2012 MSAA Art Showcase Entrants

View this month’s Artist of the Month

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V. Lynn Foy – Clearlake City, TX

I have secondary progressive relapsing MS. I was diagnosed in 2000 after 45 years of being told ‘it’s all in my head’. I guess they were right! I often wish I could go back and tell those doctors and teachers they were right, but in a wrong way. I have lost most of the use of the right side of my body. I have learned in the last 10 years to do most things with my left side, although there are a few things I find difficult such as walking with 1 leg and I am right handed so writing was difficult, which is why my painting has helped me so much. It doesn’t have to be exact, it’s okay if you let your pictures go where they want to go. I have started many pictures, which turn out completely different than what I was trying to paint.

I think my favorite picture is my painting “Dare to Dream”, which was intended to make you think about what was in the cave. The most interesting thing to me occurred when during a MS moment while trying to fix something I messed up. I was trying to repair my waterfall, which was supposed to go different directions, I had added to much white to the waterfall. I picked up my brush put it in the teal colored paint when my hand had a spastic moment my brush flew up in the air with the paint and made a huge blob of teal at the top of the waterfall with the brush on one side of the waterfall covered in paint the other side the blob. I took my hand and intended to wipe the paint off when it took on a life of its own. So look closely at the waterfall. What do you see? Most have seen different things. So my painting intended to be called choices became “Dare to Dream”.

Life is about changes and is never promised to strait lines but bumps in the road. I am not an artist, painting is my hobby. I have never taken any classes I just attempt to portray something and sometime it comes close and sometimes not. Luckily painting is not exact. I started painting after I lost my ability to walk strait lines in life. I enjoy it and I hope you do too.

 

Dare to dream
Dare to dream
 - Artwork