Surviving Breast Cancer

This picture was taken in October. I look great, all things considered! Alive is good. My hair is finally growing back. Before BC it was long dark brown to the middle of my back, but after surgery and chemotherapy these last 10 months, I'll happily settle for short, pure white fuzz! The problem with breast cancer is that recovery is not like getting over the flu. You don't just stop chemotherapy and are instantly well. I wish that were so, but it's not. Getting back into my studio without health and medical interuptions and distractions, and re-starting my online sales, especially during the recent economic events, is proving very difficult, adding tremendouly to a very precarious and stressful existance. Read my story on my Breast Cancer Journal. Contribute to my Recovery effort, if you can. Any amount is appreciated! Need a gift for someone this holiday season? Check out my website.

I recently went with a new friend I met through the American Cancer Society to Camp Fair Haven in Brooks, Maine. It was a lovely Fall day and we both enjoyed this quiet, secluded spot on a gorgeous lake deep in the woods of mid-coast Maine. If anyone needs a sunny spot on a rock to meditate on, this is it. The original is available on my website, and I have made this watercolor painting available as a print.

www.mainenaturepaintings.com

PTSD?

Surviving #2

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?!!

As a "Breast Cancer Survivor", I have actually heard people refer to me as brave or courageous, inspirational even! Most days I don't feel that way at all, and some days I'm just lost. Too often it seems any little thing can erode my confidence. For instance, this morning I walked past the bathroom closet, the door ajar. From the corner of my eye I saw a box of hygienic face masks. Instantly, the horror of chemotherapy treatment came upon me. I remembered white blood counts so low I could not risk going into a crowded grocery store or waiting in a line at the Post Office, forget about a friendly hug from a friend, neighbor, or worse, any small children! On certain days, I couldn't even work alone in my garden without a mask to protect me from airborne spores and germy dirt! And perhaps the worse place I had to be on a daily basis for a few months while on chemo was a crowded blood lab waiting room where everyone in there was sick with something! That box of earlobe masks sitting there on the shelf in my bathroom closet just totally decomposed me. I did this digital portrait as a way to help me process the intense feelings of raw fear I was experiencing. And how fortunate a friend showed up just as I was finishing up to pull me out of the past and back to the present! Thinking about it now, several hours later, I suppose since it's true I never showed or even felt any fear while going through chemotherapy, it must have been there on some level because it's showing up now, triggered by a stupid box of masks on a shelf.

See My Breast Cancer Journal

Where there's a will there's a way

#5

Loyalty of the Mind Series

Original available at the above link.

No Artist - No Art!

Support your favorite artist today.

Loyalty of the Mind

#1 #2

#3 #4

Life after chemotherapy sometimes demands a new approach.

Original Paintings available here. New Works!

Maine Autumn Oak Tree Watercolor Painting

Fall Oak Tree

11"x15" watercolor on 140lb dArches $99.00 plus shipping.

Behind the Schoolhouse, Monhegan Island

A touch of Autumn in the air on Monhegan Island.

11"x15" unframed watercolor, typically frames to 16"x20"

Sold.

Interested in a print? Contact me.

Surviving Cancer, Life on an Island

Monhegan Island Paintings

After completing chemotherapy and regaining some of my energy back, one of the first places I wanted to go was out to Monhegan Island. It is just an hour's ferry ride offshore in the Gulf of Maine. There is something about island life that is so peaceful and serene, and so timeless in it's remoteness and isolation.

Cancer scares people, and disclosing that information risks some friends and even some family members pulling away, leaving you alone on your island to cope however you can. Fortunately, there are also those special friends who stick with you to help in any way they can, and groups like the American Cancer Society and it's affiliates who understand and assist with the tangible needs that every cancer patient and survivor has. Like a lighthouse on a long, dark, stormy night guiding you safely to shore, you know you are not alone, and each and every day brings enjoyment and hope for recovery.

My Story

Remembering Summer

Summer

42"x28"x1" Oil on Canvas.

$1200.00

A new beginning! I finished chemotherapy on July 16, and am just beginning to open my eyes to the world around me again. I find myself smitten with the sparkle and dazzle of sunlight in the trees of the deep woods and forests. I feel another series coming on from the place where I live!

Breast Cancer - A visual journal

Self Portrait Mid Treatment

I haven't posted much since January. My surgery was February 20th, then began dose-dense ACT chemotherapy treatments at the beginning of April. If all goes well, I should be finished by the end of July. I've never done a self portrait before. Strange I should choose to do one now! More images of this journey can be seen here: http://www.mainenaturepaintings.com/BreastCancerJournal.htm

Maine Rocky Cove Nature Painting

Rocky Cove

5.5"x7.5" frames to 8x10 or larger.

For the Watercolor Connoisseur!

Rocky Shore

5.5"x7.5" (frames to 8x10 or larger)

Sold

Lots more on my website. Start your collection today.

Daily Pear

Pear #9

Print-On-Demand

Finally! A great print-on-demand service. I wish I had this 20 years ago.

Artists today are so lucky.

Maine Acadia Bay View

Acadia Bay View

30"x24" Oil on Canvas. Sold.

A view from hiking trails on the top of Cadillac Mountain.

or by a Fine Art Print!

Contact me with questions.

Pretty cold this morning!

It's -3F in the bright sunshine, and about -20F when the wind chill is considered.

Below is the view from my kitchen door. I miss my sheep, but don't miss having to wade out there in this kind of weather!



In my studio, I've been thinking of warmer days! Below is a new oil on canvas. It is 18"x48"x1" on 2 canvases. It is available on my website.

Bay Sunset 1207

Contact me with any questions.