My friend Kenjitono writes:
I went to Borders for a book signing today. A friend of mine wanted a signed copy so I complied. The signing was scheduled at noon so I arrived a few minutes before the scheduled time. Some background on me. I don't like waiting in lines. I also don't tolerate having to wait for people who are late.
I chose this particular signing because it's not in a mall as would've been the 4 O'clock signing so I didn't anticipate much of a crowd.
I was the second in line so I took a couple of the books and went to the checkout to pay for them and then came back to the line. I was still second in line.
The book was about a water colorist named Peggy Chun who has ALS. You can check her out at WWW.PEGGYCHUN.COM. I don't know much about painting, but, from what I understand, watercolor is a difficult venue because unlike oils, you cannot go over it if you make a mistake. Once it's there, you have to adjust and perhaps even alter the painting.
Anyway, Peg was late and they explained that it takes them about three hours to prepare her and to load her into the van for the trip to the store. The person who wrote the book gave us lyric sheets for two songs to sing when Peggy arrived. The first was the Beatles song, "You've Got a Friend" which was altered in parts. The second was a song by St. Francis and I can't remember the title.
Peggy finally arrived about 12:40 and we proceeded to sing. I didn't even know this lady and don't know anything about paintings, but it was difficult singing as they wheeled her in. She doesn't have any movement except for her eyes. And that's how she continues to paint today. Oh, and she lost her cat Bug last night who was with her for about 17 years.
The book is a story on Peggy's life as seen through the eyes of her other cat, Boo. Boo died right after they fininshed writing the book in 2006. So all this made it all the more emotional.
Check out her website and if you enjoy her art, perhaps you can make a purchase or even buy the book. I think she needs the money to pay for her medical and personal care. Right now, she's using computer technology to enable her to direct others to create a piece that will be hanging in the Vatican. I am in awe of her courage and determination.
Thanks for reading this.
From Peggy Chun's site:
"I am a watercolor artist. I was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2002. When the ALS caused me to lose the use of my dominant hand, I began painting with my left hand in 2003. When my hands could no longer hold a brush, I painted holding a brush in my teeth in 2004. When my mouth could no longer hold a brush, I painted digitally with a computer that I could control with my eye movement in 2005 and 2006. Now, due to my inability to blink, my eyes are too dry to paint with my computer. But my creativity knows no bounds.
One of the things I miss the most, is the touch and the experience of painting; the sensual nature of the paper and the paint. So, as the next phase in my artistic evolution, I have begun 'nose painting' with the help of painting assistant.
I work with an assistant who does all the preparation and is fully involved in the painting process. We begin by my choosing a palette for a particular concept. My assistant sets out the paint in order of the progression of color I think will work together, usually 5 complimentary colors. All of my nose paintings are done 'wet into wet'.
Next we choose from an assortment of 'nose strokes' I have already described in detail and organized on a chart. This chart eliminates the tedious work of having to spell out directions each time on my communication spell board. To begin, my assistant paints the tip of my nose with the colors I¹ve chosen as the base colors. Next, she picks up the paper and moves it parallel to my nose using the stroke I¹ve chosen. We continue to use the paints and the strokes in the order I have chosen. Each time I change colors, my assistant has to wipe the paint from my nose and dry it before applying the next color.
Inevitably, while painting I begin to see images emerging that cause me to change my original plan. This is challenging because we have to work fast to keep the paper from drying. I find this to be the most exciting part about painting abstractly. I name my pieces based on what I see and feel, but take great joy in hearing what others discover in my paintings. I hope you enjoy these original nose paintings. I have never felt more challenged as an artist and am pleased to share this part of my artistic journey with you."
From the Honolulu Star Bulletin:
Chun, 61, was diagnosed in 2002 with ALS, the disease that claimed her grandfather, mother and twin sister. In a year, Kimi Chun says, her right hand was motionless; a year after that, her left hand was stilled. For another year she could paint with her teeth, then for one more year with a computer program that read her eye movements.
The original prognosis was that she could live up to three years with ALS, but she's rounding on five now. "It's so important for her health and her state of mind to still do something creative," her daughter-in-law says. "Creating is living for her."
When Mecum began working with Chun, "I thought I was going to meet a heartbroken artist who had just lost her painter's hand."
Instead she found someone overjoyed to find what she could do with her left.
...Chun prepared for each loss of function, for example, preparing a special brush she could hold with her teeth in anticipation of losing control of her left hand. When it became clear she'd have to go on a ventilator to aid her breathing and would no longer be able to speak, she set about numbering all her paints so she could select colors by number, Mecum says. "She was always thinking ahead: 'How can I keep painting?'"
In fact, Mecum says, it's hard to think of Chun in terms of loss. "Once you really know Peggy, it's OK, everything that's happened. She has a bigger life than those of us who walk around. We laugh that we have to keep up with Peggy. We feel like couch potatoes around Peggy. She teaches us to live in the second."
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