Memorial Project
In 2011 my eldest son was suddenly diagnosed with cancer and had a calendar of only 4 months to live. After each day attending to him I'd head home, pull out a canvas and paint. I didn't know what I was painting, I just painted.
It helped me to deal with the pain. When finished I'd toss the canvas under my bed or in the closet.
On his last day, I approached his bed and lifted his head. He opened his beautiful hazel eyes, gently closed them and without even a breath he was gone. His name was Alan. He died in my arms on Mothers' Day at the age of 57.
A month or two after his passing my youngest son encouraged me to pull out the paintings. The brilliant colors express what those evil cancer cells may look like. Poisonous things like jellyfish, frogs, mushrooms, etc. are so attractive yet can kill a person. Bacteria in our bodies fight for us as well as kill us.
These paintings represent the strange cancers and processes that destroyed every part of my son's body and so I labeled this series: “The Beauty of Poison.”
Hand Some
This series is a portrayal of the grace of the human hand. How hard they work making all of the movements we need to dress, live, work, love, and express ourselves, yet are mostly taken for granted. Hands are such wonderful objects of shape and form, and yet flawlessly perform their duties with skill and strength each day.
Women of War
Each of these is oil or acrylic on canvas, with images of the burdens, challenges, and the daunting tasks accepted by our mothers. Raising children in the shadows of war, taking on the maternal roles of love and protection, these are the strong and devoted figures that create and shape our families throughout history. The raw emotions draw upon all of human life and express our gratitude for their sacrifice.
