This week Johnny Doran, Service User at Stewarts Care & winner of the Dublin Canvas competition, completed his art project at Liffey Valley Dublin. Dublin Canvas is a public art project intended to bring flashes of colour and creativity to everyday objects within Dublin's streetscape. Less grey, more play. The project takes previously unused public space and transforms it into canvases to help brighten up each area.

Johnny was assigned an electricity box and together with his teacher and staff at Stewarts Care he set about putting together his planned design assisted by Glen Blair and Martha Gannon. Having worked on it for three solid days it is now complete and open to the public community. He has had great feedback from members of the community who just love the strong and bright colors in his signatory geometric design.

Johnny Doran has been a Service User for most of his life and recently moved into an independent living apartment in Adamstown. Community is very important to him and his art has led to giving him great pride in his new community.

Miriam Spollen, art teacher at Stewarts Care, has been working with Johnny for several years. She runs many different art initiatives for residential service users and those that live in the community. She has a particular group that is dedicated to budding artists at Stewarts care who have a passion for art and want to develop it as one of their main goals. Johnny Doran is part of this group and he is so proud to have been selected for this award.

‘It has really increased his confidence in his artwork.’ Miriam says. ‘He has just had so much fabulous and positive feedback from the community.’

As part of the Dublin Canvas project they will also be installing electritity boxes on the grounds of Stewarts Care and this will give opportunities for other budding artists at Stewarts Care to showcase their talent.