It’s been a painting a day – bar one, when his reserves of energy ran out – for accomplished watercolourist Lee Stammers. He’s been painting his way through a topsy-turvy February to raise money for the ME Association.
For the fifth year running, Lee has been living his best possible life through his annual FeBLUEary campaign.
Lee, who lives in Plymouth and has had ME for over 20 years, has been concentrating on painting his way round the Blue Planet.
His marathon one-painting-a-day sessions are a tribute to the latest TV series from world-leading conservationist and national treasure Sir David Attenborough.
Lee has been painting creatures that swim in the seas, live on land and there are even echoes of life nearer home as he remembers a more active life round Plymouth, throwing in the occasional fond joke about the place.
Once again he has dyed his hair blue to get in the mood for FeBLUEary –which was supposed to have been gloomier than it actually is now.
But on February 20 he had to admit to to his Instagram followers that he needed a break. The battery had obviously run down too far.
“So today I have to give in to the M.E. and have a break from painting. But hopefully I will return with an extra one at some point so that I still have 28 in total. Stay safe. See you tomorrow.”
Lee is selling prints of these paintings for £15 each and also inviting people to donate to the MEA through his fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lee-stammers21
Lee took up painting after he became ill. He was inspired by a TV show called ‘Watercolour Challenge’, developed a passion for putting brush to paper and painting in watercolours became his life saver.
On his fundraising page, Lee writes: “It is hard often to feel worthwhile as the exhaustion and pain can rob you of your self-worth. So I am doing this challenge to show that I still ‘can’ do something and feel worthwhile.
“I will be updating daily on Instagram where you can follow me on stammertime10”.
Lee first went down with ME when he was a teenager at college. He struggled to get his A-levels. He then studied sports science at university and indeed got his degree – but he has been ill ever since.
Thank you, Lee. You and your struggle to keep creative are an inspiration to us all, and thank you also for supporting the ME Association again. It’s wonderful to be able to showcase your talent from time to time.
If you would like to support Lee’s FeBLUEary campaign, please visit his fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lee-stammers21
You can see more of his work HERE.
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