There will be a Meet Your Councillor session at Ryde Library this Wednesday (2nd July) from 5:30pm – 6:30pm, headed by Mayor Diana Conyers.
Prior to this, at 5:00pm, there will be an exhibition of art by a local artist, David Powell, in the Library.
About the artist:
I have always loved art. I wanted to be an art teacher, but my father insisted that I join a trade. He found me a job in a coal foundry. Later I got a job in a company that makes black boxes for aircraft. I worked there for 20 years, but continued to paint as a hobby. In 1998, when I was 43, I had a stroke and had to stop work. I moved to the Isle of Wight and was able to give more time to painting – and also photography. However, in 2008 I had a more serious stroke that paralysed the right-hand side of my body. The stroke happened when I was on holiday in Italy and I spent several months in hospital there. I gradually regained much of my strength and a few years later was able to start painting again. It has not been easy, physically or mentally, to live with the impact of the strokes. However, painting has given me a purpose in life and keeps me occupied day to day.