Diagnosed With A Rare Disease And Struggling With Chronic Pain, I Finally Found Joy In Creating Art

by Patrick Penrose Published Nov 11, 2025

In 2015 I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. Much like with any sickness, as long as you can function, you’d rather just not deal with it and unfortunately for me, the symptoms got to the point that I could no longer ignore them. After struggling with chronic pain for several years, the inflammation in my joints and tendons began to spread, and eventually, I had to quit my job since I was unable to walk, and for 5 months I was housebound.

Due to these health issues, I turned to art therapy as a means of coping with reality and the oil paintings I created whilst struggling to find purpose and meaning during those tough times are what remain of my initial battles with the disease. My latest portrait painting collection, “Off the Grid”, combines my love for art with travel by juxtaposing portraits with beautiful landscapes. The model’s gazes offer insight into their personalities and reveal an air of disconnectedness with an undercurrent of nostalgia – in other words, they seek to escape their reality and to travel to those distant places painted across their faces.

These beautiful paintings have become a constant reminder to me to be brave in the face of adversity and to pursue worthwhile goals that make me feel alive. Since being properly diagnosed, I’m now taking the proper medications to suppress the negative symptoms and I’m on the path to recovery.

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