"In the dark of night, when I'm depressed, art brings my joy out. That fills my heart. Art makes me feel free. It fills my soul.

Teresa Law, an occupational therapist at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MAWI), believes art plays an important part in everyone's life, as it keeps us healthy and balanced. For those with mental health issues, art can be a way of coping, and releasing inner feelings which might otherwise remain internalised.

"Because arts and creativity influence health through their psychological and psycho-social impact, they may also be seen as an important element of mental health promotion, which aims to strengthen the mental and emotional well-being of individuals and communities," she points out. "Arts projects which involve the whole community, including service users, artists, mental health professionals, and those who have had no contact with mental health services, have the potential to act as powerful solvents of the stigma surrounding a mental illness."

A few years ago, Miss Law was working with clients whom she found to be "incredibly artistic", and felt strongly that the public should not only have an opportunity to appreciate those talents but also to see those with mental illness in a positive light.

Thus was born the annual exhibition of work by MAWI clients, for which the Bermuda Society of Arts was only too pleased to provide space.

Tomorrow marks the opening of this year's show, 'Mind Frame — Art as a Therapeutic Tool', and among the proud exhibitors is Lance Tucker who, in the past year, has made great strides in his struggle with depression, thanks to Miss Law's encouragement and firm guidance. So much so, in fact, that he now talks of earning part of his living through art. He also plans to study plumbing.

As a child, Mr. Tucker always liked sketching things in pencil from his imagination. Years later, as a patient on MAWI's Somers Ward, he drew a lot, including pieces for fellow patients, and always in pencil — until he met Miss Law, that is.

"I was told by the nurses that Lance had artistic ability, so I collared him and got him into the art room," the occupational therapist said.

Thanks to her art therapy, Mr. Tucker discovered other media besides pencils, including collage, photography, fabrics, and acrylic paints.

"Normally, I am a cartoonist, but any time there is an exhibition I turn to acrylics," he says. "In fact, I am starting to like painting so much that, because of Teresa, I have decided to run my own business doing cartoons on the walls of children's rooms. Painting brings a lot of joy to me. It's something to do other than television."

In fact, he has even done a painting for one of the therapists at MAWI, and says that if any of his work fails to sell at the exhibition, he will donate it to the Devonshire hospital to brighten its walls.

As viewers will discover, Mr. Tucker's subject matter is as varied as the bold colours he favours in his work. He enjoys working from old Bermuda postcards, and his large painting of City Hall was taken from an old book.

"With Bermuda, pretty much everything is beautiful. It is a challenge to see if I can get it exactly like the pictures, and frustrating if I can't."

No longer an in-patient at MAWI, his bedroom at home is also his studio, and he normally completes a painting in one or two days. He admits however, that if he sits too long at a painting he feels compelled to keep working on it.

"I keep experimenting and changing my style," he says. However, he still enjoys pencil drawings, and now wants someone to teach him about shading.

Looking over his work for the exhibition, Mr. Tucker says: "Doing this made me feel I could do just about anything with art. I am trying oils for next year, and I might try some clay work because I used to do that in school."

Indeed, it is hard to believe that this is the man whose depression was once so bad that he felt worthless and contemplated suicide. Today, he talks of the future with confidence, enthusiasm and a smile, and gives credit to Miss Law for being tough in pushing him to work at his art, and to his 'guardian angel' Karla who, at a very low point in his life, invited him to join her at the New Testament Church of God.

"I like it so much that I ended up getting baptised, and I've been there since April. I call Karla my guardian angel because she was there for me at a time when I needed it most."

A former house painter, Mr. Tucker is currently helping his father with a building project, but plans to go back to school to study plumbing. Meanwhile, his family is very proud of him.

"They were so impressed that they kept the first picture I did of Heydon Chapel, and while they have seen just about all of my work up until a few weeks ago, I've got some surprises for them in the show."

In celebration of the 'new' Mr. Tucker, the budding artist has penned these words to express his feelings about what art has done for him:

"In the dark of night, when I'm depressed, art brings my joy out. That fills my heart. Art makes me feel free.

"It fills my soul. In this world, when I feel sad, mad or happy, drawing turns me around. So all I can say is, I thank God for blessing me with a gift to draw. So when I put God first, my art comes out fantastic.

"So when you look at my work, it is the work of God's blessing."

• 'Mind Frame — Art as a Therapeutic Tool' opens in the Edinburgh Gallery and Studios A and B of the Bermuda Society of Arts tomorrow evening, with a special reception from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Thereafter, it will continue through November 5. For further information see the Bermuda Calendar.