An award-winning Totnes artist has spoken publicly for the first time about her cancer diagnosis, saying she was determined not to allow treatment to halt her work.

Fiona Green, 82, had been selected earlier this year as the sole representative from Totnes for a cultural exchange in the twin town of Vire in northern France. She later learned she would be unable to travel after beginning treatment for bowel cancer.

“I was so honoured to have been selected as the sole artist to represent Totnes in France that it was a double blow to learn that I could not attend myself due to my treatment,” she said.

However, Fiona’s passion for art and the themes of climate change and displacement that she covers meant she was determined to see her art be shown.

Despite undergoing chemotherapy and regular hospital visits, Fiona arranged for a dozen of her paintings to be displayed in Vire in her absence.

Fiona studied at Dartington Hall as one of the first six students on a new art course in 1960, before continuing her training at Bath Academy.

She says the colours of her birth country, India, continue to influence her work, which spans Devon landscapes as well as the ‘Red Rebels’, a performance collective known for using striking red costumes to highlight climate activism.

The cultural exchange between Totnes and Vire is two-way. A delegation from Vire visited Totnes in November, taking part in events including a walk on Vire Island and tea at the medieval Guildhall.

Having completed her cancer treatment, Fiona is preparing a new exhibition, named 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion', set to open at Birdwood House in Totnes in May 2026. The exhibition will later travel to the Coningsbury Gallery in London’s West End.