The researcher Sarah Hall was investigating the value of artists/designers working with hospital patients.

In this instance, long-stay patients in a hospital for the elderly in Glasgow. It would be easy to write generalities to justify this sort of activity, although these might not be particularly convincing. Hall focused on exactly what happened when patients with sometimes severe medical conditions were exposed to this kind of opportunity. The particular patient to be described was an elderly Asian woman who had suffered a stroke leaving her paralysed throughout the right side of her body. She was confined to a wheelchair and had completely lost the power of speech. After examining the materials and observing the other patients' tentative beginnings, she chose a paintbrush and moved a palette of acrylic paints into position. Her first paintings were very basic and crude circular blobs of a single colour, apparently randomly spaced and covering the paper's surface. Joginder had difficulty holding the paintbrush in her left hand, clutching it firmly in an awkward clenched grip, which restricted the range of movements she was able to employ. Despite a water pot beside her, she made no attempt to dip the brush into the water before or after applying the paint to the brush and painted until the brush was dry before applying more paint. Other brushes in varying sizes were placed beside her, but once she had made her initial choice the others were ignored. Similarly with the paint selection: throughout the first few workshops Joginder continued to paint using only one brush and one colour per painting although she did vary the colour selection from one work to another. It was a basic but very encouraging beginning as she appeared to be totally engrossed when working and was visibly excited by the process as well as the results. She would only release the brush and stop painting once she had finished and was always eager to start again once a new piece of paper was selected. Although Joginder was unable to speak, and her understanding of English was reportedly limited, she definitely responded to encouraging comments and discussion concerning her work from the other patients. The next stage of development After several weeks of painting she began to take an interest in some of the other materials that were available. Although Joginder's paintings had developed considerably in a relatively short time, her abilities to control and manipulate a paintbrush appeared to be holding her back and she seemed to sense this. Having begun to realise her abilities and potential she was keen to experiment with another medium. Oil bars seemed a viable alternative to the acrylic paints and brushes she had begun with as these sticks of oil paint were relatively easy to handle and there were a multitude of colours to choose from. Joginder happily swapped the paint and brushes for the oil bars and it was immediately apparent that she was more adept and comfortable in using them. Initially she drew directly onto paper and then embarked on a series of monoprints by applying the oil bars onto glass, spraying a fine mist of turps onto the image and then printing it onto paper. The process is relatively simple yet the results can be spectacular and Joginder positively delighted in this. When offered paint and brushes again she flatly refused and reached out for the oil bars indignantly. It was strangely impressive that she had become so self-assured and assertive in such a relatively short time. (From: Hall (19%), in Gillham, Bill (ed.) The Challenge of Age, Glasgow: The Foulis Press, pp. 28-9.) This account has been quoted at moderate length because it conveys the quality of careful observation and description and the power of the evidenced argument of which it forms a part. It is more convincing than generalizations and rhetoric.

Gillham, Bill. Case Study Research Methods. London, GBR: Continuum International Publishing, 2010. p 52. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/bcuiasi/Doc?id=10404926&ppg=58 Copyright 2010. Continuum International Publishing. All rights reserved.

Gillham, Bill. Case Study Research Methods. London, GBR: Continuum International Publishing, 2010. p 51. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/bcuiasi/Doc?id=10404926&ppg=57 Copyright 2010. Continuum International Publishing. All rights reserved.