Resting against a window pane in artist Tanya Stubbles’ Thirroul studio is a well-worn card bearing the inscription ‘Never, never, never give up’.
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She placed it there many years ago, as inspiration as she undertakes the intricate – and laborious work – of turning found objects into amazing artworks.
And it was that motto that her four children clung to when their mother was placed into an induced coma after sustaining a serious brain injury from a fall at a friend’s exhibition opening late last year.
The fall down stairs left her with a fractured skull, and bleeding on the brain, and she spent six months at Liverpool Hospital. She’s still weak – and has lost her sense of smell – but has gained a whole new outlook on life.
‘’I’m lucky to be alive – I actually died in the helicopter on the way to hospital, and a couple of times in hospital too,’’ she said.
‘’At one stage the doctors brought my parents and children into a room and told them they didn’t think I was going to survive. But my son Jarrah said ‘No, my mum’s saying is ‘Never never, never give up’ – and she’s not going to give up on us.’’
Ms Stubbles, 42, spent a month in a coma, two more suffering post traumatic amnesia before three months of rehabilitation.
She couldn’t wait to get back to her family – Amber, 21; Jarrah, 18; Lotus, 15 and Taj, 13 – and back to her art.
‘’I have no memory of the accident, or the first three months after, so it was disorienting to wake up from a coma and find myself in a hospital bed,’’ she said. ‘’I missed my kids so I was desperate to get home. Plus I love making my artwork and couldn’t wait to start working again.’’
Her parents, Lyn and Warwick, purchased the first artwork she produced as they couldn’t bear the thought of someone else having it.
And now Ms Stubbles has just clinched the contract of her career – 22 major artworks for a Chinese real estate developer. But first she’s preparing works for Scarborough Art Show on October 8 and 9, a show she’s volunteered on for 15 years.
‘’The community has been so supportive of me and my family since the accident – I’m forever thankful.’’