For some artists, art can be a way to cope, fight, and raise awareness about their illnesses. That is the case of Melissa Pym from Australia, who embodies these ailments through her work with polymer clay, focusing on her mission of finding creative solutions around her many disabilities and then passing on this knowledge to the disabled community via her YouTube channel and other platforms to increase access to art.
Mel creates elaborate corals from polymer clay, which impress with their precise design and fragile appearance.
Initially a sculptor, she taught herself to paint in 2012 and continues to explore other mediums as a part of her practice. She suffers from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a heart condition, and chronic "Lyme-like" disease. Her works of art give her joy and fulfillment and provide her with the extra financial support she needs to manage the high ongoing costs of her many chronic illnesses and disabilities. And hopes to inspire others to do the same by fighting her disease.
“Sometimes, I go through periods when I cannot even sit upright. These are the hardest to deal with. I never know where or how severe my symptoms will be. I use whatever parts of my body that work, and I am ambidextrous in whichever ways I can, conditioning clay through an electric pasta machine, which has made a huge difference to my sculpting practice!”
Her 2023 “Coral Networks” collection aims to find beauty in simplicity. And the artworks she creates are very beautiful indeed, but they also have a deeper meaning. “The fragility and vulnerability of the forms are a metaphor for how I feel in my body as being chronically ill and disabled,” she says. “The transparent pieces express the feeling of being painfully unseen, isolated and unacknowledged in the world on so many different levels. They also tap into my love of the ocean and my dream of once more going there to have sensory experiences and change in environment as I am unable to be transported,” Melissa explains.
Tiny transparent drops give her works an authentic marine look and enable playing with light. The colors she uses are beautifully combined, and while on some of her precisely made pieces she makes the texture stand out, on others, she emphasizes the pattern on the surface. Each coral is unique in its delicate design.
Melissa considers her life’s mission to fight both for herself and others with "Lyme-like" disease to raise awareness of it in Australia. Despite the evidence, undeniable proof, and the increasing numbers of sufferers, government and health authorities have been reluctant to acknowledge and support victims of this growing epidemic. She believes that education, awareness, and early intervention can help people to avoid this devastating illness. Melissa's attitude is very inspirational and definitely deserves a lot of respect, and we hope and wish her strength in the future and better days full of art to come.
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