Recalled to Life (!!!)

It is with great pleasure and delight that I officially repeat what my oncologist said at my appointment earlier this week. Without going into the nitty gritty, after initial pleasantries, she said, "It's been five years and your cancer hasn't returned. You're cured." I was like, "What?" (Did I hear her right?) She then explained that with my type of cancer, HER2 positive, if it hasn't returned within the first five years, that there's a 99.9% chance that it will never come back. She then pointed out that it has been five years (as if I didn't remember - ha!), and that for all intents and purposes, even though they can never say 100%, she repeated that 99.9% is pretty good odds, and therefore, "You're cured!" 

Amen! Halleluiah!

As the oncologist was leaving the exam room, I shouted, "I'm alive!", to which she quickly replied as she turned around at the doorway, with a smile on her face, "and thriving!" Then she came back into the room, gave me a big hug, and said, "You're a different person than you were five years ago. I've seen you grow a lot. I'm really proud of you. Congratulations." 

Me: 🙂

(Shout out to my therapist for helping me learn how to deal with the trauma associated with a breast cancer diagnosis.)

After my appointment, I told everyone at the grocery store -- "I'm cured!" All week long, coming and going, out and about, I tell people, "I'm cured! I'm cured!" There are smiles, congratulations, and high fives galore -- all over the city. 

It has been a long five years, full of hardship and pain. Just this week, saying "I'm cured" out loud, everywhere, all the time, even at home to the dog, ("I'm cured, Daisy!") is further helping to change my psyche back from a place of uncertainty, to one of peace. Words are so powerful!

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving and holiday (and my 59th birthday) celebrations, may I be so bold as to ask y'all to offer a prayer of thanksgiving on my behalf, as I celebrate being cured and "recalled to life". 

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Remembering Last Summer

Sailing in Terherne, oil on linen, 24" x 36"

The Amazing Reese and I had an adventure last summer -- to the Netherlands and France! (It was our first time in Europe.) We were completely charmed by the old world, welcomed with open arms by everyone, and found friends on every corner. We toured museums and churches, ate like locals, and walked everywhere. At the tail end of our trip, we stayed a few nights at our friend's sister's home in the Friesland province of the Netherlands, which is where this painting gets its inspiration. It's a wonderful place and I'm ever so grateful that we got to go there. 

This painting was a bit of a struggle to complete -- it was very complicated to do. The light is somehow subdued and brilliant at the same time that far north, and, well, different from what I'm used to painting here in Texas. It was on and off my easel for months as I tried this and that to get it just right. It's always a good day when the people for whom the place is significant actually like the painting, and I'm happy to report that that is the case here. 

 

Never Give Up

The phrase "never give up" always reminds me of the movie Galaxy Quest. The title character in the film, who is a parody (homage?) of Captain Kirk in Star Trek and played with great enthusiasm by Tim Allen, when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds in the quest to save the galaxy from destroyers of the universe, often in the form of space aliens, always uses the catchphrase, "never give up -- never surrender". What is more invasive (insurmountable odds) to the human body (our personal galaxy) than treacherous (space alien) cancer cells? May we all be reminded to never give up -- never surrender! 

The magic five year cancer free mark is coming up for me in December! (After that I only have to see my oncologist once a year until I get to the ten year cancer free mark.) In spite of the struggle, I'm grateful every single day to still be alive. Never give up! Never surrender! 

Now, to the announcement -- in conjunction with October being breast cancer awareness month, Chemotherapy Self Portrait was selected for and included in an online group exhibition called Cancer: Never Give Up 2022 with Gallerium Art. Also, this is probably the last time I will submit this work for exhibition because it's such a vulnerable piece. 

Here's a link to my artist profile affiliated with the exhibit. 

One Week Later.....Still Processing....and Fangirling

Alison de Lima Greene, me, and Three Girls 

Meeting Alison de Lima Green, the Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the juror of the VAA Open Exhibition, titled "Other Stories About Who We Are" was a transformative event for me. Not only did she select my work for the exhibit, we had a delightful, albeit brief conversation at the opening reception. It was a brief conversation because, even though the art was the star of the show, everyone there knew that the real star was Alison de Lima Greene, and everyone wanted to talk to her. She made it a point to meet all of the artists in attendance, for which I was grateful. Admittedly, I'm fangirling here -- the opportunity of having her see my work was the only reason I entered the show. That she selected it -- priceless! AND, her juror remarks were so eloquent and well said -- if only someone had recorded it! (Maybe they did -- anyone?) 

