About my Art
It has been quite a journey. And it was never meant to happen. I had loved art all my life but it was pie in the sky stuff. It was not encouraged in those days. I had followed the path my elders had set for me – go to university, get a degree, get a good job (well I didn’t quite get that far). I got the qualifications and then everything fell apart. My best friend passed away, by his own hand, and depression struck me down. I began to question everything. When it came down to it I was not being who I wanted to be or doing what I wanted to do. I was tied up in knots. That was 25 years ago.
I was unwell and I didn’t know how to reach out for help. I don’t even know if there was help available back then. That was when I started writing poetry. It gave me an outlet, it helped me to heal, it was free therapy though I was unaware of it at the time. It may be it saved my life. I just don’t know; I may have survived anyway but I would not be nearly as well. I have written myself out of some dark places.
The poetry was just a start. My mental health journey now stretches over 25 years and there have been many low points in that time. I suffer from a form of bipolar disorder and it has taken all of that time for me to learn to manage it. It is hard work getting and staying well. I still have rough patches. The poetry and painting are part of my recoveries. So are the practices of yoga, meditation and tai chi. These are the strategies I have employed to find wellness.
It was a few years later I gained the confidence to enroll in art school. I had always drawn surreptitiously and I finally had the confidence to take my first steps. It was a wonderfully supportive environment. I flourished there. But after a year and a half of intense learning and development in which I took my first steps in abstract painting I became unwell again. The dream didn’t die but it lay dormant for many years while I was experiencing the worst of my illness. During these intervening years I have been writing poetry and developing my ideas and skills but have never managed to reach the level of sharing with a public audience. I’m a late bloomer I guess.
I don’t have any formal qualifications in these fields other than a couple of certificates from my art school (The Learning Connexion); no fancy Masters in Fine Arts or PhD in Creative Writing but I have studied these art forms deeply. Anyone with access to a library and the internet can do that. Besides I’m not an academic, I’m a visionary, mystical poet and painter. I don’t create my works for the consumption of intellectuals, I seek a much wider audience. I want to write and paint for everyday people and for my work to be relevant to them, to everyone, not just to an elite few.
My mission now is to bring what I have learned to the world. To share what has worked for me and encourage others who are challenged by mental health issues to engage in art and poetry as therapy. To encourage others to meditate, to do tai chi and yoga. I am a Sahaja Yogi and our group teaches meditation for free. Tai chi and yoga classes are not prohibitively expensive and can be learned from the internet and books from the library for free. Recently I have started teaching meditation here in Timaru. It’s part of my personal growth. There are pathways forward for people who want to engage in these practices which can be achieved on a tight budget. There are many supports in our community now for people who are struggling.
In August I am participating in a group exhibition organised by the South Canterbury Live Poets. It will showcase our poetry and painting. It will be my first exhibition in 25 years. I am also preparing a book of poetry which I hope to have printed in early 2026. It’s called “Better a dead than a live poet” and here I am referring to the sad reality that success for artists often comes posthumously. It includes most of my poetry from the last year with the Live Poets. My other major project is this website as a showcase for my art. I will be adding much content over the following months. Feel welcome to follow me on my journey.