A new art exhibition opened yesterday, to raise funds for the on-going maintenance costs of a local historic building. The Trestler House – la Maison Trestler in French – was built in 1798, two hundred and twenty-five years ago. I’m honoured that one of my paintings is included in this 225th anniversary event.
Particularly because I only started learning to paint – and even to sketch or draw – less than two years ago. I’m living one of my lifelong dreams, to learn to paint with watercolours, but only because a rare disease stole my beloved career in bioethics a few years ago. I was diagnosed with CRPS or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in 2016, a bizarre disease with a long list of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Chronic neuropathic pain, spasms, skin issues, bone and joint problems, tremors, temperature changes, and more – all of those in my right hand and arm.
By 2018 a ‘mild cognitive impairment’ (MCI) had developed, from the neuro-inflammatory side of this disease; it also has an autoimmune component. As I said, it’s a strange beast of a disease. That MCI meant the end of my bioethics career, so I jumped into volunteer projects – to the best of my now-lowered abilities – for chronic pain advocacy and awareness.
Most of what I do is focused on healthcare professionals, on the folks who need to know more about chronic pain conditions so that they’re better able to diagnose them quickly – and better equipped to help people living with pain. I’ve given talks to medical students and to healthcare professionals, I’ve been a Patient Partner in several research projects – with more getting underway this month – and have acted as a Patient Collaborator with governmental health agencies.
After a few years of this volunteer whirlwind, I found that I missed the more creative aspects of my career. So I decided to find out whether my cognitive issues would allow me to learn to paint – to tackle that lifelong dream of watercolour painting. And, based on research that I’d read, maybe learning art skills and applying those new skills could help stave off any worsening of my cognitive issues.
In a way I’m reclaiming one of the dreams that I’d thought I’d have to abandon for good. I may not be able to work in bioethics anymore, or to get a PhD as I’d planned to do during my retirement, but I can – it seems – learn to paint! Which brings me a quotation I appreciate more these days:
“When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.” (1)
Once I was able to stop looking back at the closed door of my career, once I’d finished grieving for that lost part of my life and plans, I was able to go looking for other doors to open. At this time in 2021 I’d never even picked up a paint brush, apart from arts and crafts projects in primary school.
In less than two years, I’ve had my paintings appear in almost twenty different group art exhibitions; some virtual and others in galleries or public spaces. Each time it’s a thrill to see one of my paintings on the wall, to see other folks looking at it, and this is especially true for the 225th anniversary of Trestler House; it feels as though I’m now part of its long history.
The stunning and historic Trestler House (2) was built in the 1790s. Perched on the edge of the picturesque Lake of Two Mountains, near Montréal, this community museum and gallery space is hosting the live “Entre Nous” art exhibition until March 19, 2023. Even if you’re not interested in art, if you’re in the Montréal area it’s definitely worth a visit!
Whatever is going on in your own life, I suppose my message today is this; you never know what’s around the corner, if you’re willing to try something that appeals to you. My chronic pain is still there, along with all the other symptoms. When my hand spasms or tremors are bad, I take the time to look at paintings in magazines or books for ideas. When my cognitive issues allow me to read, I love reading art books – and our local library has a wonderful selection of these.
No matter what your journey has been so far, whether you suffer from illness or pain or other struggles, I hope that you reach a point where you feel that you have found something you can do that brings you joy.
That’s what learning to paint has done for me, and what I hope it will continue to do. As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Feel free to drop a comment over on my Instagram or Twitter feeds; I’ve had to disable the comments section of the blog because it was too difficult for me to manage with my cognitive challenges. But I do love to hear from you!
References
(1) Garson O’Toole. “When One Door Closes Another Opens, But Often We Look So Long Upon the Closed Door That We Do Not See the Open Door”. Quote Investigator (Website). 03 Dec 2018. Accessed 14 Jan 2022. Online:
(2) Trestler House. Welcome to the Trestler House. Website. 2021. Accessed 14 Jan 2022. Online: https://www.trestler.qc.ca