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Leeds artist gets his head into 'liberation' in memory of his Mum for Art Liberating Lives

6 November 2008

Leeds artist Tony Broadbent has picked up his brush to create a unique artwork to the theme of Liberation to support Sue Ryder Care’s Art Liberating Lives event which is entering its fourth year.  Art Liberating Lives reflects the importance of art as therapy in Sue Ryder Care’s six hospices and eight neurological care centres. 

Tony, 50, from Leeds has decided to take part in Sue Ryder Care’s Art Liberating Lives in name of his mum Doris May Broadbent, 82, who was cared for at the local Sue Ryder Care Wheatfields hospice.

“I wanted to do something to say thank you to all the staff at the hospice for the wonderful work they did. I wanted to feel the ‘liberation’ of both doing my art and utilising the elements that this particular Summer provided, in that I gained the idea to paint in the actual falling rain. I was painting not in my usual manner, but with free flowing acrylic on Waterford cold pressed paper. I remembered my mother dying at Wheatfields hospice, the care she was given, the burden upon my shoulders and knowing she would soon be gone, I painted knowing that this 'Liberation' of feeling, the tears, the rain was cathartic.

I think the benefits of art therapy may be underestimated. Art Liberating Lives has the potential to make others aware not only of what Sue Ryder Care does but also of how some people deal with their own problems through the liberation of art. It gives hope a voice and a visual representation” explained Tony.

“Since undertaking this, I have found myself growing more and more in tune with the process, producing different effects and utilising and expanding it with the use of other water based, acrylic, inks, spray paints and other metallic and non-metallic interference media. This has indeed ' liberated ' myself into a new approach to art, a sense of freedom not constrained by canvas and oils or traditional methods”, he added.

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