By XAVIER SMERDON
A WERRIBEE woman who is a carer for her daughter who has a mental illness, and also a recipient of care herself, has found comfort in art.
Aurora Van Mourik is a carer for her teenage daughter, but her own bipolar disorder means that she also needs to be cared for by her husband Richard.
In July this year Ms Van Mourik started holding art classes through Mind Australia for people with mental illnesses.
She encouraged them to create portraits of their carers or anyone else they felt close to.
The classes were so successful that Werribee Mercy Hospital agreed to hold an exhibition of all the artworks.
Ms Van Mourik said art was an important outlet for people with mental illnesses.
“This project gave me the opportunity to share my skills with my peers,” Ms Van Mourik said.
“Everyone supported the project and had a go even though it was challenging.
“For me, being a carer is going the extra mile and not taking anything for granted.
“As a carer I believe the qualities that are important are resilience, humour, confidence and trust. I love capturing people’s essence and looking at them in a new way.”
Mr Van Mourik said as a carer to two people, he felt patience was the key.
“It’s all about energy at the end of the day,” Mr Van Mourik said.
“You need the same outlook towards being a carer that you need for life.
“We’re happy as a family with the challenges we have, but then every family has its challenges.”
The artworks were mounted at Werribee Mercy Hospital along with a description from each artist.