In her juror statement in the printed exhibition pamphlet, she says that the works in the exhibition were "chosen for their visual wit, their emotional engagement, and that almost ineffable quality of being able to capture and trigger one's imagination." (!!!!!)

As the night was coming to a close, and she was getting ready to leave, I realized that I didn't have a photo with her, and she graciously acquiesced to the above photo, even "curating" the photo by directing the photographer (daughter Anna) on where to position the camera angle to get the best shot. She's a genius. 

Sigh. Maybe someday we'll be friends. (Alison -- want to grab a coffee sometime?)

Another moment of fangirling -- on an Instagram post where I had posted a photo of the painting and was (excitedly) making an announcement that it was selected by Alison de Lima Greene, artist Marta Chilindron "liked" it. For y'all who don't know, Marta Chilindron is a big deal. She is a sculptor with works in museums across the country and world, including a piece in the new Kinder building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. And she "liked" my post! Eeeeee!

Sigh. Maybe someday we'll be friends. (Marta -- want to grab a coffee the next time you're in Houston? I'd love to meet you.)

With Natalie at the #Obamaportraitstour

Lastly, over the weekend, my museum buddy friend Natalie and I went to see "The Obama Portraits Tour" at the MFAH. The two portraits are absolutely riveting -- an extremely well written Paper City article by Leslie Loddeke, in which she explains the symbolism and significance of the portraits, commissioned by Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery is here. It's well worth the read.

Afterwards, Natalie and I really did grab a coffee (and tea) and have a chat, because we ARE friends. Sigh. Good times. 

The Three Graces

It is my pleasure to announce that Three Girls, or The Three Graces was selected by Juror Alison de Lima Greene, the Isabel Brown Wilson Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for inclusion in Visual Arts Alliance 38th Juried Open Exhibition. Word on the street is that she only selected 10% of the work submitted for the show, only 50 pieces (!), so, understandably, I was overcome with emotion when receiving the news, and admittedly, choked back a few tears upon hearing it. 

Three Girls, aka The Three Graces, oil on linen, 24" x 36"

It takes a long time for oil paints to really dry, and watching this one settle into what it is becoming has been a delight. It's truly wonderful to see it in person, and to that end, I encourage all of you in the Houston area to see it in person at Sabine Street Studios from May 9th - June 11th. 

Mark your calendars -- the opening reception for the show will be May 18th from 6-9pm. (Juror remarks are usually around 7.) The Amazing Reese and I will be at the opening reception and would be delighted to see you all -- Sabine Street Studios -- 1907 Sabine Street, Houston, Texas, 77007.

Youthful Beauty

16" x 20", oil on linen

A dear friend shared a photo of her daughter with me, that the daughter's friend had taken, and said that she envisioned the image as a painting. From one, to another, to a mother, and to me - so many people sharing in the beauty of a simple, captured moment. 

Work began, and as the painting progressed, it became increasingly obvious that something was "off". It was not without calculations and finagling and tweaking of the vanishing point, which the Amazing Reese helped me accomplish by stretching a piece of thread across the canvas, that the painting finally started coming together. 

Finding the vanishing point with a piece of thread

Painting is a mystery. How is it possible to take an idea or an image and convert it to a flat surface? Though I've spent years painting and creating, the finished product still overwhelms me with wonder. 

P.S. I've known the young lady in the painting her entire life -- literally -- even to the point of being in the delivery room when she was born! 

 

Fast Four-ward

There's a beautiful scene in the movie, Big Fish, where the main character, Ed Bloom is recounting the story of his life to his son. He tells of being completely enamored by a young woman he sees across a room. As he walks toward her as all action around him is stopped, beautifully illustrated by even a spilled bucket of popcorn with popcorn kernels suspended in mid air.

They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up.

And then, the action in the scene fast forwards. 

My own life is feeling a little bit like that right now. The last few years have been spent almost exclusively concentrating on restoring my health, and now, it seems like time is moving extra fast to catch up, and specifically, in this case, illustrated by having another four of my paintings on display in an art space in Pearland, Texas.

These will be on display through June 3rd at the Vineyard Church Art Gallery, 2905 Harkey Road in Pearland.   

Peonies in a Clear Vase, oil on board, 32"h x 29"w

Lily Pondering, oil on linen, 30"h x 30"w 

Sheer Delight, oil on linen, 20"h x 16"w

 

Perchance to Dream Oak, oil on linen, 30"h x 30"w

The Amazing Reese and I have a previous commitment, and will miss the "meet the artists/opening reception" night this coming Friday, April 22.  

