I started dictating this on the Dragon dictation app earlier in the week, edited and saved it to Evernote, assuming that because Evernote syncs to the web that would be ‘safe’. It’s not, trying to retrieve it today online – nothing there. Opened the app, it crashed. Technology…the thief of time.
My Dad was a gifted mechanic and naturally creative. He made the most wonderful sculptures out of old car and motorcycle parts. I hope one day to rub them down, repaint and photograph them properly so that they can be remembered and seen by others. He was born at a time when doing anything other than leaving school and getting a job at 16 was unheard of. How many truly gifted individuals have fallen through the cracks their art lost forever I wonder... He died when I was 12 but I'm quite sure that some of his genes and certainly those 12 years we had are where my love of art has come from.
I live in the UK, have training and qualifications in display & design, and also an honours degree in art, craft & design. I have been a teacher for over 15 years, both here in the UK and abroad. I have also coordinated a Comenius Project between schools in Germany and Slovenja, served as a teacher governor and held the position of Art coordinator in two schools. But...I have Fibromyalgia, which was triggered by a virus in 2007. This has left me too disabled to ever teach again, so I have turned back to art as a way to attempt to maintain my sanity.
"Fibromyalgia Syndrome, also known as FMS or FM. Fibromyalgia is pronounced Fy - bro - my - al - gee - ah.
Fibro is a chronic illness characterised by chronic widespread pain, hypersensitivity to pain (and other stimuli), chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances. Fibro is a type of chronic pain condition, but Fibro patients experience a wide range of symptoms that can wax and wane over time1. The name "Fibromyalgia" literally means pain in the muscles and fibres (ligaments) of the body, but it is now recognised that this name does not accurately reflect what is happening with the condition. 'Fibromyalgia Syndrome' was chosen as a name for the condition in 1990 and it was previously known by many names, including Fibrositis, Unspecified Rheumatism, Muscular Rheumatism and Neurasthenia, all of which names are also now known to not accurately reflect the condition. Some people suggest the condition would better be called Central Sensitisation Syndrome2 or Pain Amplification Syndrome. Fibro is a real condition3, with an increasing body of evidence to show that it is a Central Nervous System related disorder4. Fibro is often a devastating condition for patients and the people around them and it has been shown to have more of an impact than many other chronic pain conditions and chronic illnesses." I've taken this from the FibroAction website, an excellent UK charity doing it's best to raise awareness of this often misunderstood illness. Please pay the site a visit if you can. http://fibroAction.org
My work is largely concerned with the female form and bright solid areas of colour, but over time it has also become much more abstract and I have developed a fascination for digital design. The fibromyalgia has resulted in many frustrations the main one of which is that I am not always able to draw and paint using traditional methods. My hands are often too sore to hold a pencil or brush and I'm often too fatigued to even contemplate organising my environment to paint. So my inclination towards digital art is proving to be a godsend. This also is where the iPhone and the iPad have proved to be truly accessible creative tools. Being able to 'finger paint' on a touch screen is wonderful and there are a wide range of creative apps to choose from. They not only appeal to my love of technology but also enable me to create almost whenever & where ever I want.
My life in a few brief paragraphs...thanks for reading.
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