A struggling painter says she suddenly became a much better artist after a huge growth was found in her brain.

Alison Silva, from New Jersey, USA, now sells her work for £10,000 a piece after suffering a brain malformation caused by a tangle of blood vessels.

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The 33-year-old who previously described her own art as ‘childlike’ says everything changed after December 2006 when she suffered a serious haemorrhage.

Doctors at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital found a mass of blood vessels in her left temporal lobe, which impacts on a person’s vision, memory, and language, and causes serious symptoms such as seizures.

The massive deformity, or cavernous malformation/haemangioma (CM), was extremely dangerous, but as Alison recovered she found her painting had changed radically.

“I couldn’t paint at all for many months because I was so ill and depressed,” said Alison, who was prescribed anti-seizure medications.

“But when I did paint again I was shocked at how my style had changed.”

The first painting Alison completed after the haemorrhage was “The Warrior of Mannaz.”

“It was completely different from anything I had done before,” she said. “I feel this painting marked a turning point in my life.  When I began painting this piece, I found the courage to paint the visions of my inner struggle.

“I felt like I am technically more competent and that my work now has more spiritual intensity.”

So despite blinding migraines, sleeplessness and distorted vision, Alison has decided not to have surgery at the moment.

“It is a tough decision to make, but I just don’t feel ready yet,” she said.

Alison’s agent, Ross Brodar, said that prior to the brain trauma, Alison’s paintings would fetch £500.  Now they are in high demand, selling for up to £10,000 apiece.

“There is a lot more detail and depth in her work now,” says Brodar.

Alison is still struggling to come to terms with the changes in herself and her art.

“I was scared to talk about it at first,” she said.

“There was a lot to cope with. I was depressed and was having manic mood swings so I began to channel it into my art.  Now I feel humbled by the changes and am painting my every emotion like a diary.

“My friends and family can’t believe it when they see my new paintings. They are really intrigued.”

Brain trauma has been linked to creative ability in the past.

In 2003, Sandy Allen, of Seattle, discovered her artistic ability after her brain tumour was removed.  A number of celebrated writers and artists are also thought to have suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy including Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens and Van Gogh.

Alison’s doctor Steven Karceski at New York-Presbyterian /Columbia hospital said: “Alison’s case is very unusual but not unique.

“When I was in training in California I met a man who was a musician.  He suffered a serious head injury and afterwards he had depression but also felt more creative.  His music took on a new direction, and he felt as if he was able to infuse more “emotion” into his music after the head injury occurred.”

Dr Kareski added that although Alison’s CM is dangerous it is not life threatening at the moment.

“Each person has to decide (if they want surgery) for him or herself.  Some people might say, ‘I would rather that it was out so that there is no problem in the future.’  Others, like Alison, would say, ‘I’ll take the chance that nothing bad will happen.’ ”

Alison has decided to remain positive and concentrate on her art.

“For now I’m learning to meditate on my creativity and keep a peaceful state of mind,” she said.

“I’ve always felt like I was in wonderland, but this time around I was forced to go through the looking glass into my own reality.”

Words by Isla Harvey

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