Wings of Change is my most treasured piece to date, the original hangs proudly in my living room. It was painted during a difficult period in my life and has been a source of hope for both my family and I ever since.
At the time that this was painted I was amidst a severe flare up of my chronic medial condition, I was bed bound and relied on a wheelchair. At the time, I could not sit up for longer than 45 minutes at a time without losing consciousness. I was fainting on average 5 times a day and was experiencing non-epileptic fits daily. Life was tough.
My bedroom where I spend most my time overlooked our family backyard. From my bed I would lie captivated by the branches of the majestic gum tree that dominates our garden. Despite many attempts to revive the tree, it was slowly dying, its branches remained bare. That was until 2 owls began visiting in the evenings, within weeks our beloved tree was covered in luscious green leaves.
One afternoon, I felt compelled to paint- I still do not know where the energy came from, but for 2 hours my body was alive with electricity and free of symptoms - Wings of Change was born.
I painted Wings of Change in the hope that it would bring about a change in my health as the owl had done with our family tree.
I have since learnt that owls are a symbol of change, people have confided that they too have encountered owls during periods of change, they truly are magical creatures.
My health did slowly improve, during the tough days, this painting inspired and calmed me. To me this painting represents my health journey, that is not mine alone. When I look at it, I see my family and am reminded of our resilience, strength and the power of our love.
This is a signed limited-edition print, printed on 300gsm cotton rag. The original was oil and acrylic on a 100x100cm canvas.