Health challenges drive artist to help auction
Local artist Chelsea Hopkins-Allan is joining more than 160 prominent and up-and-coming artists from across Australia to raise vital funds for people living with epilepsy.
These artists are donating original artworks to the online Art for Epilepsy auction, open until March 26.
Almost 200 works of art are up for auction, including beautiful water colours, vibrant abstracts, and intricate illustrations.
The auction opened for bidding in early February and will close at 9pm on International Epilepsy Awareness Day, also known as Purple Day on March 26.
To tie in with the colour purple, the internationally recognised colour for epilepsy, artists have been asked to feature a shade of purple in their artworks in some way.
Ms Hopkins-Allan said she was proud and excited to be involved in the Art for Epilepsy auction again.
“Although not epilepsy, I have had my own serious health challenges for the last four to five years and this made me realise how much such conditions such as epilepsy can affect your daily life and confidence in so many ways we take for granted when we are healthy,” she said.
“I think it’s really rewarding to be able to make something with something as simple as paper and paint that an organisation such as Epilepsy Australia can use for good.
“It just makes you feel good as I think of how a little kindness in a difficult time has been dramatic for me.
“I want other people to have that too, in this case people dealing with epilepsy via the work of Epilepsy Australia.”
Epilepsy Action is the largest provider of education and support services to children and adults with epilepsy across Australia. There are 250,000 people affected by epilepsy across the country.
The inaugural Art for Epilepsy auction, held last year, featured more than 60 works by 55 artists.
The initiative was an outstanding success, raising more than $20,000.
Epilepsy Action chief executive Carol Ireland said epilepsy was the world’s most common serious brain
condition, however community awareness and understanding of the condition remained frustratingly low.
“Our aim is to raise awareness of the impact of this often debilitating condition, and to support people living with epilepsy to lead optimal lives,” she said.
“Art for Epilepsy plays an important role in helping us to raise enough funds to do that effectively and we have such an incredible collection of artworks up for auction this year by some amazingly talented artists.
“We really encourage the community to jump online and get involved in this unique campaign.”
To check out the auction, visit www.ArtForEpilepsy.com.au.