Exhibition created by veterans and their families at Weymouth barbers

Barberista UK in St Thomas Street is hosting an art exhibition in collaboration with the Veterans Hub and Got Your Six UK, which sees a whole array of different genres of artwork cover the walls of the shop from paintings to photographs to poems.

Although the space is quite small, it is full of incredible works created by people all throughout the military community.

Tara Coyles-Gould, resident counsellor at the Veterans Hub, who also runs veterans' organisation Got Your Six UK, said: “The idea came from one of my clients who was a bit low and struggling to get back into creativity and I was speaking with Andy Price (Founder and Project Manager at the Hub) and I said wouldn’t it be nice to run something that could encourage people to get back into doing some creative work and it escalated into what this is – which is two floors of amazing artwork from people who are serving, veterans, spouses and children.”

Upon entry to the shop, it is evident that none of the artworks are the same and one of the most striking images hits you as soon as you enter - a painting of a soldier who appears to be in pain, knelt down and holding a mask of his own face, a work created by ‘Tankie Dave.’  

On the wall opposite are a couple of much more colourful works with underlying urban art themes of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Artworks from the exhibition by Tankie Dave (Image: Tankie Dave)

Tara added: “I think from a mental health perspective and the brain science behind it is that your right brain is your creative side and the left side is your thinking side and when you’re doing creative activities, you can’t be using the thinking side where all the troubles are, you can just express without language and that’s what a lot of these guys have done – especially the one at the front of the soldier with a mask – it’s a way of saying a thousand words without actually saying anything at all.”

The majority of the artwork has been done by male artists.

Rachel Gray, director of the Veterans Hub, said: “I think it’s because it helps with mental health it’s unusual that there’s such a high percentage of men.”

Tara previously explained that: “Men in particular find it hard to talk about their experiences, but art can be a great way to release and resolve internal conflicts and distress.”

One of the artists displaying his work at the barber shop was 72-year-old Paul ‘Newts’ Newton, a regular at the Veterans Hub, and former Royal Navy man. His works include ‘Snail Hotel’ and ‘Wyke Road Bridge.’

Paul explained that he hadn’t created the artwork specifically for the exhibit but that they had come from ‘years upon years.’

He said: “There’s two cartoons I did upstairs from way back in the 80s and a couple of the other paintings – I tell stories for my granddaughters and I illustrate them – I’ve always loved painting but in the last few years, it’s helped me through some mental problems.

Snail Hotel by Paul 'Newts' Newton (Image: -)

“It’s strange – to actually exhibit – I’ve never done it before and when Tara asked me to put a couple in, I was a bit dubious and embarrassed at first and now looking at all these other guys – they’re all fantastic.”

Rachel added: “I think it’s really important and a lot of these, I see them as very personal to the artist and on that basis – it is open to interpretation.”

Using words as a form of art through the poetry displayed on mirrors and walls was another way of tugging at viewers heart strings with works by Clive Sanders standing out rather prominently. ‘Alice’s Christmas’ was one of his creations and featured the moving lines:

‘Then early in the evening,

She had made her way to bed,

And thought about her father,

As she prayed inside her head.

She prayed her Daddy will be home,

As soon as soon could be,

For although her father serves away,

“He should be here with me.”

Poems by Clive Sanders (Image: -)

Alex Douglas, owner of Barberista UK, said he was delighted to host the exhibit.

“On my days off, I work with the Dorset Mental Health Forum and I have been doing workshops with the Lantern Trust, Fight Back Mental Health and START just bringing guys in with mental health issues, giving them haircuts, having coffee mornings, playing pool and we do that every other Monday.

"So, when Andy approached me I thought it would be a great idea because it brings together people from the community.

“There has been a lot of people coming in and some people come in and ask questions - Everyone likes a little bit of everything, everything’s different.

“I think it's amazing, anyone who can change their lives and bring out the creative side of themselves to create anything – I think it's fantastic that people can take problems that they have in their own life and express it in artwork.

“I’m interested in doing more of it – I have a lot of walls here that it would be nice to fill with lots of artwork.”

Many of the artists are local to Dorset and Somerset, but some have provided works from as far as Essex and Gloucester.

The moving exhibition was initially set to finish on April 7 but has been extended for at least one more week.