Highgate Hill visual artist and photographer Claudia Gillies has united with fellow creatives from across Australia to support and raise funds for epilepsy, donating original artworks to the online Art for Epilepsy auction that continues until International Epilepsy Day on 26 March, 2017.

Featuring more than 160 prominent and up-and-coming artists, there are close to 200 artworks, from watercolours, vibrant abstracts, to intricate illustrations. To keep Epilepsy Day’s iconic colour of purple in tune, the artists have been asked to tie in a shade of purple in their artistic creations.

Mia Oatley, Sydney artist and ambassador for Epilepsy Action Australia, says, “I have lived with epilepsy myself for over twenty years, and understand the difficulties that people affected by epilepsy face everyday. It is so important that we share our stories

and help to break down some of those really frustrating misconception about the condition. As an artist, I am also really excited that the auction provides exposure to some of the bright up – and – coming stars of our vibrant Australian art community.”

Epilepsy Action Australia is a provider of education and support services to children and adults with epilepsy across Australia. There are currently 250,000 people affected by epilepsy who require specialist services. Funds raised from the auction will go toward supporting its vital and life changing programs such as Ted-E-Bear Connection, MyEpilepsyKey and its Online Academy. The charity’s mission is to enable people living with epilepsy to unlock their potential and better manage their condition leading to a happier life.

Carol Ireland, CEO of Epilepsy Action, says, “Epilepsy is the world’s most common serious brain condition, however,

community awareness and understanding of the condition remains frustratingly low. Our aim is to raise awareness of the impact of this often debilitating condition, and to support people living with epilepsy to lead optimal lives. Art for Epilepsy plays an important role in helping us to raise enough funds to do that effectively,” continued Carol. “We have such an incredible collection of artworks up for auction this year by some amazingly talented artists. We really encourage the community to jump online and get involved in this unique campaign!”

The inaugural Art for Epilepsy auction held in February 2016 featured more than 60 artworks by 55 artists. The initiative raised more than $20,000. In 2017, Epilepsy Action hopes to build on that success and further their previous target, allowing a greater number of Australians impacted by epilepsy to be supported to lead an optimal life.