Melbourne

I wanted to help PLWP feel what I felt when I was doing art. The sense of relaxation, the feeling of satisfaction, the joy of working with color and becoming so absorbed in what you are doing that time just goes so quickly. Sometimes it goes too quickly and the meat you put on to simmer for 30 minutes has now burnt beyond saving because an hour has gone by!

Often when I was sorting through back copies of interstate newsletters I would flick through them and read anything that caught my eye.

And this heading leapt off the page: Painting with Parkinsons. By Nancy Tingey

I emailed Nancy straight away and asked for advice and ideas and immediately found myself a mentor, a support person and a friend. I was ready to have a go!

And that’s when Robyn Searle asked me to give a talk to the Cranbourne Support group about the library at Parkinson Vic, I asked her could I do a little ‘something else’ at the end of my talk. I wanted to do an art activity. I found an ally in Robyn. She too wanted to get art going with her group but needed an artist. And I was an artist who needed a group! It was meant to be! From that meeting in June we found a venue, obtained some funding and started with 4 people for a 6 week trial.

On October 15^th, the second lot of art activity classes started with a group of 8.

The Cranbourne art group started again in February with 10 participants and 2 assistants. As we are now in a private studio, we are the Narre Warren Painting for Parkinson’s group.

Anne Atkin 2008

Art Activities for People with Parkinson’s

by Anne Atkin

I am a great believer in that sometimes things happen for a reason but you don’t know it at the time. Sometimes you look back and think, so that’s how I got here, but you don’t notice the journey at the time. So, when I found myself at a primary school and the only position available was as the art teacher, I took it and thought to myself, what on earth will I do! I was a qualified teacher and librarian, but had never taught art.

Well, I knew I wasn’t too bad at drawing and had sometimes dabbled in paint but I wanted to learn more and by chance found a wonderfully talented artist and joined her classes. I was hooked!

I loved teaching art and I loved doing it.

But like so many people, my ill-health at the time was given many different labels but all I knew was that I couldn’t continue with my art lessons at night and then I stopped drawing altogether. It was another 5 years before I was told that I had Parkinson’s and was then told that I also had depression and anxiety.

I retired from teaching, took up volunteer work at Parkinson’s Victoria and met Donna. And Donna changed my life. But neither she nor I realised it at the time. As far as I was concerned I was an ex-artist. As far as Donna was concerned, here was someone who could draw her house.

I have no idea why I said I would do it but I did. If you’ve met Donna, you’ll know why I said yes – she is such a beautifully positive person that she made me feel that I could do it!

And I did. Donna was happy with her drawing and I found that I was not the same artist I had been before Diagnosis. I was better in many ways. I tackled subjects I use to think I couldn’t do. I saw myself as a landscape and seascape artist. Draw a dog? No way, I couldn’t draw dogs. Now I’ll draw anything. And I couldn’t work out why. Later I found out that this is not uncommon with artists who develop Parkinson’s. Further research needs to be done in this area.

I was now passionate about drawing. Every day saw me sketching, coloring, exploring different subjects and time flew while I was doing it. I started thinking about how art was giving me so much and how I would love to spread the word about what I saw as the benefits of art. .

Local artist Anne Atkin received an award for Services to People with a Disability through the Arts at the recent City of Casey Volunteer Awards.

Anne was recognised for her passionate and dedicated work in establishing and running Painting with Parkinson’s (PWP).

Anne established the group so that people with Parkinson’s disease could express their creativity and to create an opportunity for respite for Parkinson’s carers. She is developing two satellite PWP groups, a PWP art exhibition and a program to educate VCE students about Parkinson’s. The program is now being adopted by groups across Victoria.

Upon winning the award Anne said “You don’t volunteer so that you can be awarded, but it is great to get recognition. Being recognised in this way will assist greatly with the promotion of Painting with Parkinson’s. PWP is a pairing of my two great passions - raising awareness for Parkinson’s and painting. I am still gob smacked.”

Anne is a wonderful example of a Casey resident using their skills and enthusiasm to positively contribute to the lives of other Casey residents.

Congratulations Anne!

The City of Casey Volunteer Awards are held annually and provide an opportunity for residents to recognise the voluntary achievements of individuals and groups who contribute to building and strengthening the Casey community. For further information on the awards visit http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/mediareleases2009/article.asp?Item=15357 .