Mercy Health Home Care Services client Lorna Robinson has a passion for painting – a passion supported by her home care workers. Although she is now a painting devotee, the artistic 85-year-old’s love of art began with a very different crafty pursuit: sewing.
Over the years, Lorna’s work has most definitely evolved.
“My mother taught me how to sew, so that was the first creative thing I was involved with,” Lorna says. “I then went on to learn more about sewing at night school and did a course with Singer [the sewing machine manufacturer]. I’d make my own clothes and later made clothes for my children.”
When she immigrated to Australia from England almost 50 years ago, Lorna took a course in leatherwork and went on to make leather wallets, bags, Bible covers and even beautiful butterfly brooches, which she sold in markets.
Lorna’s creative juices have never stopped flowing. She began painting folk art later in life after she took some painting classes.
“I got really enthusiastic about it and started painting quite a lot,” she says. “I mostly like painting scenery from photos these days. My favourite pieces are landscapes of an area just near Greymouth on New Zealand’s south island, from a photo I took, and the second is one of Russell Falls in Tasmania. My grandson visited there and took a photograph, which I later painted and gave to him as a gift when he bought a house. He’s got it on the wall in his new home.”
Lorna has been a Mercy Health Home Care Services client since 2014. She relies on her home care workers to drive her to appointments, to the shops for supplies and to any classes she wishes to attend. Her Mercy Health Care Advisor Tracey Tauber is in awe of her work.
“She’s an amazing artist,” Tracey says. “Her works of art are beautiful. We love looking at the pieces she has hanging on her walls. Her two regular Mercy Health home care workers, whom Lorna has had ever since she started using her Home Care Package through us in 2014, love looking at her creations too.”
