An Ottawa artist says he will die without a lung transplant and that doctors told him a lifetime of painting may be to blame.
Blair Sharpe says his immune system has been attacking his lungs as the result of a rare allergy to common acrylic paints.
Sharpe, who said he is now high up on the transplant list, joked that he has “always thought art was a matter of life and death (and) this kind of proves it."
Ottawa School of Art director John Stellick said it would be a “real loss” if Sharpe’s life-threatening situation means he won’t paint again.
The apparent paint allergy is so rare that doctors aren’t sure if new lungs will allow him to paint again, according to Sharpe.
He added that he is encouraging his physicians to experiment on him to try and find out more about the condition.
“I’m just looking at this as just another kind of part of my art process, in a strange way,” he said.
Sharpe currently has two shows running at galleries in Ottawa.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Eric Longley
