'Sculpting helps us forget our chronic pain'

The brothers had originally planned to design furniture before they got into sculpting

Studio Skellett Paul and Jason Skellett stood up next to each other holding sculptures. Behind them are sculptures on display. — The brothers had originally planned to design furniture before they got into sculpting

Two brothers with the same chronic condition say creating clay sculptures is such a distraction it eases their pain.

Paul and Jason Skellett, from Derbyshire have fibromyalgia, described by the NHS as a long-term condition causing pain all over the body.

Paul said their daily pain was "a cross between having the flu and pulled muscles, but with extreme tiredness tied to it" and Jason explained their sculptures were a physical representation of how they felt when they were being created.

After they began working with clay, Paul said they found their "days were gone" and they were taking half the amount of pain medication.

Jason said immersing themselves in their art meant they could go longer without pain relief

Studio Skellett A clay sculpture of a man looking down and looking sad. It is sitting on a black shelf and behind it you cam see parts of paintings — Jason said immersing themselves in their art meant they could go longer without pain relief

Paul, from Rosliston, said taking pain relief becomes "ritualistic" when you have fibromyalgia.

"It's something that has always worried us in terms of long-term health," he told the BBC.

The 60-year-old said he and his brother first hired a studio at Derby's Banks Mill about 18 months ago before moving to Rosliston Forestry Centre about three months ago with the intention to design furniture.

"But for some reason, we got introduced to the idea of doing sculptures and ran with it," he said.

"We had the studio before doing our first sculpt. It's a really strange thing that we both fell on it."

The brothers said you almost need to find a way to "befriend" the pain"

Studio Skellett Two photographs side-by-side of Paul and Jason Skellett working on their sculptures. — The brothers said you almost need to find a way to "befriend" the pain"

Paul, who is married with a 19-year-old daughter, said: "As the weeks went on, we realised we weren't taking half as many painkillers.

"In fact, we were forgetting to go to the loo, forgetting to eat, drink enough.

"We realised our brains were being pulled into a completely different space that was overriding physical senses."

The artist, who was diagnosed with the condition 18 years ago, added before working with clay, he and his brother would usually take two paracetamol, dihydrocodeine, and naproxen every four hours.

"So to cut down from that and to not be feeling the affects of withdrawal is something quite special and something we would like to be able to share with other people struggling in the same way," he said.

"There is a way to override it a little bit, not 100%, but to give you a little bit of respite."

Paul said some people get emotional when they see the sculptures

Studio Skellett Two photographs of clay sculptures - both showing a man's head and shoulders with pained expressions - side-by-side. — Paul said some people get emotional when they see the sculptures

The brothers said their sculptures - which they sell - were a physical representation of how they were feeling at the time they created them.

Jason, from Sudbury, who also has psoriatic arthritis, added: "Personally, we don't copy anything. We don't look at pictures of people, but it comes from within.

"The pained form that they take on is down to probably how you are feeling day-to-day and it manifests into the piece that we make.

"When you look at a piece after working on it for a day you think 'that was me today'".

The pair, whose business is called Studio Skellett, have two spaces at Rosliston Forestry Centre - one where they work and the other for use as a gallery.

The 57-year-old, who is married with a 33-year-old stepson, said: "People can watch us work. It's nice when they can see the process and how it has got to that point."

They said they were looking at putting on workshops, as an outreach project to give people a taster of "what it means to engage with something that helps".