intended audience.”
To find out more, visit splashart.com.au.
Video: https://vimeo.com/329466937 A time-lapse video demonstrating how SplashArt works