Saintfield consultant physician’s painting inspired by Strangford Lough go on display

Saintfield consultant physician’s painting inspired by Strangford Lough go on display

27 July 2022

A SERIES of stunning paintings by a consultant physician at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald have been made public this week.

They were beautifully crafted by respiratory physician Dr Jennifer Elder — who lives in Saintfield — who took up oil painting in an attempt to relax after the intense pressures of working in the Ulster’s Covid wards during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Elder’s extraordinary canvas creations are being sold to in order to raise funds for war-torn Ukraine and impressed by the consultant’s work and her commitment to Ukraine, the South Eastern Trust’s acting chairman, Jonathan Patton, commissioned a painting of the new inpatient ward block at the Ulster Hospital for his office.

Dr Elder, together with other doctors from across the UK, has joined Medical Aid Ukraine (MAU) which raises funds in order to send essential medical supplies to the country.

Equipment and ambulances donated to this cause are now in active use in Ukrainian hospitals and fundraising by MAU now totals almost £100,000.

Dr Elder, who was born in Scotland but has lived in Saintfield for almost 20 years, loves to explore the coast and mountains with her six year-old son and uses the local scenery as an inspiration.  

Her impressive artwork has been inspired by beauty spots such as Strangford Lough, Murlough and Tobermory.

“I am a respiratory doctor first and foremost but one who now breathes art. There are many things that make us feel alive and for me, painting is one of them, Dr Elder explained.

“I started to paint during lockdown as a way of escaping after long days working in a Covid-19 high dependency ward. All of us experience hundreds of different lights and moods in a day which I hope I have captured in my paintings. It is one of the reasons why I started to paint.”

Mr Patton said he was so impressed yet, in many ways, not surprised at how health trust staff responded so quickly and so generously to the Ukrainian appeal for help. 

“I believed it was important to mark our staff’s generosity of spirit,” he continued. “When I saw Dr Elder’s paintings and realised she was donating 100% of the funds from her paintings to the Ukraine crisis, I asked her to commission a painting for the chairman’s office at the trust headquarters.”

Mr Patton described Dr Elder’s painting of the Ulster Hospital site as a “fabulous creation” which celebrates not just staff donations to Ukraine, but recognises the health trust’s development and commitment to patients and staff.

He said he was delighted to accept Dr Elder’s painting which now hangs proudly in the office.

Mr Patton added: “Jennifer is following in the footsteps of her late grandfather who was an artist and art teacher. Dr Elder wishes he knew that she has perhaps picked up some of his pearls of wisdom.”

To view Dr Elder’s collection of artwork and for more information visit her Etsy page – BREATHEartJE.