Pat Basse’s dreams gave her hope.
As a four-year-old Pat was evacuated from her parent’s house during WW2.
“We were in a very dark place,” remembers the skilled artist who resides at Pakuranga Park Village.
“War was very cruel, hard, and I was so heartbroken. We were seven of us living in one room with my mother. My dad was with the Royal Marines. He was away at war. It’s a wonder I didn’t die,” reflects the artist whose work Dreaming in Colour is showing at Uxbridge till Friday, May 12.
As a form of escapism from the dismal and dreary life she was led, Pat started having dreams in bright hues, something she didn’t understand as a child.
It was only years later as she analysed her vibrant dreams, she realised that her dreams were almost prophetic. They saved her.
“It was great for my soul and my mental health,” she reckons.
“When I arrived in New Zealand in the 70s, I realised that it was so beautiful, lush with nature, so similar to what I saw in my dreams.”
As an adult Pat could write down her dreams and recreate them in art.
The trained artist who is now experiencing age-related macular degeneration says that her work is part imagination, and using images outside her dreams.
