The Joker

The Joker - A book on therapeutic art and dream. Chris Hoggett, artist, author and former teacher, developed severe attacks of depression from the end of the 1970s. In an effort to find the way out he spent many years with an art therapist, who thought he should face the significance of his vivid dreams by recording and expressing them. There followed a vast production of paintings of all kinds, sculptures, sketches, ceramics, and designs for theatrical costumes. This gallery of work developed while Chris nursed his mother before her death, walked the hills north of Cheltenham and toured New Zealand. Working, and thinking about his work, led to gradual self-discovery and recognition of the Joker - the elusive factor in his personality - with a definite breakout from depression. This book records the journey and offers an insight into the use of art as a therapy. Fundamentally the book describes a journey which originated in a climate of fear and worked its way, over many years, towards a sense of hopefulness. 378 pages, 580 illustrations, more than half in colour, soft cover. Foreword by Marina Warner