Melissa Pym

Why I paint? Painting is scary… Or at least that is what I used to believe. It goes hand in hand with change and ambiguity. You never know exactly how it will turn out. It takes curiosity, strength and determination to see it through.

I started painting in 2012. My first painting was with a Native American Indian dream-catcher I’d made that I stuck onto the canvas. Because I was confident in making dream-catchers, it helped me to make the transition to painting. When I finished that painting (“Aquamarine 2012”) and was pleasantly surprised at the results, it ignited a passion inside of me and a willingness to keep on experimenting. Little did I know at the time, that I wouldn’t stop painting from that moment on…

Still today, I lose the ability to use my hands and arms (from Chronic Lyme Disease). I have become somewhat ambidextrous; when my right hand is too painful to use, I experiment painting with my left hand with more abstract or impressionist work. However sometimes I go through periods where I am unable to sit upright at all. These are the hardest to deal with. I never know where or how severe my symptoms will be day to day.

For me, painting is a leap of faith with each brush stroke, hoping that things will naturally and eventually come together and work out in harmony. This painting metaphor echoes the path of my healing. It is still a mystery and unknown as to what it will take to heal me, but I keep trying, seeing new doctors, getting new treatments and taking risks. I hope I can complete this healing journey and share it with others, so that no-one will ever have to go through what I do every day. “It makes me feel uplifted and the pain recedes to the background a little.”

I haven’t got my happy ending, yet… But for me, painting keeps me on track with a sense of achievement. Facing the unknown, moving through the process and achieving victory when I finish a piece. This motivates me to paint and paint and paint… A reminder of the health and the life I could have. Reminding me that I may be powerless with my Chronic Lyme disease at this point in time, but I can move through it by focusing on the canvas right in front of me and completing something of beauty and inspiration, and in a small way I take back some of my power.

I paint images from my dreams, meditations and mini sweat-lodges in my far infrared sauna. I like to meditate before I paint and find the act of painting meditative. After four years now, when I sit down to paint I am overcome and taken over by the creative process. It makes me feel uplifted and the pain recedes to the background a little. I am in the present moment. It is maybe the only activity (besides eating coconut ice-cream – a truly sublime experience) that lifts my spirits! I want you as the viewer to also have a positive experience connecting with my work and the spirit in which it is created. I would also love you to accompany me on this journey of healing and growth of my painting skills. This connection with people who admire my work, friends and community is vital to me. My painting creates a bridge to making these wonderful and valuable connections…

To contact Melissa please email twofeathers2020@gmail.com

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