Just over two years ago, former Ontario Superior Court judge Kevin Whitaker learned he suffered from LBD, an aggressive form of Parkinson’s that causes cognitive decline and dramatically reduces life expectancy. .

To cope with the devastating diagnosis, Whitaker, 61, has taken up his paintbrush, producing large-scale acrylic canvases that mirror some of the hallucinations he experiences.

His paintings will be featured in an exhibit, “Chasing Monsters,: for two weekends in April at Back Lane Studios, 9 Neepawa Ave., in Roncesvalles Village.

The exhibit opens Friday, April 13, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The show runs April 14,15,21,21 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“The title ‘Chasing Monsters’ is especially relevant because, like many people who have LBD, I have very powerful hallucinations,” says Whitaker. “It is now a big part of what my (Parkinson’s Disease) obliges me to deal with.”

Painting, he observes, has helped him cope with the hallucinations, and since he started practising his art, they have largely disappeared.

All proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to Parkinson’s research.

For Whitaker, the exhibit represents “an important point in my life where I am able to say publicly some of the things that are expressed in these paintings and to share my story. “