Geraldine Crimmins is a big name in the art world of London. There’s her art, which is first rate. And then there is the force of her personality, which is quite something to behold.
For her latest trick, Crimmins has galvanised a community of outsider artists with a history of homelessness, found them a space to work and formed the Drummond Street Artists. Now, this loose collective of talent that Crimmins mentored and helped find a place to work, have their very first show.
The opening night of the DSA exhibition at the Old Diorama on Drummond Street, where the artists meet each weekend to work, socialise and shelter, is buzzing when The Big Issue arrives. The artworks are eclectic, colourful, impressive. And the artists? They look proud as punch.
Like some of the artists she works with, Crimmins has her own history of homelessness and addiction.
“I started painting in prison and sold a few pieces. That got me the bug. After I came out of prison, I was clean, I got my health back, but didn’t know how to re-enter society. So I
