Cancer sufferer wins world art award

By Jayne Warren - 10/12/2006

Bobbie Redeemer from Berkshire has won second place in the prestigious ‘Lilly Oncology on Canvas: Expressions of a Cancer Journey’ international art competition. She received her award from HRH The Duke of Gloucester at the Royal College of Art.

The winning three entries, selected by a panel of independent judges, were chosen both for the artwork and for the narratives that best depicted what gives the cancer journey meaning.

Bobbie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1999 and is now fully recovered. She said: “To be able to capture everything I was going through in a piece of artwork was very cathartic. I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer seven and a half years ago. The news was overwhelming.

 

"The painting depicts how I began: absorbing the shock and then going through the feelings of loss, bewilderment and fear of the unknown. The world beyond the window in my painting is the everyday life that seemed unreachable at one time. Now that I am back there the colours seem brighter and the focus is sharper. Surviving cancer has given me a greater appreciation for things that we easily take for granted.”

Michele Wood, senior art therapist at Marie Curie Hospice, said: “Research into art therapy through quantitative controlled trials and qualitative studies back up what has been known in clinical practice for years. Participating in art therapy can positively increase self-efficacy and self-esteem, and can promote the development of coping resources and coping strategies in people with cancer. Using art as an outlet through opportunities such as Lilly Oncology on Canvas helps to address body image issues and promotes readjustment in a person’s sense of self after illness.”

Lilly Oncology on Canvas is a biennial competition and exhibition with a world tour of the art beginning in the ‘off’ year. In 2007 and 2008, the art entries from the 2006 Lilly Oncology on Canvas competition will tour the world, inspiring those affected by cancer through their journeys of art and narrative.