This week focuses on Stacie, who was the subject of Lisa Timmerman’s sixth portrait in this series. Stacie is a paediatric nurse working on a children’s ward at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire. She was nominated by her mother, Cherie.
The height of the coronavirus pandemic seemed like an everlasting battle in which hospital staff were required to wear numerous layers of protective clothing. Thus, the composition plays with depth in the illusion of a never-ending corridor. The white purity of the backdrop contrasts with Stacie’s flushed skin, with only her blue, imploring eyes visible underneath the mask and plastic shield.
Combating this often frightening aspect, Stacie’s uniform features Paddington Bear patch pockets. This pattern alludes to Stacie’s young patients as does the woollen doll, which seems to lean on Stacie for care and comfort. The doll was gifted to Stacie to reassure her patients but was unable to enter the hospital ward due to possible contamination. This seems highly ironic due to its innocent appearance and the reassurance it could have provided during this uncertain time.
Photographed originally with said doll, it is almost a token of comfort for Stacie as a young mother herself. Painting this portrait caused Lisa to think about “our beautiful young people and how hard they are working during this pandemic”; When Stacie was not working, she was home-educating her two children as well as running errands for her mother.
The pandemic encouraged lots of volunteering within the community, specifically caring for those most vulnerable in society.
Words are not enough for these wonderful people and their continual acts of kindness.
To view more of Lisa’s portraits of NHS Heroes and read their stories, visit her website. You can also read an article about Lisa’s NHS Heroes on the BBC website.
A Painter's Life 