Lori Bongard
My Heart in your Hands
After surviving breast cancer I look at life as an invitation to opportunities! When I was invited to participate in this event I happily agreed, though somewhat fearful having never painted anything decoratively. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I fell apart emotionally. I thought I had no risk factors. I was broken. My husband and son and family and friends picked up the pieces, put their arms around me and carried me thru the process. My heart burst with the love, care and nurturing they wrapped me in. I was able to see and feel the goodness in people. My heart was in their hands! I now say that my breast cancer was a blessing in disguise.
Peggy Bull
The Meditation Chair
Part of getting well for me was getting centered. And a practice of meditation really helps that happen. I have found that meditation is often talked about, but seems mysterious. So a chair and a mantra might help to demystify. The Tibetan prayer flags inspired the painting. “Om Mane Padme Hum” can’t be translated, but “behold the Jewel of the Lotus” describes the intent. It is the most widely used of all Buddhist mantras it is open to anyone who feels inspired to practice it. Each syllable helps to purify the mind.
Jen Clark
“Faith and Family”
My chair was inspired by my two beautiful sisters who lost their lives at such a young age to breast and ovarian cancer. I myself am a breast cancer survivor. This illness invaded our lives, our future, our hopes. . . . It was through the power of FAITH and FAMILY that helped make the pain a little less painful, the sorrow more bearable, and the image of my beautiful sisters memorable.
My nieces, in honor of my sisters, tattooed FAITH and FAMILY on their foot. When asked why they decided to put it on their foot they replied, “It’s our foundation, without our feet we can’t stand, walk or run . . . without or FAITH and FAMILY we have no foundation”.
My sisters never asked, “Why me” . . . instead they spent the rest of their lives making memories for the ones they left behind. I hope this chair will be filled with someone’s memories of their family or loved ones. . . . Life is a series of memories . . . make the most of them.
Joey Denk
Simple Things
My chair represents the simple things in life. The joy we get from them is immeasurably valuable! It also reminds me of my father – Rodney – who we lost to cancer in 1996. He favored Frank Lloyd Wright styles and some of the design work on the chair leans in that direction. I know he would be very proud to have and display something like this, and I hope it can bring a bit of that simple joy to the winning bidder.
Diane L. (D’Amato) Dowd
Elvis
Elvis is my companion cat, but my chair represents all pets. Pets are always there to comfort us during Chemo or the illness it causes. Our pets sometimes just come and sit with us and kind of say were here for you no matter what. Sometimes our pets just seem to know we are not doing so well . . . And they comfort us.
Also I was so happy to have heard of this project. And so glad I could contribute a chair for a good cause.
Lisa Durante
Garden Rocker
I was immediately drawn to this donated rocking chair and knew this was the one I wanted to paint. As I thought through different ideas for the chair, it seemed fitting that a rocking chair on a porch overlooking a yard and garden would be a perfect theme. It also represented a personal journey for me and my family and how cancer has touched our lives in numerous ways.
While painting and creating this chair, I reflected often on my father’s own battle with lung cancer and the short time he had from his diagnosis to his passing. I never dreamed that I would be going through a cancer battle myself a few years later. My mother-in-law as well lost her life to cancer. Unfortunately, she passed away before I had the privilege of knowing her. Both of them shared a common interest and love for flowers, trees, gardens, birds and all that nature brings. They were in my thoughts and the main inspiration behind my chair.
For me, my chair also symbolizes more than a celebration and tribute to me and other breast cancer survivors, but to those close to me that I have lost, and to other families directly affected by all cancers. My chair was painted and decorated with cheerful colors of faith, hope and optimism for my healthy future and that of my daughter, sisters, friends and all women. May a cure be close on the horizon.
Melissa Hodik
Fright Night
Of course I’m inspired by the spookiest time of year. My nieces and nephews come over every Halloween for a scary, scary party. We dunk for apples and sometimes ride in a wagon to pick pumpkins in my pumpkin patch. Since I was little I will always remember Trick or Treating, Halloween parties, and dressing up like a ghost or witch. The last time I went Trick or Treating, I was 26 yrs old! I wore a mask with a skeleton costume and made sure I went with my neighbor’s young daughter, who was as tall as me. I received lots of candy, so I guess I did fool them all. That was a great Halloween! I hope this chair will be put to good use and hold a bowl of candy for the little Goblins and Ghouls when its time for Trick or Treating. Happy Halloween!!!
