Last of the leopards Painting

My name is Rebecca Rydel, i am a self taught Artist in Residence at Doncaster Corn Exchange (Market) and a Fellow of the Royal Society Of Arts, i am very proud of this. My love for art and career as an artist began at an early age; painting radiators in foster homes with green nail varnish, painting on bathroom walls at primary school, and then drawing and painting in nearly every lesson at secondary school; whether it was art class or not. At 17, whilst taking my A levels in art, photography and graphics, i was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality disorder a few years later, whilst i was in and out of this establishment i created several artworks depicting my symptoms and struggles. Unfortunately as i was not allowed to leave the hospital for many months, i could not submit my work to the school and so did not receive any A levels. I settled on attempting a degree in Biology via the open university (i could do this at home without ever needing to leave) however it proved too stressful on my mental health, i managed to make it to second year. Only in the past year after a lot of hard work and breakdowns have i managed to leave my home, cautiously making my way to the shop 2 doors down the street, to an art supply shop, to a coffee shop, to my future; eventually leading me to the market where i found fellow artists. They showed me around and invited me to join their community. I now have a space of my own to create my art and spread the word about mental health and science.