Enfield’s Sam & Errol weren’t always artists. Before a car accident in 2006 that saw her sustain a severe brain injury, mum of two Sam actually had little interest in drawing. Errol meanwhile spent many years navigating growing up with a brain injury after being knocked down by a car in 1974 aged just 10.
Each had different priorities and challenges in life, however they both came to find a passion and talent for art at brain injury charity Headway East London. As active members for eight and 18 years respectively, Sam and Errol regularly create at the charity’s onsite art studio and are two of the studio’s most prolific artists – building up large portfolios of work and plenty of admirers.
The royal family, love scenes, days out at the beach, London landmarks – certain themes and subjects appear again and again in Errol’s artwork. No matter the subject, Errol himself always features, sometimes prominently, sometimes hidden somewhere in the onlooking crowd. Errol’s self-portraits are explorations in identity and wish fulfilment, showing himself both as he is and how he would like to be. They sometimes feature his wheelchair, sometimes not, instead showing Errol the fireman, Errol the fisherman, Errol the hero of the day. There are no mobility problems in the worlds he creates for himself – his wheelchair is capable of scaling columns and taking to the sky, as light as a feather.
On the other hand, Sam is the queen of wonky. You notice it immediately in straight things such as buildings, but look closely and it is there in almost everything she draws. To Sam, the whole world is curiously crooked. It is a treat just watching her work, all that concentration. Sometimes she looks up and catches your eye. Your thoughts cross, but they never touch.
Sam will often start by picking a photograph or magazine image that catches her eye. To look at the originals they hold no obvious link – tropical fish sit alongside fashion models and vast buildings – however each picture emerges as a minutely detailed study of everyday life and objects.
This exhibition explores differing approaches to art despite an apparent shared experience. The work invites visitors to ask what it really means to be an artist, and how the life of the creator behind the canvas can influence the final piece. It looks at dreams and wishes alongside the mundane and average, and the beauty to be found in life’s simplest forms.
Dugdale Centre, 39 London Road, Enfield, EN2 6DS, until June 1. Details: 020 8807 6680
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here