Kate Kucharski
“Words To Live By”
My chair was inspired by the positive change that occurred in me while going through breast cancer treatment. After I was diagnosed, I quickly realized that everyday isn’t guaranteed. I wanted my chair to symbolize how to live the life you were meant to live. It represents the importance of doing what you love, living with no regrets, not sweating the small stuff and treating each day as the coolest, most amazing gift, ever. Max out your passport, kiss in the rain, do more cannonballs, be spontaneous, laugh til it hurts . . . live like this is all there is!
Lori Palay
Hugs and Kisses
Pop Arty and fun . . . this bright red chair sparkles with love for the people who help to support those who have breast cancer. Hugs and Kisses sparkle and wink with”love notes” and chocolate kisses attached. Each piece of sparkle is hand-laid with love.
Meredith Polewski
Hope for Peace
The peace sign on my chair is a blown up copy of the tattoo on my back. I had always wanted a peace tattoo, and was planning to get one for my 30th birthday. I was in a wedding that year, and the dresses were strapless, so I decided to be polite and wait until after the wedding to get inked. By that time, however, I found out that I was pregnant with my second baby. On my 31st birthday I was still nursing my little one. Unfortunately I was diagnosed with stage 2, triple negative breast cancer in February of 2009. I was receiving chemo on my birthday, and once again had to put off my tattoo.
Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis at 31 years old taught me that I shouldn’t wait to live my life. I finished chemo in December of 2009, and decided that I wasn’t waiting until my 33rd birthday to get my tattoo. Instead it was my present to myself for finishing chemo. I got it as soon as my oncologist and plastic surgeon gave me the “okay” in February of 2010 – nearly one year since my diagnosis.
I chose a peace sign for many reasons. I have always been a believer in peace – a self-declared tree hugging hippie. To me my tattoo is a symbol of hope. Hope for peace in the world as well as peace in my body.
Pam Radaj
“Sisters”
The sun and moon represent all of us who have dealt with breast cancer, as we are all sisters, and they reflect on each other, just as we do. Their beautiful, round faces reminded me of last year when I had what I called my “Charlie Brown” head, something most of us also share, but you have to be able to find the humor where you can. It’s what keeps us going. And lastly, the stars represent all of our beautiful sisters who are no longer here with us but whose presence we feel always. God bless you, my sisters, stay strong.
Hi, my name is Pam and I am, today, a breast cancer survivor. I got my diagnosis in January of ’09 and spent the majority of last year in treatment. I found my “cancer experience” to be very enlightening. It definitely helps you get a better perspective on what is important in your life. For me, my life with my husband and our families is first and foremost. Nothing else seems quite as important as it used to be. I still work full time as a hair dresser and tattoo artist, but now, instead of thinking I would probably never retire, I am finding myself working towards doing that as soon as possible. We have all lost too many friends and family members to this awful disease, so whatever the plan is for my life, I intend to live every minute to the fullest.
Debra Saker
Life’s a Beach
It was almost 3 years ago that I found the lump. I have no family history of breast cancer, had always been healthy and had a clean mammogram a year before, so I wasn’t all that concerned when I left work for the doctor’s appointment. The parting words to my co-worker was “I’m sure it will be fine. It has to be because I am way too busy to have cancer.”
Lesson 1- The ugly truth: Cancer doesn’t respect your calendar. It doesn’t care about meetings, business travel or deadlines.
Lesson 2 – The silver lining: It is amazing how when you take a step back, you allow others to step up. If it’s important, it somehow gets done. If it doesn’t get done, the earth doesn’t stop spinning on its axis. Meetings can be rescheduled, plans changed and an untidy house is still a home.
God willing, my body’s battle with cancer is behind me. There is much of that experience that I would be happy to forget, but I am trying to remember the lessons learned and keep them relevant in my after-breast-cancer-life. One of those is that to take care of yourself, you need to, on occasion, walk away from the demands of others, unplug and simply “be” (vs. “do”).
I hope these chairs encourage their owner to, even for a few minutes, sit back, relax, and take the time to cherish whatever moment they’re in or whatever journey they’re on.
Holly Schulz
An Ode to Wine
The inspiration for my chair came from my visit to northern California this past summer. Looking at the vineyards across the landscape was quite a beautiful sight, for vines love an open hill and plenty of sunshine. As Benjamin Franklin once said,”The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.” I know I enjoy a glass of wine with family and friends and I hope the person who buys this chair does as well. I remember reading once somewhere that if food is the body of good living, wine is its soul.
Pat Skowronski
Stay Forever Young!
