South Woodford resident John Smith finds his love of line drawing helps with his Parkinson’s tremors and is now looking to raise funds for charity by selling greetings cards featuring his artwork
My love of line drawings developed in my teenage years. I spent a lot of time doodling in the margin of my schoolbooks. Straight lines, hoops and curves became animals, dragons, insects and fish. Having been guided by my parents – who felt these drawings in the margin were affecting my education – I transferred from the margin to sketchbook. I produced many detailed drawings, which my father put into an art exhibition in the 1960s, mostly bought by family and friends.
I started a career in catering and attended Oxford Brookes, where I was able to use my artistic skills whilst learning about classical French cuisine. I then went to work at Claridge’s, in the pastry department, where I picked up many skills and a lot of bad language! Leaving there, I got married, and my wife and I continued working in catering, in pubs and restaurants. A bit later in life, with three children, I retrained, this time as a Human Resources Officer. Upon retiring from work, I was looking forward to travel and relaxation. Unfortunately, in 2015 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
I have tried different mediums of art, acrylics, pastels and watercolours, but my interest was really in the line drawings.
My drawings, created with a fine liner, remain steadfastly in black and white. To ring the changes and give them more interest, the black and white drawings developed into coloured drawings using a simple paint programme. For amusement, I created a number of PowerPoint presentations, accompanying these with my son’s music. I then converted the presentations into videos to put on YouTube.
All this work was encouraged by my family and friends. Then the suggestion came that my drawings would look very good on greetings cards and I was asked by some to produce birthday cards and anniversary celebration cards. So, I looked for a printer who would be able to work with me. I found a company called Art4site and they proved to be very helpful and a good quality printer. I then looked for an outlet, but so far, have drawn a blank. The objective is to cover my printing costs, with any profit being donated to the charity Parkinson’s UK.
When I start a drawing, it is with no final image in mind. I can’t draw a specific scene; it is more about developing the patterns. This calms my tremors and is a form of mindfulness. There is no cure for Parkinson’s, and it is degenerative, so it will progress. Mine is a gentle progression, so whilst I am able, I am looking for an outlet or partner where I can sell these cards. If you are interested or if you would like to buy some, do get in touch.
For more information and to contact John, email jscards855@gmail.com
