My Art Despite Pain (#ArtDespitePain) initiative continues to gain interest, for both raising awareness of chronic pain (and CRPS) and promoting the arts along with other creative pursuits as a means of managing persistent pain. This month, my art-as-advocacy activities were profiled in the art news of a prominent American arts organization!
Eighty-five years ago, in 1939, a group of American artists on the West Coast founded the Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS). Today, the “NWWS has grown into the internationally recognized, historically rich organization of today with over 1,000 members.
It has been recognized by Artists Magazine as one of the ten most prominent watercolor societies in North America.”
They also offer the option of creating a free account, without any membership requirement, to receive their “very popular, quarterly newsletter Hot Press and other timely news”.
Even though I’m closer to the East Coast, and north of the border in Canada, I joined the NWWS in 2021 for their fantastic offerings of live-virtual watercolour demonstrations and workshops.
In chats with other members during the introductions at each online event, I usually mention my Art Despite Pain initiative – and that I began learning to paint as a way to help deal with chronic pain from a rare disease named CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), and for my CRPS-related Mild Cognitive Impairment.
These conversations often continue during the breaks, as people tend be quite curious about the more therapeutic benefits of painting – of art in general – and about the various arts-related healthcare and research projects with which I’m involved as a volunteer Patient Partner.
A few months ago, I was asked to provide additional information about all this, and about how I combine watercolour painting with exercise and nature (two other elements of my pain- and symptom-management plan) by painting en plein-air (outdoors) off the back of my bicycle.
The NWWS has ePublished this, as a two-page feature on my Art Despite Pain initiative, in the Summer 2024 issue of Hot Press (across pages 10 and 11).
I’m honoured that the NWWS has profiled me and my recent solo show “Watercolours on Two Wheels”, which featured plein-air watercolour sketches completed during my bike ride rest-stops along with studio paintings from bike-ride studies and sketches.
I’ve posted only excerpts of the Art Despite Pain profile here; to read the entire feature, please sign up for a free account with the NWWS.
In the meantime, the profile begins in this way:
“When someone approaches while you’re plein-air painting, and asks “Why are you painting?,” or “How did you get involved in art?”, what’s your usual response?
It catches people off guard when I reply: “I paint because of pain.”
This leads to other questions, and one-on-one or small group conversations which are a fantastic way to raise awareness of chronic pain.
That’s how my Art Despite Pain (#ArtDespitePain) initiative began.”
Thanks so much to the NWWS, for helping to raise awareness of chronic pain and for highlighting the role that art can play in managing persistent pain as well as cognitive issues!
