A LATENT talent for painting has reawakened in a Winsford man who’s returned to his brushes and canvases to help manage his mental health during lockdown.

Garry Simpson, of Brecon Way in Winsford, has been prolific during the pandemic, producing more than 120 paintings to cope with his anxiety, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

And it’s also been a way for him to feel connected to his late grandmother, Kath, the woman who encouraged his flair for art as a child and who enabled him to pursue his passion for painting once again as an adult.

Northwich Guardian:

After suffering a breakdown in February 2017 which he says left him feeling suicidal, Garry’s life fell apart to the point where he was no longer able to work. When Kath died in 2018, Garry hadn’t been able to see her, something he found incredibly painful.

“That hurt,” he said. “However, my cousin, in a reading at the funeral, stated that my pictures were always on her fridge and somehow, that seeded an idea to return to my love of art.

“When she died there were two things that I took from her house. One was a mug, and one was a painting I’d done when I was four years old of a blue tit. She’d had it framed, and now I have it on the wall here.”

Northwich Guardian:

Garry, who has also penned three science fiction books titled Suryal, Alternate, and Perpetual Dawn, added: “My nan, before dementia, always said that she proud of my writing but always asked for a picture. So, she left an inheritance and with it, I bought paints, brushes, paper and started to paint again in July 2019. 

“Not only has it helped my mental health, but it also allows me to connect with my nan with every painting because she enabled me to do this again.”

Garry uses a mixture of oil, acrylic and emulsion in his work and paints ‘what and how’ he feels like at the time.

“It’s just the images in my head,” he said. “Art to me is like breathing, and I haven’t breathed for such a long time.”

Northwich Guardian:

John, who grew up in Middlewich and attended Sir John Deane’s College before studying art at South Cheshire College, then known as Dane Bank College, hopes to inspire other people to find a creative release to help with their mental health.

He said: “It’s for people to have a release. For me it’s painting, but it’s been one of the positives to come out of this pandemic. People need a release valve as it makes life bearable, especially in the current climate.”