John Craske: Picturing Peace

New for 2024, Picturing Peace is an art and wellbeing initiative inspired by John Craske, Dereham’s most famous artist.

John Craske: A fisherman and artist

John Craske (1881-1943) was a Norfolk-born fisherman who moved to Dereham in the early 1900s. John came from a family of fishermen and had a life entwined with the sea, so when a debilitating illness and mysterious stupors took hold of him and he became too ill to be beside the sea, his mental health suffered terribly.
Despite having had no artistic training, John turned to art as a way of escaping his troubled mind. Right up until his death, he produced many paintings and even more embroideries. It is said that John painted on anything he could get his hands on – including every flat surface in his house! When he became too ill to stand and was bedridden, he took to embroidering his beloved seascapes instead. We hope that in doing so his art brought him peace, calming his mind and taking him to his happy place. Through the story of John Craske we see that even in the darkest of times art provides a means of escape, if only in one’s mind.
Life may have been hard for John, but the legacy of his inspiring art lives on.

Get Involved!

Picturing Peace will be a 2024 Bishop Bonner’s Cottage Museum exhibition, and we’d like YOU to be part of it!

Text reads: Where do you go when you need to escape? What brings you peace?

John Craske showed us pictures of his favourite place, and we’d like you to do the same! However creative and in whichever way you’d like – you could try painting, drawing, sewing, or maybe even graphic design – show us the place that brings you peace. It doesn’t matter if it’s a favourite view, a cuddle with a four-legged friend, or even just a cup of tea in the garden, all we ask is that your finished piece is no bigger than A5 (6×9 in). This is not an art competition and is open to anyone, of any age. All completed ‘Pictures of Peace’ will then go on display in Dereham’s local history museum, Bishop Bonner’s Cottages, in an exhibition exploring the timeless therapeutic value of art as championed by Dereham’s most famous artist. For more information about the museum, click HERE.

When finished, please visit Dereham Library or Flow Craft Café and leave your ‘Picture of Peace’ and entry form in one of the designated drop-off boxes. Alternatively, if you’d prefer, you can scan your entry and email it to us. Scanned entries and any digital art submissions can be emailed to museum@derehamheritagetrust.org.uk.

All entries must be submitted with an entry form. Entry forms can be downloaded HERE.

All artwork must be received by 5.00pm on Monday 22nd April 2024 in order to be included in the display.

‘Picturing Peace’ Terms and Conditions:

By submitting artwork to ‘John Craske: Picturing Peace’, entrants are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:

  1. Pictures of Peace (“Entries”) must be submitted with an entry form.
  2. Entries must be received by Monday 22nd April 2024 at 5.00pm.
  3. All entries must be an original concept and not a copy of anyone else’s copyrighted material.
  4. There is no minimum size limit and the entry can be any shape, but it must not exceed the dimensions210mm x 148mm (A5).
  5. Entries must be two dimensional.
  6. All entries may be photographed and reproduced by Dereham Heritage Trust for the purposes of promoting and running the ‘John Craske: Picturing Peace’ exhibition.
  7. Entries will be retained by Dereham Heritage Trust for any future strands of the project. Copyright of all works will remain with the entrant and full credit will be given if an entry is used or reproduced.
  8. Dereham Heritage Trust has the right to refuse to display an entry if it fails to meet size requirements or if there are concerns about inappropriate content.