AN EXHIBITION of paintings by Isle of Wight painter, Jayne Bouman, is now on display in the Full Circle Exhibition space at St. Mary’s Hospital.

The show is being held to help raise awareness of the little known condition, PANDAS - Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections.

Jayne's son developed the condition in 2011 when he was 12. Helped by a specialist Paediatrician, it took three years for his condition to be fully diagnosed with long spells in and out of hospital on the Island, Southampton and Great Ormond Street London.

As a result he missed much of his schooling – GCSEs and ‘A’ levels. However by attending the Island’s ‘Rock School’ and completing BTEC levels 2 and 3 he developed a passion for music.

Now aged 19 he is on his 2nd year of the degree course at Platform One Newport studying commercial music, whilst teaching drums on the side. He continues to live with the condition.

A consequence of these experiences - looking after her son and the rest of her family, Jayne Bouman, who trained as an artist but had ceased to be active, rediscovered her desire to start painting again.

In 2015 she suddenly felt the need to paint four pictures associated with her son’s illness – all in this exhibition – each of which relate directly to his and her experience of PANDAS. Subsequently she has gone on to continue with creating new works using poetry and text alongside images (some written by her son).

She said: "I paint from life experiences, emotions, contemplation and escape. It has become a necessity and compulsion, probably because it is my form of meditation and stress release.”

She added: “I am delighted to be raising awareness of PANDAS through this exhibition, and what better place is there to be doing this, than at St Mary’s Hospital.”

All of the artwork is for sale, with 25 per cent of any sale being donated to the Isle of Wight NHS Charitable Fund - PANDAS.

If you are interested in purchasing one of the artworks or find out more about this exhibition or to enquire about future ones, then please contact Guy Eades, Healing Arts at healingarts@iow.nhs.uk or 534253.