Opening Reception Recap

Last night was the opening reception for Visual Arts Alliance 38th Juried Membership Exhibition. It was a wonderful reception -- for a Wednesday night, there were a lot of people in attendance -- and the quality of the included work was impressive. It is wonderful to have my work in such good company. 

Studying my painting with juror, Lester Marks -- always interesting to see my work through someone else's eyes

It was so nice to be back in person, though, to be fair, with all things pandemic considered, VAA did an amazing job for their virtual 37th Juried Membership Exhibit back in November 2020. (Girl with Apple was in that show.)

Happy to have had "Martin" chosen for the exhibit by juror, Lester Marks

Though Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States, it often feels like a small town. It was such a treat to catch up with several old friends throughout the evening -- some were fellow artists, and some were friends who showed up on my behalf. Thank you all, or as we say in the South, thank all y'all. 

Delighted to see one of my favorite people -- I love her!

The show will be on display through the month of April at Sabine Street Studios, 1907 Sabine St. here in Houston. 

I'm ever so grateful to be back in the studio, painting, pausing, and painting again. It feels like my soul is waking up a little bit more every day. Alleluia!

Martin

It is with delight that I announce that my painting, Martin, was selected by juror Lester Marks for inclusion in the Visual Arts Alliance 38th Juried Membership Exhibition. Martin and I became friends way back when I was just a newbie on the Houston art scene. We don't see each other nearly as often as in the past -- life got big and messy for us both -- but we still pick up conversation right where we left off, as is intimated in Martin's pose in the painting. This is a 14" x 18" oil on linen portrait painting that captures the subject's likeness with complete regard to his intellectually sharp nature and chatty personality. 

Martin, 14" x 18", oil on linen

The juror for this show, Lester Marks (in his own words) serves as the Mayor's Ambassador to the Arts here in Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States. He is affiliated with Houston Arts Alliance, a quasi-governmental agency overseeing the funding of all the arts in Houston. He has been recognized by ARTnews as one of the top 200 collectors in the world, and by Art and Antiques as one of the top 100 collectors in America. 

This painting, along with the other selected member works, will be on view from April 4th - 30th, at Sabine Street Studios, 1907 Sabine Street, 77007, with an opening reception on April 13th starting at 6pm. The Amazing Reese and I will be at the opening reception. Hope to see y'all there.

Giving Myself Grace

When I first started painting in my early 40's, there was an immediate jolt to my soul, a connection so strong that I actually started to see life in a different way. That's one reason this blog is named Finding My Glasses, named not only for the obvious reason of my near constant pursuit of looking for my actual spectacles, but also because suddenly I was seeing the world through a lens where colors, shapes, and lines became part of how my world was interpreted on a day to day basis. Since painting in oils was developing into a new skill, there was a huge learning curve, one which I'm continually exploring, and a daily pull and tug to create as much as time and space allowed. 

For the last few years, all of my energies, spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, and creative have been intensely focused on a very basic "struggle" to return to full health after breast cancer, or as full as it can be after breast cancer. There hasn't been much of anything left in this old body and soul to spend any amount of time in the studio....until recently. One of my dear art friends suggested that perhaps it was time to start pursuing art again, and at first encouraged me to tidy up the studio, and then to make a cup of tea or coffee and just go sit in the studio.....say a prayer, and if I'm supposed to pick up a brush that day then I will, otherwise, give myself grace and try again another day. So that's what I've been doing. (For all of the extra sitting time in the studio, I've brought in a more comfortable chair.) This contemplative mindset is also very much in keeping with what my therapist has been nudging me toward -- giving myself grace to sit and not be busy all of the time. It's a BIG change for me.

Early on in my art journey, I decided that, for me at least, it was best to forge my own path so as to not be unduly influenced by anyone else's work. I had read stories of  great artists before me who had destroyed their own work if they saw it was influenced by a mentor or teacher, and I wanted to avoid that step if possible, so, with the exception of one life drawing class at Glassell School of Art, and a three month still life drawing class, I am, in art speak, self taught. Part of what that means is that there is a LOT that I don't know. It often feels like I'm starting at square one. The struggle to convert the idea for the painting, how I see it in my head and dreams, onto a two dimensional surface is real. But what joy is experienced when it all comes together.  This is one of those times! Both self imposed structure and grace have permitted time and strength to work on this painting. It's a 36" x 24" oil on linen that I'm happy to now present. Voila.

The Girls, oil on linen, 24" x 36"