Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Meet Art collector: Linda Shecter

A short story about her painting:

Linda and Jay Shecter purchased “We choose life” in 2013. This painting was inspired by their daughters’ courageous decision.
In a warm summer evening in 2013, I met Linda and her two daughters. They came to the meeting open to talk about their lives’ stories. That summer I was working on my first exhibition “Honouring Women”, an art show created and inspired by  the stories of women in my community. I was interested in exploring body image and femininity and wanted to understand more about this subject through Linda and her daughters' journey.  I knew they would inspire others. To me, these 3 women were symbols of motherhood, confidence, courage and resilience. They were successful role models and I hoped that other women (visiting the show) would benefit from learning about positive attitude towards life's challenges.
The conversation was open and sincere. Linda talked about her difficult journey conquering ovarian and breast cancer.  Her daughters shared their stories of discovering their genetic mutations and the choices they made to decrease their risk of cancer. We talked about life decisions, family, femininity and body image.

Linda’s testimonial: "We enjoy your artwork so much Jazmin! Thank you for doing this painting inspired by our family personal story".
Despite the seriousness of the theme, I wanted to achieve a strong visual impact where the viewer would feel amazed by the beauty and confidence of the women portrayed in the painting (Linda’s daughters). The color choice was pink & black. I used pink to transmit the softness of their femininity and black to transmit the pain, courage and braveness of their decision. The upper part of their dresses was made as a reminiscence of the bandages the daughters had wrapped around their chests after surgery.  

Thank you Linda and family for sharing your personal journey with me. “We Choose Life” made a huge impact in the exhibition “Honouring Women” hosted at the  Sidney & Gertrude Zack Art Gallery, Vancouver.  Women commented on how empowering the story was and many were in tears because they shared similar stories.
I am pleased that I managed to portray such personal story and that Linda and Jay enjoy having it in their home! I am also honoured because Linda and Jay own beautiful artwork and they added this painting to their impressive Art collection.
               
    "The stories you believe to be true are the ones your life will become" with love, Jazmin
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