Becky Whinnerah Gallery

The illustrations in this gallery were produced by artist Becky Whinnerah as part of The Tired of Spinning Plates project.

The images capture moments that matter about caring and mental health in the lives of family carers of adults with learning disabilities.

About the Artist
Meet Becky

I am an artist and parent carer. Two of my children are disabled, one severely with high medical needs who is life limited. I also have had a long history of mental health struggles.

Since graduating from UWE in 1993, I've been a professional artist (and teacher, lecturer, cleaner, painter and decorator, curator, pub landlady, and award winning brewer....). Until 2020, I mainly focussed on abstract painting alongside the main preoccupation of being a mum and the trying to earn money thing.

However, after a strange little drawing fell out of me during a bout of flu in 2014, which I ignored, lost, found in a cupboard in an abandoned chest of drawers in the garden, lost again, then rediscovered in 2020, I began drawing my simple illustrations about mental health and life as a parent carer. Since then I've produced over a thousand images musing on the micro moments that we all go through.

My main hope with these pictures is that I can echo experiences that are common amongst anyone who has caring roles and/or mental health shenanigans. I hope more than anything that it makes people feel seen, especially as many of us feel extremely isolated on a daily basis.

Life remains relentlessly challenging but being able to create these images during squeezed in moments means a huge amount to me.

About the Artist

00:00 / 01:32

Meet the Artist Illustration

00:00 / 00:41

We Watch as Those We Love Die

Visual Description

A black and white hand drawn illustration. There is a dark square shape in the background. In the centre of the image is a small rounded human-like figure that appears to be lying down with their closed eyes drawn as two curved lines. To the left of the central figure is a larger rounded figure with mouth and eyes drawn as open circles. The figure appears to be pushing away a dark abstract shape that appears to be reaching around the central figure and has a scythe tucked under one of its arm-like shapes.Beneath the image is handwritten text that reads “We watch as those we love die from abuse and neglect in all its most subtlest forms”.

An Ordinary Life

Visual Description

A black and white hand-drawn illustration shows a solitary, rounded human figure standing in front of a large window, looking into a café. The figure is outside and seen slightly from the side with no visible facial expressions other than two small dot-like eyes directed through the glass. Inside the café, two rounded figures sit at a small table with drinks. One raises their arm and the other appears to be laughing. A small dog stands under the table on a lead being held by another rounded figure who is standing next to the table. Two other rounded figures are nearby - one is entering or leaving the café with a small rounded childlike figure reaching up to them. Above the seated people, the word CAFE is written in capital letters.
Beneath the drawing, handwritten text reads: “An ordinary life is all we ask”

Blimey. They'd Really Listened.

Visual Description

This illustration is divided into two contrasting halves. The left side is colourful with bright blue, yellow, red, green, pink and orange flowers, leaves, curling vines and shell-like spiral forms filling the space. The right side of the illustration is dominated by a large and heavily cross-hatched area of black and grey. Between these two halves a rounded human-like figure with just two circles as eyes appears to be holding open a door into the colourful space. Warm yellow light surrounds the figure through the opening. Beneath the illustration handwritten text reads: “ Blimey. They’d really listened and believed her. Now they were taking action”.

Leaking Eyes

Visual Description

An abstract hand-drawn drawing. The image is filled with rounded and spiralling shapes that overlap. The illustration is black ink with blue, turquoise, green and yellow colour. Throughout this background are eye-like shapes. Some are simple circles while others have an oval or square outline. There is a teardrop falling from many of these eye-like shapes. There are additional droplets throughout the image. Across the front is a rounded figure with two closed eyes drawn as curved lines. Droplets are drawn on the figure too. Beneath the illustration is handwritten text that reads “Leaking Eyes”.

Immortal

Visual Description

This illustration centres on two rounded human-like figures, The figures have two simple circles as eyes but no other facial features. The larger figure appears behind the smaller figure with the eyes appearing to be looking downward at the smaller figure. The smaller figure appears to be sitting and is holding a small rectangular object. Behind the figures is a large oval shape painted in yellow and orange with a small amount of turquoise. Thick black lines radiate outwards from the centre of this shape behind the figures. Along the lines are small blue dots. The oval shape is painted on top of an irregular grey rectangle shape. Beneath the illustration is hand written text that reads: “For you, I would be immortal”.

Laughter and Music

Visual Description

This illustration centres two rounded human-like figures sitting side by side with their heads leaning towards one another. The figures appear to have half a smile each with curved lines and lines depicting eyes. Abstract flowing shapes surround the central figures and look like blue and purple ribbon. At the upper right this ribbon curls into a spiral. On the left hand side of the illustration are more jagged shapes in orange and warm pink. There is a small black line drawing of a star at the top of the spiralling ribbon on the right. Beneath the illustration is hand written text that reads “There’s always laughter. And always music”.

Fierce Love

Visual Description

This is a black and white ink illustration with the words FIERCE FIERCE LOVE in the centre, The text is stacked vertically with each letter drawn as a chunky three dimensional block. At the bottom of the illustration is a small rounded human-like figure with two small circles for eyes. The figure stands beneath the word love, reaching one arm upwards touching the ‘O’ in the word LOVE.

We watch as those we love die

00:00 / 00:44

An ordinary life

00:00 / 00:59

Blimey. They'd really listened.

00:00 / 00:52

Leaking eyes

00:00 / 00:44

Immortal

00:00 / 00:49

Laughter and Music

00:00 / 00:45

Fierce love

00:00 / 00:29

Becky Whinnerah Gallery

About the Artist Meet Becky

About the Artist
Meet Becky