Letters

Below is a sample of some of the correspondence I have received from visitors to the site.  In all cases anonymity is assured.
 

Hello Brenda,

A friend passed on your website details to me. I absolutely love it, the paintings with your own explanations open the pictures up even more and give them a deeper understanding. I particularly liked the depression expression, 'mind', they were vibrant/alive but just a little bit scary/deep, the colours you used worked well and reminded me of the work of Edvard Munch and especially his best one, 'the scream'. I could really see from yours, where you are coming from and what the illness does to the mind.

In the 'thinking' series, the style to me changed slightly and reminded me of my own favourite artist, David Hockney. Your 'future' painting reminds me of one of his called Nichols Canyon, same sort of colours, and that print hangs on my stair wall.

As for the 'distraction' series, I loved 'blue moon', you captured it perfectly, with the setting, colour and that time of morning, I felt I was there and could almost smell it

Just to end, I would like to say that I really do identify with your work, although I personally have not suffered from depression, I do on a daily basis fight a battle against an illness, and when it had me in its grips almost five years ago,

I visually felt the pain/bewilderment/fear among other things, expressed so well in your art. I now also get asked to talk about my illness at various venues and I find that it helps me and other people to recover or even understand, if only I could put it in pictures!!!

Dear Brenda, 

I have just read the entire website and I was glued

I had a car accident and suffered post traumatic stress and I had developed a fear of being in a car as a passenger or driver.  I had cognitive therapy with a psychologist which brought out most other depressive feelings I couldn’t see and reading the website it was amazing to see the depth of someone else’s experience through the art along with the explanations. I certainly love the work and can see that you have achieved something so great out of something so awful and come out the other side smiling.

hi ya, I’ve just read what you think is depression and you are so right!! I have been depressed for coming up for 5years I’m constantly going through a yo-yo stage where some days its good... others it bad ....and others... aren’t worth going back to!!

I’m 16 yet I don’t feel I’m able to act as a 16 year old!! as my depression never leaves me to have fun as you know!!

I’m going to show my family this site so they can try and understand me and my depression a bit better, hope a lot more people who suffer with depression look on your website and hopefully it will help them understand that there not alone thanks again because some how this site has Inspired me (no offence meant by sayin 'sum how').

love to hear from you maybe,