15 years ago, after seeing dozens of doctors, Lara Sandling-Bennett was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. "It's a very depressing syndrome," she said. "I couldn't work anymore. I felt lost because of the pain."
But in 2007 she took steps that would change her life. With the encouragement of friends, she started taking classes at the UNM-Los Alamos, and is working toward earning her studio art degree.
She comes from an artistic family, and has done a lot of arts and crafts in her life. But when she took her first painting class, taught by Patrick Harris, she learned some wonderful things about herself.
The first assignment was to "paint your ideal outdoor space." She did her painting "my secret window," which is now on display along with 15 of her other paintings in building 2 at the UNM-LA campus. She said, "I was shocked and surprised that I had that artistic ability in me."
"While I paint everything goes away. Stress. Pain. With all the other arts and crafts that I've done, I've never had that experience. I call it my Zen Moment. I lose all track of time and everything seems right."
Lara thinks that painting has an especially mediative effect on her because she enjoys working with the colors, and she said, "as I paint, I'm giving someone else a glimpse of how I see the world. I can express all the things that most people take for granted. A beautiful landscape. Or my cat. It just takes everything else away."
She has found the teachers in the UNM-LA art department to be inspirational and supportive. Patrick Harris encouraged her to enter the Impressionism exhibit at the Fuller Art Center and two of her pieces were selected.
She has made other opportunities for herself by following her heart. You can see from her paintings that she has a passion for cats. "One of the cats that I had helped me get through my diagnosis with Fibromyalgia."
To commemorate her special pet she joined the Friends of the Shelter, an organization that makes sure that cats and dogs in the Los Alamos Animal Shelter are being taken care of. The Friends help screen for potential adopters and help the shelter maintain an unwritten no-kill policy. The only animals that are euthanized are are truly beyond medical help.
Because of her involvement with that organization she will be painting two murals for the new shelter, that is scheduled to be completed in November 2009. There will be a social room where people can get to know cats and dogs to see if they connect before deciding to adopt.
"Art has given me hope," she said. "And a chance to show others that there's hope - a chance for a new life no matter what disease you may have."
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