WHEN keen artist Geraldine Fletcher was diagnosed with breast cancer, she wanted to keep a record of her feelings and treatment.

Instead of keeping a diary, she painted a visual record of her symptoms, side effects and the way her body responded to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

The 59-year-old, of Lexden, donned rubber gloves and painted with syringes to symbolise the treatment, and created works such as Nausea, Ulcers and Trepidation.

Mrs Fletcher, who is now in remission, painted during a year of treatment which included seven months of chemotherapy and a month of radiotherapy.

Sometimes Mrs Fletcher, a mother of five grown-up children, painted all day, and only kept one of the creations.

The 22 pieces of work crafted over her year of treatment are on show at St Helena Hospice day centre, in Clacton, as a tribute to the support and care the hospice showed her during her year of need.

Mrs Fletcher said she started by focusing on the physiological sensations and thought about colours to represent her feelings.

She said: “Almost everything seemed changed, the food I ate, the sleep patterns and the motivation to do exercise. My powers of concentration just slipped away.”

The works are for sale priced between £100 and £400.

Mrs Fletcher said it is her way of saying thank you to the hospice for its day-to-day support and therapies which helped her cope.