Name
Melanie Munro

Age Group (If you are a caregiver/family member please check Caregiver/Family Member)
Adult: 21 and over

Artist Statement (include type of art, techniques & materials used, what it means to you)
I used various shades of acrylic paints, some were metallic in colour, on a 20x40cm stretched canvas. I used Windsor and Newton Galeria Acrylic Medium to glaze the painting when finished. The painting depicts breaking through a transitional change. It shows how I have transitioned from one person to another from having my tumour surgery. The left side of the painting is in colours of green and white which represents medical colours,..going through a breakthrough ring into beautiful shades of blues silver pinks greens and whites to depict how much my life has changed from having the tumour removed. Every aspect of my life has changed. I have been left with severe epilepsi and severe problems with my sight, especially on my right side,. but my life has also changed for the better in so many ways. I no longer spend my time working 60 plus hours a week doing nothing enjoyable for myself. During my healing process from the surgery I have re discovered my love of art and music, so this painting depicts my transition into how my life was, an existence of two dimensional colour into a beautiful explosion of many colours with many depths. The painting is set as a sky scenery. The grey background represents dark clouds as the tumour and fear of it coming back will always remain, although the dark clouds are not the most dominant feature if you move the painting in different ways because the colours are metallic, you do not notice the grey clouds all you notice are the beautiful colours of the clouds breaking through the transitional ring. I have been left with severe PTSD, Depression, anxiety and Epilepsi from my Tumour surgery as I went through all the surgery and all of the hospital appointments scans etc on my own as it was during the height of the pandemic. I also live alone so I feel my recovery battling my PTSD and Depression is a real achievement with the help of counselling. I had no symptoms leading up to my diagnoses I woke up in the early hours of the lining after having a seizure which I had never had before and was diagnosed with a tumour in hospital 2 hours later, 3 weeks later I had my surgery. I am still in recovery, am still learning to live and adapt with epilepsi but Art has helped me to heal in so many ways. I therefore see my whole brain tumour journey as a life changing breakthrough which is why I painted clouds breaking through and transitioning into something beautiful that is expanding and growing , which is why the clouds in the painting are flowing upwards. I would like to hope that anyone who has or has had a brain tumour would find something positive and calming in my painting, and would ultimately take from it the message of hope.

Bio (include your age, tumor type and date of diagnosis)
I am 48 Years old and was diagnosed with a 5cm Menegioma on 22nd December 2021