Burning Pain Erupts, Sandra Woods
This flowing watercolour painting in shades of orange and blue – with hints of pink – portrays a semi-abstract and imaginary volcanic eruption. Its goal is to express the kinds of burning pain often experienced by people living with chronic pain.
Title: Burning Pain Erupts
Artist: Sandra Woods
Date: 2026
Medium/Materials: Watercolour
Dimensions: 28 cm x 38 cm, framed 49 cm x 60 cm
Form/Genre: Painting, Abstract
Key Terms/Subject/Tags: Chronic pain; Pain flare; Mark-making
Artist Statement:
Heavily granulating pigments dance across the water's surface, suspended above a substrate, creating images that evoke experiences of chronic pain and the disembodiment of cognitive impairment. Appearing magical, Sandra Woods’ watercolour practice invokes principles of physics, applying subtle manipulation to guide pigments into desired positions. Gravity leads a downward flow of pigments, while fluid dynamics and diffusion augment her wet-on-wet work, and cohesive forces or capillary action generate specific effects. What appears magical is a scientific approach to traditional craft, much in the way that healthcare relies on science to create ‘magic’ for patients and caregivers.
A public speaker and local media personality for the arts as well as for pain research, Woods’ #ArtDespitePain initiative raises awareness of chronic pain through her artwork while using her art practice to encourage others living with pain to try creative pursuits to potentially improve their symptoms and quality of life.
Woods’ artwork and volunteer activities in the sphere of chronic pain – from advocacy to healthcare professionals’ and trainees’ education to co-authoring research manuscripts and posters to serving on several committees of the Canadian Pain Society as a Patient Partner – personify the "Embodied States" thematic category of "Unsilenced Stories: Art as Witness in Health Research".
Cultural Context / Story Behind the Work:
Represents the burning neuropathic pain of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), one of Woods’ two rare diseases.
Rights for this Image:
This digital image is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. You are free to share it for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit the artist.
Learn More:
Instagram: @sandrawoods_creative_arts