Suffolk Fields

Suffolk Fields, 2024 by Juli
Acrylic on canvas

"For decades the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia stopped me from working, and doing many every day activities that other people of my age took for granted. Shopping was a struggle. A trip to the cinema was beyond me. I lost many friends and became isolated. Financially I was dependent on benefits and support from my partner. I felt useless and on society’s scrapheap. In 2019 I was encouraged to paint by pain management therapists at my local hospital, when they noticed me doodling on my iPad. I quickly reconnected with a childhood love of art and craft. Since then, painting has changed my life, taking me on an amazing journey, that I could never have imagined. Although I still struggle with pain and anxiety, I now have hope.

My painting celebrates the trees, fields and water meadows of Suffolk. I find walking in woodlands helps me to calm down and appreciate what I have rather than worry about what I don’t have, and things which I can’t control. I paint how I feel in a particular place rather than trying to represent it in a realistic way."