We currently have an exhibition on in our Phoenix Centre foyer by one of our Co-workers. Please read her artist’s statement below and see a few images from the exhibition.
By Ginny Bayman
Voluntary Co-worker within Newton Dee
Artist Statement
All of the art in this exhibition was born from my experiences. For me, creating art is not something I do when I feel happy and connected to the world. Instead, I paint when I am stuck, I paint when I am grieving, when I feel disconnected from myself or others, or when I am in a crisis. Painting is how I work through the fog when I can’t find the words. It’s a way to understand what is happening inside me.
The exhibition is split into six series, and together they are a snap shot of my therapeutic journey.
The first series is called BLUE DEAR. These are small, quick sketches I did every evening before bed, painted in blue watercolour on tracing paper. They were like a nightly check-in with myself—fast, honest, and without overthinking. The blue feels calm but also a little sad. The tracing paper makes them feel fragile, like a memory or a feeling that might disappear. These three pieces are just a small window into that daily practice. They feel like little blue prints.
The second series, HEART (Machine or no Machine), comes from a time in my life when I was faced with a big decision about whether to say “yes” to an implanted machine that would help my failing heart. I couldn’t bring myself to agree to it, I was terrified. These paintings were made at night, after my children were in bed. I would paint without thinking, finishing one every couple of evenings before moving to the next. They did not reveal to me then what I know now. The final painting in this series shows a mermaid hovering over a pool of blood, handing over her heart. I can see the wisdom in it now…part of me knew it was time and was ready to accept the help of the machine, but I was still so caught up in my fear, I was drowning in my own unconsciousness, and unable to accept help.
The third series MOTHER/FATHER/INCUBATOR -. Once I had the little Machine box put inside me watching and supporting the heart I was given.. The big Box that saved my life initially came into focus.
The fourth series is called SHADOWS. In therapy, I was starting to get small glimpses of my shame—the parts of myself I could not bare . A friend recommended a documentary called “Sturtz,” which is about a person’s therapeutic journey. In it, the therapist gives a simple exercise to help find your “shadows,” or unmet needs. The first shadow I found was “Pick me up.” Once I saw that one, more shadows started to appear, one after another. This series is part of a map of those hidden parts of myself finally coming into the light.
The fifth series is called KARMA DREAMS. This set of paintings came from a short but intense four-day study on the idea of Karma. During that time, I had a dream that was so vivid, so strong, that I couldn’t shake it. The only way to quiet my mind was to get them out of my head and onto something solid. I painted them on these small blocks of wood. Each block is like a little container for a piece of that dream, helping me to release it and look at it from the outside.
The final series, THOUGHTS ARE LIKE BIRDS, is inspired by something my Grandfather told me when I was nine years old. He said, “Thoughts are like birds. You cannot stop them from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making nests in your hair.” This series is about that idea. It’s about the constant flow of thoughts we all have, and what happens when we let the worrying, anxious, or painful ones take hold. It’s about the moment they stop just passing through and start building a home in your mind.
Taken together, these six bodies of work are a visual diary of my journey through illness, fear, dreams, self-discovery, and some wisdom I found along the way.