I love the poster of Dylan with the crazy wild colored hair, when saw it, I was hooked, even though I knew very little about him. . . . As I worked toward completion of the chair I thought of how fun and inspiring this experience has been. . . meeting so many strong women. . . all determined, all spirited, all with the same goal that I have, to win this battle. With my second diagnosis of breast cancer. . . it has made me all too aware of the amazing life we have all been given and not to waste a minute of it. Even though I have this disease, and am currently undergoing treatment, I am blessed in so many ways. I have a wonderful family of three beautiful daughters who have made me the proud grandparent of 9 amazing grandchildren. I am caregiver to my mother who is 92, and she is an inspiration to me every day. My life is full of the love of family and friends and I continue to believe that everything happens for a reason. We take what we are given and carry on. I really enjoyed creating the Dylan Chair and I hope that it will give someone the same excitement I had when working on it.
Andre St. Louis
In Memory of My Mother
After battling breast cancer for five years, my mother passed away in 1998 at the young age of 48. Being only 19 at the time, this made a huge impact in my life; I was a “momma’s boy” who was found himself without a mom. While I realized quickly the huge impact that losing her would have on my life, I’m still finding the little ways in which her life inspires my decisions everyday – not the least of which was my desire to design a chair in her memory.
One of my favorite things about my mother was that she truly believed in me as an artist. She fully supported my decision to follow my passion as an artist when I wanted to go to Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Without her support, I wouldn’t be designing and building furniture today for a living.
When I think of my mom, and her influence on me, often the first thing that comes to mind is her love of nature and antiques; I wanted to incorporate both aspects of her into my design. She had a fine eye for classic beauty; the floral elements within the design of the chair reference the Art Noveau period and are my interpretation of that classic beauty. I felt this was a great chance for me to integrate the floral pattern in steel into the design, while maintaining the antiquity of the oak rocking chair.
Laura Stratte
Nevermore
When I was in art school in the early 90s, I became interested in decorative art and design where the primary focus was style, form and composition. The deeper meaning, if present at all, was secondary. That interest continues to this day, and my initial goal for this chair was to create a piece where design trumped any overt meaning or theme.
However, as I was working on the chair, the design began to morph into one that clearly suggested Halloween, evoking a sense of eerie spookiness. If I’ve learned anything from having cancer, it’s been that you just need to go with the flow, so that’s what I did. I embraced the inherent theme I had inadvertently created and decided to run with it, incorporating elements based on the master of spookiness himself, Edgar Allan Poe. The result: A haunting chair based on “The Raven” with two “grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird[s] of yore.”
Shhhh . . . If you’re quiet, you just might be able to hear them croaking “Nevermore.”
Marge Vetter
Faith, Family and Friends
Every girl has a dream of growing up, possibly marrying and having a family of her own and live happily ever after. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned but that is the time we must rely on our Faith, Family and Friends. To get through the tough times so that we may continue to live, dream and enjoy life. I am thankful for all the help from my family and friends and for my strong faith when I was diagnosed with cancer. The hardest thing for me is how cancer affects those you love and the hurt and concern they go through.
My dream is that someday SOON, they will find a cure for breast cancer and our sisters, mother, daughters will not have to hear those awful words “you have breast cancer”.
The colors in my chair remind me of the fairy tale life and dreams girls have from a very young age to their golden years. My chair is called “Faith, Family and Friends” because without them, things would be tough which makes it hard to look ahead and dream. May you sit in this chair and enjoy life, appreciate your family and friends and with your faith continue to dream.
Dottie Wing
Lots of Dots
My 2010 chair started with many different color combinations and designs. Several shades of yellow, green and pink changed many times before arriving at today’s finished chair. Leg designs were also painted and repainted before I settled on a pattern.
Thanks to Linda Weide, I discovered a Mackenzie-Childs catalog. Linda shared several ideas with me. With Linda and Phil Clonninger’s (our resident artist) encouragement, I created my first chair. This year, I wanted to again use similar colorful patterns to make a chair that would make people smile. I think this chair accomplishes that.
I hope this chair is a cheery addition for tonight’s winner. I picture it as a great place to read to a child or grandchild.
Clarice Zucker
PELVIC TILT
This past February I broke my ankle during an aerobics class. Seeing my own x-rays I thought it would be interesting to use images of bones in some kind of art work. The doctor kindly gave me several discarded x-rays. So, to entertain myself during my recovery, I did some paintings of pelvises, spines, and feet, working from these images. Since one of my favorite subjects is flowers in my watercolor painting, I combined them with the bones.
When I decided to do a chair for Rare Chair I thought of bones in a whimsical as well as literal way The pelvis belongs on the seat of the chair. of course, and the spine up the back. We need that inner stability of our bone framework to deal with the physical and emotional challenges of breast cancer. So here’s to “PELVIC TILT.”