Until I had breast cancer, I had absolutely no idea that there was anything artistic inside me. Through tragedy, I discovered this incredible inner source of creativity—a way to express the happiness I feel just being alive.
I paint my own tiles, break them, and put them back together. It’s an art process that has special meaning for me—-because sometimes life shatters what is most precious and beautiful. The challenge is to pick up the pieces and re-arrange them, into something that’s still beautiful, but in a different way.
That’s why I think mosaics are the perfect metaphor for life. For me, they’re magical.
I have a huge variety of shapes, sizes, types of items; I also create mirrors, trays or special orders by commission (they can all be personalized with colors, names, words, etc.)
Click the link below to see a small sample of my work—
If you’re interested in seeing more, purchasing, or a special order, please contact me at DarryleP@gmail.com.
Links
Dear Darryle,
I think for many reasons you may be interested in the company I work for and the event we are holding this month.
I work at a fabulous company, Artful Home, which represents amazing artists all over North America. We are a small company with a big heart, driven by talented and passionate art and craft lovers. Many of our artists depend on us to market their work to a broader audience, since many of the smaller studios only have the tools to advertise and work locally.
Anna Millea, a longtime Artful Home artist, is fighting breast cancer — again. The disease has returned aggressively and is now in her bones, requiring an extreme sixteen rounds of chemotherapy. She has no insurance, having been deemed uninsurable due to her “pre-existing condition.” This is a glaring example of the battles American artists fight for proper healthcare. I’m sure you can relate to her situation.
When we at Artful Home learned of the recurrence we knew we needed to do something to try to help her through this difficult time. What we have designed is an event called “Hearts for Anna”. Artful Home will hold this 5-day online event, August 12-16, 2009 in which special miniature artworks by both our artists and external artists, will be sold.
The art community’s reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive! Many of our artists are working hard on special pieces that they will donate for this important cause. All proceeds will be donated to a fund created for Anna to cover her medical expenses.
Please check out a couple the blogs discussing the event and see how they reflect the art community’s support of the Artful Home event!
http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/
http://mirawoodworth.wordpress.....o-artists/
And this is the event posting on Artful Home’s website.
https://www.artfulhome.com/heartsforanna
Thank you for your time. Best,
Vanessa Smolenski
Artwork Specialist
Artful Home
931 East Main Street
Madison, WI 53703
toll free direct (800) 969-1556
customer care (877) 223-4600
vsmolenski@artfulhome.com
art for life. for home. for ever
Darryle,
I’m not a cancer survivor but a life survivor, writer, and late-blooming artist. My blog is called Compost Studios because I believe when life breaks down, it creates fertile ground for creativity, new life, and good things to grow.
I’ve enjoyed discovering a kindred spirit.