Nearly twenty years ago, I underwent two years of cancer treatment, sustained by an outpouring of love from friends and family who sent hundreds of get-well cards. One afternoon, as I reread the stacks beside my bed, an idea took shape: I wanted to preserve the wishes, prayers, and emotional connections held within those cards by transforming them into art.
Creating these mixed-media collages was deeply gratifying. While watercolor painting had long been my avocation, this new work captured not only the visual subject, but also the spirit and emotion embedded in the handwritten notes and imagery. I began selling the collages and was quickly overwhelmed by the response.
After receiving a clean bill of health, I took a leap of faith and committed to a professional art career in 2010. At the time, my husband and I had recently moved with our four children to the Philadelphia area. In 2015, we returned to the Boston area, allowing me to reconnect with my hometown through my work.
One of my earliest pieces was a self-portrait juxtaposing my bald, chemotherapy-treated self with a healthy, rosy version of who I would become. Today, my art reflects favorite places around the world, as well as scenes from nature—along the coast, on rivers, and in the woods.
I also create commissioned work for hospitals, corporations, and private individuals. My artwork can be found at many hospitals and other healthcare, biotech, and corporate settings, as well as in private collections.
People from across the country continue to send me cards—by mail, through friends, or left on my porch. With each card incorporated into a piece, both the sender and recipient become part of the artwork itself. Look closely and you’ll discover handwritten notes, words, and images that convey love, support, and human connection—emotions that now live on within the art.