Tucked away in a converted shed on a backstreet in Rocherlea a group of gentlemen gathered together to create art.
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Like a classroom activity where a teacher encourages their students to express themselves through the equipment in front of them, the art these men completed provided a window into who they were.
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A house - like something famous artist Russel Drysdale would have hanging in a renowned gallery - carved out of a lump of plaster by 63-year-old Newstead man Abhay Nique diverged from his regular medium of paint and canvas.
Mr Nique, an artist accomplished over the past four years, attended these art workshops called "Launceston Connect" and held by RANT Arts so he could experiment and expand on his talent.
For Mr Nique, the workshops also granted him the opportunity to get out of the house, meet different people and see different things.
At another table Riverside man Brian Abraham sat, tediously scrubbing at his sculpted plaster mould with a shoe brush dark with black shoe polish.
As intent as ever, Mr Abraham brushed and brushed the same spot repeatedly to get the exact colour he could see in his mind and transpose that to what was in front of him.
Mr Abraham said he was an experienced artist, a retired social worker and a man open to connecting through art and sharing his experience.
In a corner, Bruce Irwin painted his masterpiece "Sirena" - a mermaid emerging from a sea blue background.
And huddled around a table a group of six members of the local Bhutanese community brought a pop of colour to the class.
So intent on manifesting their own masterpieces, the six men were so involved in their work the presence of an outsider did little to distract them.
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Many of the men spoke little to no English and Dol Rai from the Migrant Resource Centre acted as a translator when he was not absorbing himself in the activities.
Mr Rai said Launceston Connect had afforded him and the rest of the Bhutanese men an outlet of creativity along with a chance to extend themselves into the broader community despite not being able to express themselves as freely through speaking.
Another member of the group, 44-year-old Newnham man Roshan Ay said attending the classes made him "extremely happy" and offered him a chance to meet and talk with new people.
RANT Arts Pathways Program Manager Karen Revie said the program - which is supported by Launceston council and Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer - focused on the intersection between art and health.
"This series of workshops in Launceston gives men the opportunity to connect and engage via art," she said.
This series of workshops in Launceston gives men the opportunity to connect and engage via art.
- RANT Arts Pathways Program Manager Karen Revie
The classes were led by local artist Dan Kershaw. Mr Kershaw said while producing art and exploring imagination was at the core of the project, grander themes were pervasive during the classes.
"For me, it has been a blur of fantastic memories, smiling faces and laughter as well as the creation of some really cool artworks," he said.
"Ultimately people are inherently social and they are curious about each other. We all made discoveries and connections together."
Though the level of art that emerged from the classes was of a high standard, there was an atmosphere of significance hanging heavily in the air.
Art was the main point, but it appeared to play second fiddle to the connections and comfort the men attending Launceston Connect felt.
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