About the Cover Artist: Freedom by Howard Bright

Howard Bright, an artist from Peterborough, UK, was diagnosed with Parkinson disease (PD) at the age of 43. After his diagnosis, Howard followed his physician’s advice to retire from his demanding career as the managing director of a planning and development company in Peterborough. Howard’s physician suggested he pursue a new hobby to remain active, to which Howard curtly replied, “Well, I’m not going to learn to bloody paint, am I?”

Ironically, Howard decided to pursue painting shortly after his retirement, which he describes as “an act of rebellion against Parkinson disease.” He taught himself how to paint by following book and video tutorials, and to his surprise, he discovered he thoroughly enjoyed painting. His friends gave him the nickname “The Parkinson’s Painter”; soon after, he began creating artwork. Howard has been painting for 2 years, and he uses his artwork to showcase that people with PD can still pursue new things. He notes that “Parkinson disease can trick you into living a life focused on what you can’t do anymore, but painting helped me realize it’s better to think about what you can do—and some of that will surprise you… Parkinson disease is hard to live with and can be limiting, but painting showed me that you can do things you didn’t think you could do.”

Howard donates a portion of the proceeds from the sales of his paintings to the Parkinson’s Disease Society of the United Kingdom (www.parkinsons.org.uk). His artwork can be viewed and purchased on his website, www.theparkinsonspainter.co.uk.