Here, artist Odysseas Oikonomou, a 58-year-old person with Parkinson’s who lives in Athens, Greece, tells Parkinson’s Life how he will not give up painting even though his Parkinson’s symptoms have drastically reduced his output.
And he also has a powerful message for other people with Parkinson’s: do not stop doing what you love.
Odysseas, what does painting mean to you?
“Art is everything to me – it is the reason I exist. It is not just a passion; it is the core of my being.
“I mainly paint portraits of children, but inspiration can come from everything around me – and everything within me. I see the world with the eyes of a painter, even when I am not holding a brush.”
Have you always been artistic?
“I started painting when I was just five years old. It has always been part of who I am. For most of my life, I worked professionally as a painter, selling them to local galleries.
“Painting was not just a profession, but a deep, lifelong calling.
“Now, due to Parkinson’s, I am considered disabled – but I continue to create, even if the process has changed.”
What were your first Parkinson’s symptoms and when were you diagnosed?
“The first signs of Parkinson’s appeared in 2017, when I began experiencing difficulties with my right hand – the one I use to paint. In 2021, a tremor emerged, and that year I was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”
How does Parkinson’s affect your daily life?
“I take ropinirole, levodopa, carbidopa and amantadine to help manage the condition. Even so, Parkinson’s has a deep impact on my daily life.
“I experience stiffness, fatigue, problems with balance and movement, dizziness and, at times, an overwhelming lack of energy. Every day requires adjustment – physically, mentally and emotionally.”
How has Parkinson’s affected your painting?
“Since my diagnosis, my productivity has fallen drastically – I would say by 90–95 per cent. Painting has become physically exhausting. I can only paint for a few hours, and only on some days.
“My body is in pain, I often lack energy and my ability to concentrate has declined. These limitations are deeply frustrating – it feels as if my own body is betraying me.
“And yet, my mind remains active. My thoughts, ideas and inner visions continue. Despite the obstacles, I have made emotional and intellectual progress. Art helps me psychologically – it fills my soul, nourishes me and gives meaning to moments that would otherwise feel empty.
“But the energy deficit and the physical strain are decisive. I no longer practise any other form of art – painting is all I can manage, and even that comes at great cost.”
Do you have any advice for other people with Parkinson’s?
“My advice to others with Parkinson’s – and it is also the advice given by many doctors I trust – is: do not stop doing what you love, no matter the cost.
“Even if you can only do a little, even if it hurts, even if the results come slowly – continue. Because it keeps your soul alive. I simply continue what I have always done – to complete the creative journey I started.
“I do not link my art to the illness, because the art I serve stands above any illness. Painting belongs to the timeless and the sacred – not to the temporary suffering of the body. And I feel honoured to still walk that path, even if slowly, even if in pain.”
