PaintJam

If you are looking for a great way to have fun and improve your wellbeing then come along and join our Painting For Wellbeing sessions at BlueJam Arts on Thursdays from 10:30am-12:30pm or our Painting and Gongs session on Wednesdays from 4-5.30pm. These are very friendly and supportive groups who meet each week to talk, laugh and share in the joy of being creative.

You can work on anything that inspires you and complete beginners are welcome. Sometimes in sessions we work together painting on a large piece of paper each adding a little, letting all our different styles blend together which has led to some lovely collaborative work.

In 2025 we completed a very inspiring joint book project. Each member chose a subject and then everyone submitted a painting or drawing to each book. The subjects chosen ranged from Humanity to Flowers of Hope . We are very proud of the finished books and everyone enjoyed working together and expanding their creativity by focusing on new subjects.

This Spring we are working alongside other groups in Penrith to make a creative response to Mayburgh Henge, Arthurs Round Table and Penrith Castle. We will have a folk picnic at Mayburgh Henge on 8th March and a final celebration showing all the work from the project at BlueJam Arts Space on Sunday 22nd March.

These are a few words from members of the group:

“Before I joined painting for wellbeing I was feeling a bit lost, isolated and lacking confidence due to ill health. I was a bit unsure about joining, however on my first session I immediately felt welcome, Jilly who runs the group has a great way of getting everyone involved and putting you at ease. It feels very special to be part of this group and sharing art with these very lovely people”

“I always enjoy my sessions at BlueJam where Jilly offers a welcoming, generous and relaxed space for us to paint freely and have creative conversations. There’s no agenda so you can do your own thing; we have fun playing with paint and other materials without having to worry about an end product – no one is judging the results. I find it a lovely way to relax and switch off from everyday worries and it has helped me to be more adventurous when I draw and paint.”

“In the presence of Thursday Painting for wellbeing at Blue Jam Arts, I find the space of freedom to be myself in good and bad days.I express my thoughts freely in collage work. I sense the joy of chatting and listening to group members. Recently there is a great joy doing collaborative work together in producing a book which each member contributes a page to it. I find just being there with other members on Thursday doing artwork has certainly enhanced my wellbeing”.