Artist of the Month is a feature where we put the spotlight on the incredible work of one of our members.
Carla Hixon currently has artwork being exhibited in Oswestry Community Action (formerly The Qube). The show, titled One Gallery 4 Artists, runs from 5th May to 3rd June.
My new works will reflect my connection to the Netherlands, where my bone marrow transplant donor came from. Additionally, I will incorporate the influence of family and friends into the paintings, as my experience with cancer has strengthened these bonds.”
Carla’s artworks are about love, life and laughter. They are mostly painted with oils and oil sticks, resulting in a thick impasto. Carla has a studio based in an ex-coal mining office near Wrexham, North Wales.
“As a child with hearing loss, I spent a lot of my time painting and drawing. As an adult, I had lost 95% of my hearing, so I took an apprenticeship as a painter and decorator and specialised in special painting effects. I continued oil painting on evenings and weekends.
Over 20 years ago, I moved with my husband and son to North Wales, then North Shropshire. I set up a business as a Ceramic restorer with my husband’s help. I also had a cochlear implant to try and help with hearing, but this is only in one ear, so I am totally deaf in the other ear. After 15 successful years in business, I suddenly became ill and found out I had blood cancer.
I was told I had 6 months to live without a bone marrow transplant. After 6 months, they told me they had found a match with a girl in the Netherlands. This saved my life, but I spent around 6 months in the hospital with complications. And after leaving the hospital, I was left with long-term disabilities. This is when I took up drawing again and looked at art books, as most of my time was spent in isolation.
When I finally came out of the hospital, I pushed myself to paint most days to focus my mind and deepen my interest in different styles. Since then, I have exhibited and sold work in North Wales and Shropshire, including at the Tŷ Pawb open in Wrexham and the North Wales open in Mold. I have an exhibition with three other artists at The Qube in Oswestry, running from the 5th May to the 3rd of June.
I have started a new range of pictures, with a connection to the Netherlands and my family, which will be ready around September.
Carla is a member of Disability Arts Cymru and studied Fine Art at Wrexham University.