25 images from Series 1 of my hospital doodles have been sent to England where they will be exhibited at Newcastle College. The show is called ‘A Thing With Feathers’ – a quote from Emily Dickinson’s poem about Hope. A proportion of the sales will be donated to a Ukrainian refugee charity. In the meantime here’s my first doodle for Series 2 – I’m still in hospital! This drawing was influenced by the anatomical figures used by doctors for diagnostic purposes.
I’ve had great news – an offer of an exhibition of my hospital doodles in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It feels surreal to have my artwork displayed while I am still incarcerated in hospital. There is Covid on my ward now and we are in lockdown so my discharge date is ever receding. I am reminded of a story about Frida Kahlo who attended her own exhibition in her hospital bed. She was brought to the gallery by an ambulance and held court from her bed. I doubt the British health service would be quite so helpful! In the meantime here’s another one of my doodles, The Net.
Hospital doodle #20
Hospital doodle #18 – a mix of graphite, coloured pencil, oil pastels and marker pen on paper.
Doodle #17. My hospital window overlooks a flat rooftop where seagulls, wagtails, pigeons and crows congregate. There is a constant chitter chatter of birds and bird imagery is appearing in my drawings.
Sadly there are no birds as colourful as this one in Scotland- only in my head!
Hospital Doodle #16. Marker pen and coloured pencil on paper.
Hospital doodle #15
Hospital doodle #13
Hospital doodle #11
Oil pastels, marker pen and watercolour pencil on paper.
Hospital doodle number 7. There are a family of seagulls nesting on the rooftop outside my window; Sam, Silver who has a limp and Claude who is still a youngster. They peer through my window begging for scraps. Pigeons and wagtails also congregate. Watching birds all day long, I’m hoping I may grow wings too and escape. 😂 In my crazier moments I wonder if they are the reincarnated souls of patients who have died in this room…if the window opened wider they would definitely come in!
The Purple Hermit 