I painted my work last February 2021, during the 3rd lockdown. I am a crafter, mainly using paint to decorate items, so it is unusual for me to actually create a painting on canvas. Like a lot of other people I had started to spend more time being creative as a way to pass the time and find a more relaxed and happy state of mind. Our family was coming to the end of one of our most traumatic times, with my Mum being diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2019 and eventually passing away in December 2020. Not only were we faced with the pandemic but also with having to support each other whilst being kept apart due to lockdown rules (not being able to spend as much time as possible with Mum, not being able to accompany her for treatment or visit her during her many hospital stays or able to comfort each other) I chose to use a snakes and ladders game as it reflected how I felt during this time, totally at the mercy of fate, the spin of a die. The snakes represent the many negative things that were affecting us as a family. However, I also found great strength in my family and the ladders represent the hope and positivity that we found despite the trials we were facing. No matter how many times we ended up sliding back down we were always able to find a way to get back up, finding strength in each other and our hope that things would eventually get better.
I have always loved drawing, painting and being creative, but it is only in the last couple of years that I have started to gain confidence in my own ability and put my work out there for others to see. I have started to have stalls at craft fairs and have made a Facebook page to show off my creations. I gain a great deal of satisfaction from making things for other people that I hope they will enjoy. I love being able to create whatever I wish and find the making process a positive way to find relaxation and personal happiness.
