"Embers of a New Dawn" - A Digital Art Exhibition by Kirsten Preston Villa Marina Complex First Floor Bar Running from 19 April to 27 May Open Daily - Free Entry I am a friend of the Sayle Gallery, Villa Marina Promenade in Douglas. I do believe I am the first friend to stage an exhibition in my own right, after successfully having secured the backing from the Visual Arts Panel, within the Arts Council. Beside the 29 pieces of work on show, I have also launched a booklet with 33 little poems, each with their own illustration. Both the images and the poetry, is the culmination of the last 8 months, in which I have found almost impossible to sleep, due to the medication I have to rely upon, as I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease almost two years ago. A very close friend of mine threw me a lifeline in the form of a wonderful digital camera, and well that was it, - I was hooked. I have been dappling and doing all sorts of art for years, but when presented with this gift, - well the rest is history. The exhibition portrays partly, what you can find when out and about in the fields, on the beach, in town, or in a compound housing fishermen’s gear. I also wanted to explore the face, so I used my own, to experiment with light and dark, and it really was quite daunting to be forced to look at myself as an image, having to accept my good and bad points as it were. However as things progressed, I found it a totally absorbing and exciting exercise. I am also exhibiting some digital drawings / photo manipulations, which I had a lot of fun doing, so all in all, I hope there will be something for everybody to enjoy. As the booklet goes, that along with cards is available from the Sayle Gallery, Villa Marina Promenade, Douglas. These poems are mostly focused on relationships, and I think all, young and old, will be able to relate to them. Some are written with tongue in cheek, and some are rawer. There is one relating to my medical condition, a couple about birds (crows) and loads about love or lack of same. - Ends -