Sandra Woods
Art despite pain

Rat sketch, for Halloween

I sketched one of our very lifelike Halloween rat decorations en plein-air today, when I was actually supposed to be helping my husband rake leaves. He told me that I'm much better at sketching that I am at raking, as I can't use my CRPS-affected right hand for raking.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a rare disease that causes severe chronic pain, bone and joint issues, skin sensitivity, and a host of other issues in the affected areas of the body. As both an autoimmune and a neuro-inflammatory condition, it also causes full-body symptoms including fatigue and my 'mild cognitive impairment'.

Rat sketch, for Halloween