“I Have Breast Cancer”
– An Artistic Catharsis Barbara McCaslin-Sand saw herself as an active, strong, youthful older woman, until August of 2014, when she was diagnosed with Stage II Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer. Like so many others, she was “thrown for a loop” by her diagnosis, especially since she’d never had a questionable mammogram. Despite a good prognosis, she was filled with fear that her cancer would return. And instead of feeling better after her treatment was finished, she felt incredibly tired and overwhelmed. Enter: Asian brush painting (sumi-e). “On most days, even when I had very little energy and was full of anxiety, I managed to sit in my art space, dip my favorite old bamboo brush in the rich black sumi ink, and paint lines and dots or soft petals onto the white rice paper. On some days, the practice turned into a composition which helped me find expression for my deepest feelings.” On one particular morning, a warm-up exercise turned into the expression of how she “saw” her radiation treatment. This inspired a series of paintings and collages about her breast cancer experience. Months and works later, she had manged to express her many emotions; “anger, sadness, fear, but also humor and beauty.” Barbara’s twelve piece collection will be on display at our Holiday Open House, on Friday, December 11, 2015. Stop by between 4:00 and 6:00 pm for light refreshments, good company, and great art. Editor’s Note: Barbara’s art is honest, raw, beautiful, and relatable, even if you haven’t had breast cancer. Don’t miss it. |
