De Sausmarez Ward gets a splash of colour

Tuesday 02 August 2022

Scenes of Saumarez Park adorn the walls of the De Sausmarez Ward at the hospital thanks to artwork created at the start of the pandemic by local artist James Colmer.

The De Sausmarez Ward is an orthopaedic unit with patients recovering from elective hip, knee or shoulder surgery. The ward also cares for people with spinal and traumatic bone injuries, meaning patients might spend long periods of time in bed post-surgery

The artworks have been praised by both staff and patients for the introduction of colour onto the ward and the therapeutic qualities they deliver. They have been used as a physiotherapy tool to give patients a point of reference to walk to during their recovery.

Mr Colmer said it was important to override the clinical feel of the ward by bringing “the outside in”.

“After some discussion about the theme, we felt it apt to create a visual tour of Saumarez Park as there was a strong connection there to the ward’s name. It was decided to go for a more painterly style, so I set up creating many large scale paintings,” he said.

Pictured: The cafe painting is one of Mr Colmer's favourites. 

Mr Colmer told Express that because of work commitments, he only has time to paint in the evenings once his son is in bed.

He said each of the paintings took him roughly six hours to complete and that “some are more challenging than others”.

Mr Colmer previously contributed artwork to the Roustel Ward of the hospital: “The brief was different there, but very much about reminiscing Guernsey."

He said muted colours were used on that ward to “create a soothing environment” for dementia sufferers, whilst the artwork on the De Sausmarez Ward features brighter colours to encourage recovery walking along the corridor.

Mr Colmer added that he was “really pleased with the café” painting as well as the painting of a boy on a bicycle, which is his son.

“I was very happy with the outcome and the total upgrade complimented my murals perfectly. Feedback from the nurses has been very positive and the whole experience has offered something uplifting, familiar and less clinical.”

Pictured: Mr Colmer's son features in this painting. 

Ward Sister Ruth Hargreaves welcomed the artworks: “The ward has a lovely feel to it and is really light and bright. With the murals depicting the walk through Saumarez Park it really helps staff to monitor the distances our service users have walked which is really important in Orthopaedics."

For practicality reasons, Mr Colmer painted the artwork off-site. They were later photographed by Aaron Yeadle before being resized and printed on vinyl, ultimately being installed on the Ward’s walls by Dowding Signs.

The original paintings are available to view in the corridors of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital on Level Two.

Pictured (top): James Colmer. Credit: Guernsey Arts.