PITTSFORD, N.Y. — After surviving a traumatic and deadly car crash 10 years ago, a Brockport native used art to heal. It took years after that though for Rebecca Maynard to start healing mentally.

"It wasn’t until I experienced my own mental health symptoms, and two years later I picked up a paint brush and found something that truly helped me,” Maynard said. 

Eight years later, she went from having never taken an art class to being a featured artist at Pittsford Fine Art. 

Her paintings of colorful landscapes and beautiful flowers cover a section of the walls inside the studio. 

“It’s bizarre that something so horrible could lead to something so beautiful,” Maynard said. "People always say everything happens for a reason. And if you had told me that after it happened, I wouldn’t have wanted to hear it, but there's some truth in it". 

Maynard has worked as a mental health clinician for 33 years at the Monroe County Office of Mental Health. She's leaving for a new job at The Healing Connection in Rochester at the end of July. While working there, Maynard plans to share the healing power art can have in her new role working with people recovering from eating disorders.

“There’s something that resonates with everyone,” Maynard said. “If you can find what it is and it helps you stop worrying and thinking about things, it’s helpful and help you heal.”