Daisy Simpson is currently an outpatient at the Royal Marsden where she’s being treated for stage 3 bowel cancer. She’s the inspirational artist, and also a young mother, behind the 30/30 campaign, a challenge she threw herself into with her artist mum Karen Carpenter and and niece Georgia Mahoney, also an artist, who will be graduating in Fine Art from Newcastle University in June. The three talented women produced a piece of work each, every day during April, taking just 30 minutes to complete each drawing. Daisy then sold the art on her daily Instagram posts raising much needed funds for the hospital
A family of talented female artists
“My mother graduated from Farnham Art College when I was six and with this constant exposure to life drawing classes and studio visits it was inevitable I would follow in her footsteps. My niece is due to graduate this summer from Newcastle University in Fine Art, as did I too in 2010. She attended art lessons run by my mother for 10 years while they were all living in the Middle East. Now we’re all based in the UK and our ambition is a joint exhibition towards the end of the year.
In the interim we have been running our campaign to raise money for The Royal Marsden which concluded at the end of April. For 30 days the three of us produced a piece of work with the same theme relating to the current situation, the things we’re revelling in – mainly our kitchens, plus those that we’re missing – mostly each other. We sold these triptychs for £30 via Instagram and by day five the sales were really taking off and have been consistently selling within seconds of me posting – it was incredible.
Due to the enthusiasm I am working on a limited edition print run of some of the preferred pieces, whilst managing a two year old daughter at home and ad also working on my commissions! I certainly have my hands full but it is a refreshing and rewarding task to be able to use our art and talents to raise money for this incredible hospital. I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in September last year and have been undergoing chemo and radio therapy since November 2019, due to conclude – at least for the time being – on May 12th!
