Michio Umeki #strokeart2014

My name is Michio Umeki. I was born in Japan and still live there. I was forty-eight years old when I had a stroke, which is already nine years ago. This event brought me a drastic change in my life, with right hemiplegia and moderate aphasia. Actually I have never painted before the stroke. When I began to paint at the Sumomo Club, I had a hard time for a while to get used to, as I use my left hand. But now, I get to work even on pretty big paintings. An activity like this has been helping me to regain self-confidence little by little. I am extremely happy when I see my wife put my paintings on the wall at home. I also often give it away to somebody like my friend or family. It is such a rewarding experience to get to see someone’s smile with my art work.