Living with chronic pain, Pierrefonds artist finds new purpose in painting

Sandra Woods, a Pierrefonds artist living with chronic pain and cognitive impairment, founded the West Island Art Studio Circuit, whose members are showcasing their work this month at Studio 77 in Pointe-Claire Village.

When she was diagnosed with a mild cognitive impairment and a rare bone disease that results in chronic pain, Sandra Woods had to give up her career in Bioethics Research.

So she started painting and has taken her life in a whole new direction.

In her Pierrefonds home studio, Woods’s watercolour pigments sparkle with flecks of amethyst and garnet in the daylight.

She pointed and said, “You should be able to see some kind of shimmer around here.”

Her dominant right hand is supported by a dynamic splint that moves with her, but is cumbersome.

“I was struck with a rare disease that causes pretty severe chronic pain, potentially bone and joint issues, which is why I wear this several hours a day to prevent the bones from melting,” she said.

Painting through the pain, Woods uses the splint to her advantage.

“I hold the paintbrush with my thumb. And if I’m using a larger brush, sometimes I’ll stick the brush under the splint and paint like an extension of my hand.”

She demonstrated with her paintbrush secured between her hand and the splint.

In the few years she has been painting, Woods has won awards for her work that reflects her personal experiences.

“People with chronic pain will often talk about experiencing a wave of pain or a flare of pain. So this series focuses on waves and volcanoes, so kind of eruptions of pain or flares of pain.”

She founded the West Island Art Studio Circuit, which now features 11 artists, each with their own talent and story to share.

For the month of September, selections of their work will be on display at Studio 77 in Pointe-Claire Village.

“As a disabled artist, because of my cognitive impairment, I wanted to prove to myself, but also to other people who might be having cognitive issues or disabilities that we can still do things and we can still be involved and we can still be leaders in our communities.”

Studio 77 is an open hub for artists and their admirers, according to owner David Epstein.

“The artists picked up on it and they bring their friends and it became a place where, again, the artistic community basically gets together.”