There isn’t a single road to recovery. From natural remedies to positive thinking, everyone approaches it on their own terms. When KwaZulu-Natal artist Jane Digby discovered that she had breast cancer in 2018, she realised how far she was from a healthy life. The illness has led Digby to seek solace in her tools of expression – canvas and oil paints. “Creativity is crucial for my survival,” Digby says. Through art, she’s taken control of her journey.
It was her daughter, Tayla, who triggered her path to healing after capturing intimate pictures of her mother for a school project. This inspired Digby to portray those images in paint. Guided by her background in interior design, Digby’s emotions and creativity began to pour onto the canvas. “Self-portraits are my way of staring cancer in the eye and letting it know that I’m bigger than it,” she says. Creating abstract figures with delicate dabs of paint, Digby is building her understanding of this challenge – and her own strength.
Her series on her relationship with cancer, A Hymn to Her, has exhibited at the Simbithi Country Club, while Digby’s other works have showcased at the Artbox Project in Switzerland and the Florence Biennale. But beyond her success as an artist, these portraits have given her a fresh perspective on life. “Going through adversity, you realise how grateful you are for the good,” Digby says. Her advice to others is simple: “Appreciate each day.”
Photos by Tayla Blacklaw were used in the creation of this film
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