APAC staff specialist and newly minted author Dr Jim Newcombe with his new book that has recently gone on sale
Wordsmith from the wards; RNSH Doc pens first book When Royal North Shore’s Dr Jim well, but I felt there was a part of me that was hidden and lost.”
Newcombe decided to write a book, he had no idea it would be the start of a 12 year journey that would take him across most of the United States. Unlike most other doctors, who pour their free time into research, Jim had a different passion – art, or more specifically, the art of one man; Edward Hopper. Hopper was a renowned painter with his realist paintings of urban and rural scenes of then-modern American life shaping 20th century art in the US. This week, Jim’s book Framed: A Journey into Edward Hopper’s America will go on sale – but the journey was about much more than art. For Jim it was about rediscovering his childhood home and the country where he grew up before moving to Australia at age 18. “I was very torn growing up with my American and Australian identity,” the APAC staff specialist said. “I always talked funny to the Americans, so I never quite fit in there; here I fit in pretty
Jim decided to immerse himself into the work of Hopper, a decision that would see him travel 57 cities to visit 70 museums and private collections, writing one book all the while reconnecting with old friends and a part of himself. When asked if he thinks more doctors should explore writing outside of the medical field, the 40-year-old said what was important was to chase your passions. “I think if you’ve got an itch, you need to scratch it. Everyone knows what their itch is – this ticked a lot of boxes for me because I’ve always been interested in art as well as medicine,” he said. “If it’s something that keeps saying ‘hello’ in your brain, don’t ignore it. I can say from having completed this, the feeling of satisfaction having addressed it and having paid it the respect it deserves, it is immense.” To order a copy of Jim’s book, head to bit.ly/2Mqcuzh
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