World Art Day 2023 – Celebrating artists from our RA & JIA community

Blog by Anita Dowdle

Art and Art Therapy can significantly improve your mood and lower levels of pain and anxiety. So this World Art Day we want to celebrate artists from our RA & JIA communities and share some of their work, along with some words from them about how creating art helps them cope with their condition.

Rebecca Allan

Artwork: "Take it All" (2023), oil on canvas, 50x50cm, "In a Bind" (2022), oil on canvas, 50x50cm, and "Breath of Life" (2022), oil on canvas, 50x50cm

When were you diagnosed? 

I was diagnosed in the Winter of 2001 when I was 25 years old. I was doing my MSc in Applied Economics and Finance and was finding it hard to attend classes. I would wake up at 10am and find myself struggling to stay awake by 2pm and falling asleep at 3pm. One day I woke up with my entire body in so much pain I could barely move. That’s when I realised I needed to see a doctor asap because something was very wrong. He instantly did several blood tests and told me I had both Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis. 

What attracted you to art? 

I have always loved drawing and painting, but it was never a serious pursuit. When I had my daughter and quit my job, I attempted to become a freelance writer, but after a while, my hands started to seize up and were in constant pain and I was back on methotrexate, which left me constantly nauseous and tired. I then decided that I could still attempt to express my thoughts and ideas via painting. I quickly realised that it didn’t hurt my hands, or arms, or any other joint, and that I enjoyed doing it full time. 

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

It is a stress free activity and I am grateful to be in a situation that allows me to fully immerse myself in my painting and do as much research as I want. I also make time to exercise because, otherwise, my painting posture would give me back and shoulder pain, which could potentially make the rheumatoid arthritis flare up. 
I also find that the more I paint, the more I have ideas of what to paint. My art studio is at home and I can do everything at my own pace. If I feel tired, I can have a nap and there’s nobody telling me what to do. I have been in remission and off medication since 2014, fingers crossed. 

You can find more of Rebecca’s work here:

Lyanne Darby

When were you diagnosed? 

I was diagnosed with RA 20 years ago.

What attracted you to art? 

I was attracted to art because I could learn at my own pace, online lessons and relax .

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

On the days I don’t feel great I can try and draw or I can leave and pick up again another day. It’s such an achievement and look at my pictures and enjoy. Art is relaxing and you get totally lost in the moment and forget everything. 

It’s helped my mental health massively. I feel like I have achieved so much in the year and half I have been drawing. I have done pictures for family and friends and it’s so lovely for them to get a surprise of their gorgeous pets. That makes me happy.

Christina Potter

When were you diagnosed? 

I was diagnosed with RA in 2016 at the age of 26. I’ve always loved crafting and working with my hands, but I’d always been employed in office administration and project management roles.

What attracted you to art? 

During the first years of the pandemic, I had to shield due to the meds I was on. I worked from home in a job I’d fallen into and I was thoroughly miserable. I’d always been wanting to change career into something more creative, and I took the opportunity to start training in different jobs to see if my RA was compatible with anything else.

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

Floristry was too cold and required too much grip strength and dexterity for long periods of time. Picture framing was similarly too demanding on my hand strength. Chair caning, however, turned out to be perfect. If you let go of a strand, it doesn’t unravel. If you need to stop and rest, or have a flare and can’t work for a week, you can just pick up from where you left off. It builds strength and dexterity in my hands, and my shoulders and elbows are much less problematic than they used to be. And it’s a skill that’s in demand. I own and run my own business in furniture repair now (Nimble Norfolk), and I’m so much happier.

You can find more of Christina’s work here:

Megan Bennett

When were you diagnosed? 

I was diagnosed with JIA in 2007 when I was 20 months old but I first became ill at 18 months – I’m now 17.

What attracted you to art? 

My nan got me into knitting and sewing (which I also do) but I saw lots of crochet projects during the first covid lockdown and decided to give it a go, and found it was really fun and quite calming.

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

It helps me with my fingers, because they are affected with the JIA, with movement and strength. It also builds my confidence because throughout my life there’s been lots I can’t do because of my JIA and lots of stuff I missed out on with friends, but I can do this and create amazing projects.

You can find Megan on Instagram: @_wingsandwool_

Louise Gray

When were you diagnosed? 

I was diagnosed with JIA at 4 years old, I am now 42. 

What attracted you to art? 

I have always had an interest in Art but naturally veered more towards craft and making things. I grew up surrounded by Crafters as both my Mum and Grandma’s were keen knitters and I learnt from them around age 7/8. I studied Art at both GCSE and A Level and as a Primary School teacher myself it is something that I enjoy sharing with others. 

In recent years I taught myself to crochet using ‘how to’ videos on YouTube and am quite literally ‘hooked’! It is my wind down activity at the end of each day.

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

In terms of helping with my JIA, I would say that it acts as a distraction as those repetitive, rhythmic movements are something that you soon fall in tune with and your focus is on the next stitch/row/square etc There is also a great crafting community, I engage with this a lot on Instagram, I love seeing other people’s makes and the inspiration behind their projects, strangely enough quite a few of the crafting community live with different autoimmune conditions. I think ultimately that even when I might be having a tough day, my craft shows me that there is still plenty to be celebrated and that there is always beauty to be found if you look for it. 

Tanya Green

When were you diagnosed? 

My name is Tanya Green, I’m 46 years old from Belfast Northern Ireland and I was diagnosed with RA in January 2009. 

What attracted you to art? 

All my life I have been sketching at from no age, in fact people who knew me from school still remember me as the quiet person who doodled on pages at the back of the classroom!

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

Since my diagnosis, I found it a struggle of hold/grip pencils, pens etc even my writing has really changed…so I had to change the way I sketch in a way that I never really had done before nor had the knowledge to do. That is when I started to dabble into digital drawing, teaching myself as I went on. At first just using basic Paint on my computer and either using a computer mouse or my finger on the laptop D pad which was and still is a challenge.  

I progressed onto using other art programmes, again teaching myself as I went along and in the last year I started using a digital art pen. With my RA, at first I was a bit apprehensive to use it as I didn’t know how much or in what way it would affect my grip and pain levels.  However I did settle on a pen with a chunky grip.

I still have my early sketches from when I started self taught digital art and when I compare them to what I have done now, it still amazes me.

I personally feel that doing this type of art has really improved my skills as a artist, almost like a developing a new lease of life since switching from one media to another, especially when after finding out I had RA that things and life in general felt like it was over. 

This is/was probably not a great thing to have on your mind or way of thinking about yourself but for me the art media switch over has been a game changer.

I hope my story would inspire people with RA never to give up hope, and if one door closes there is always another one opens.

Carmela Nola

When were you diagnosed? 

I am a mosaicist and intuitive artist based in the UK. I was diagnosed with RA in 2009.

What attracted you to art? 

I took redundancy and some time off in 2018 when I started some art classes and fell in love with Mosaics.

How has your art helped with your RA/JIA?

Mosaics has given me the opportunity to be myself and explore different techniques. I experience freedom and pace myself while the pain subsides. I find it to be very meditative, and as I immerse myself into this beautiful experience I create a piece of art and have no limits to what I do now.

You can find more Carmela’s work here:

Are you an artist with RA or JIA, or simply love creating art? Share your artwork with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and be sure to follow us for everything RA.

NRAS in 2023

  • 0 Helpline enquiries
  • 0 Publications sent out
  • 0 People reached