It was a long journey to get the kind of mental health care that Jody Franklin needed. The artist, formerly from Victoria, spoke openly about his struggles to get support and how he found that help on the Sunshine Coast.
Two weeks ago, just before the opening of the Looking Inward and Looking Outward mental health art show at the Doris Crowston Gallery in the Arts Centre, he symbolized that long journey by setting out on foot from Gibsons along with an artist friend from Victoria, Jon Dowdall, to walk to Sechelt carrying his artwork, a painting that he referred to as "my brain on canvas."
"Jon has done this before," Franklin said, "dragging art pieces around Victoria, and he suggested that we walk the painting there." It took over five hours to do the walk along the highway, arriving at the Mental Health and Addictions Centre at St. Mary's Hospital just before it closed.
"It made it extremely meaningful for me," Franklin said. "A few people stopped, honked or took photos. Now they'll remember and say 'we saw those guys' and maybe they'll come to the show."
The piece is on display at the show that opened on April 3 and runs until April 28. It's a brave and diverse display of work with some pieces appearing more professional in their execution than others.
Arrowhead vice-president and Coast Reporter mental health columnist Hugh Macaulay spoke to the crowd assembled for the opening explaining that, "To say this is an exhibition of work by mentally ill people is a mistake." Macaulay's contention is that the role of the artist is universal. "These artists get together to converse and exchange ideas as any artist would." He called the show a giant leap towards understanding and sharing. It was an emotional moment when Micheal D. Mann (Oswald), author of the book I Am a Man Who Cries, read a piece that he said was written on the worst day of his life.
Artist Cornelia van Berkel submitted two works for the show-one of them a painting called Woman Tree using her characteristic theme of respect for living beings. Van Berkel has been a ceramic artist for 35 years and a painter for longer, working from The Blue Shoe Studio since 1979. She wants to speak out about the depression she has struggled with since childhood, and she has done so through her art.
"It's high time to open the doors, open the communication," she says. She also explains how being oversensitive makes it hard to cope with bigger issues-how humans are treating the planet and the inhabitants.
"I feel when I paint nature and wildlife," she says, "it's like I'm helping to protect them from harm and cruelty."
For some artists it was a chance to show the work that brings them joy such as Kelly Findlay's photographic close ups of wildlife or Sheena Grimason's watercolour and oil pastel, colourful faces.
Robert Christie displays his hand-carved diamond willow walking sticks and there is a certain calm projected from them as the viewer imagines the artist enjoying a meditative walk. Chelsea McKeil comes closest to depicting the essence of the show with her pencil crayon drawings titled Blue and Self Confidence. Matthew Austin captures the morning dreads of the soul with his work Alligators in my Coffee.
The Arts Centre is at Trail and Medusa in Sechelt and is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Phone 604-885-5412 for more information.
