Fibromyalgia

This artwork called “Still-life at 3 AM” was a result of being in pain.  When I was in my late 30’s, I began to have more and more pain, especially at night in my legs.  That made getting a good night’s sleep almost impossible.  I have always been a “sensitive” type, cutting labels out of my clothes, and not wearing fabrics such as wool or linen.  Noises and temperature changes bother me.  I would be in a group with a person talking, and be aware of the toilet running in the next room, or the dog barking next door.  My mind always jumped ahead of subjects, and I would often blurt out thoughts uncensored by mental deliberation.  In other words, I was, and am, short of “inhibitors”.

This condition came to be labeled as Fibromyalgia.

Migraine headaches seem to be a part of it. Mine would usually last a day and a half.  There was nothing to do but go to bed with a pillow over my head and wait it out.   My friend, Sue, said that hers were triggered by eating chocolate.  I recalled that mine seemed worse at Christmas, and how Don’s aunt in Germany always sent a large box of gourmet chocolates, filled with liqueurs, crèmes and nuts.  With experimentation, I found I had to avoid chocolate, MSG, certain nuts, and even Lima beans.  There are many triggers for other people.  I do not have those debilitating headaches any more, but my nights still inspire “troubled art”.

This second artwork, “Night Time,” has the same theme as the first but is very different in presentation and represents a new way I started using photography in other media.   (Notice the photo of clocks in the background.)  Assemblage became a way of expression, as well as relating to the subject of three dimensional design that I was teaching at the college.  This work is also one of the first of a “house” series I began doing.  I wanted to hang some sort of pill with monofilament, falling into small piles on the floor.  So far the Tylenol capsules have held up, although somewhat dusty.