Mamamania 1&2

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/jzhummq3 

Featured in the Wellcome Collection’s online exhibition showcasing health and medical images. They are now available for the public to access in their digital image collections. 

Their Story:

 A study of the artists grandmother’s hands, folded in her lap. The artist’s grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s, and this painting was created shortly after ‘Mama’ moved to a nursing home, after her Alzheimer’s disease progressed to a stage where could no longer look after herself. “She lost a lot of weight, and a broad, strong, matriarch became a feeble, bird-like woman. Yet however small her frame became, her hands remained large and strong and capable.” ‘Mania’ expresses the dementia Mama experiences, also reflected in the fragmented shapes and background of the painting; an atmosphere reflecting the nightmares she described earlier on in the process of losing her mind, when she was still able to explain it. Mania, also relates to the Latin roots of the word for hand. The relaxed pose of her hands in the picture alludes to the way the body can settle and remain hardy, even when the mind has become chaotic.

High res, top quality prints also available from me! Order through Etsy or get in touch directly.  

Carols at Christmas

Southwark Cathedral 2019 hosted the Alzheimer’s Society famous annual central London event. 

Based on my donation of the original mixed media paintings “Mamamania 1&2” (See above), The Alzheimer’s Society requested that I produce a painting for auction, and to use the design for the brochure of their Carols at Christmas service. This was the result!

I was so proud to see every member of the service, including Carey Mulligan – an Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador – read from it and sing from it together in the 2019 service.

The original painting was then auctioned off at £1000 – an incredible donation to the a wonderful cause of which my family greatly resonate with.