Jayne McClure is one of our featured artists for our Don’t Send Me A Card e-cards. She shares her poetry and her art, inspired by her dreams.
I am an artist and poet living in Maroubra, New South Wales in Australia. I have a bachelor’s of visual art from the Sydney College of Fine Arts. Previously I ran a small business as a children’s entertainer and facilitator of children’s arts and crafts workshops.
My first MS symptom appeared in 1999, but I wasn’t officially diagnosed until 2006. I have been writing poetry for magazines, learning to etch and making pictures on tiles from clay. All of my creative endeavours ground to a halt by 2009 as my symptoms became more and more debilitating.
After years of rapid decline, I heard of a doctor with MS who reversed some of her symptoms through diet. I’ve never eaten the amount of veggies Dr. Terry Wahls prescribed, but I decided to try veggie juicing and within a matter of weeks my concentration, fatigue levels and restless leg syndrome improved enormously.
Wanting to deepen my knowledge about ways to reduce my symptoms, I joined the library and Sheila, my sister and carer, found Professor George Jelinek’s Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis book. I have now read it three times. I first became vegetarian at age 16 and had been a pescatarian since age 25. The diet Jelinek prescribed in the OMS Program was easier to adapt than Dr. Wahls’, as it did not contain as many animal products.
“I have not noticed any further decline since taking the OMS journey. I stick to it about 95% of the time, as I find crackers and dehydrated crispy snacks hard to resist. I am getting there though, one step at a time.” By 2019 I was publishing poetry again:
Moonlight by Jayne McClure
When all you’ve defined yourself by comes shattering apart like glass
And avenues of creativity are culled
When dis-ease and time have a profound effect
And you’re waiting for a miracle to manifest
When it seems like the dice is loaded and the good guys are losing
Don’t give up!
Reach into the world of thoughts and dreams
That stream of ‘Collective Cconsciousness’ where we all get our wings and fly
And I’ll dance with you in the moonlight
Infallible and forever young
A dream about making collage art with pressed flowers led me to start experimenting with making greeting cards. Bridal Flowers shows this technique which enabled me to make art with more detail. “I asked around if anyone was going to a wedding. My physiotherapist’s sister was going to a wedding that weekend. She asked the bride if I could experiment with some of the wedding flowers.”
I made a stencil of a heart by tracing around a flexible ruler on a folded piece of paper. I pasted it to cardboard and my carer cut it out. I used non-toxic and natural pigmented watercolors.
Reverence for the Leaves is a new work inspired by nature made with recycled oil paints. I wanted to make an iconic image of gum leaves using 24-carat gold leaf. Using custom-made brushes that attach to the fingers of my now-dominant left hand I was able to paint.
This piece is about honoring the leaves, and nature during the climate crisis, aiming to make the ordinary seem sublime and remind us not to take Mother Nature for granted.
I am inspired by the dreams and synchronicities that happen best when I take care of my health by eating good fats, drinking cold pressed veggie juices, and attending physiotherapy. I am also dedicated to reducing my carbon footprint by limiting my use of acrylic plastics. I look forward to a world where there is a significant reduction in the use of these non-composting plastics.
My niece, Missy, is a naturopath who supplies the supplements I take during my veggie juice fasts, and gave me a lion’s mane mushroom growing kit, which is known for its neurodegenerative potential. I gifted my niece a framed original of Thank You Missy, which was made with pressed sunflower petals, 24-carat gold leaf and naturally pigmented watercolors.
In addition to making art, I also make customised hampers and enjoy planting seeds with my gardener and watching them grow organically. I can then press the flowers and leaves from my garden to use in my artwork.
You can purchase e-cards through ‘Don’t Send Me a Card‘ featuring designs by Jayne and other OMSers. All donations benefit the Overcoming MS mission of informing, supporting and empowering people affected by MS worldwide.
If you would like your artwork and story featured, please email [email protected]