A TRIBUTE

My mom.

My mother died of breast cancer in September 2007. In her final hours I whispered that I would do something big for her - in her memory. At that time I had no idea what that would be.

As an only child, my mom was a huge influence in my life. She encouraged me in so many ways, particularly with regard to my love of art. A love that we shared. I remember doodling pictures of her in restaurants with pens she would bring for me. She let me use her stamp sets with my playmates. As I prepared to move into my first apartment, she even helped me mosaic tabletops. As an adult, there were cards from my mom stuffed with pictures that she thought I would like and sketches of her own. On the flipside, I could always count on her to be candid in her opinions of my work; discretion was never my mom’s strong suit! And, I trusted her feedback because it was wrapped in love.

Her love remains an integral part of me.

Mom… I love you and I miss you. I believe your spirit inspires this idea that began with a whisper.

A simple idea.

As a tribute to my mother, I am creating a piece of artwork every day for a year. It all started on December 19, 2007. I had done a quick sketch (something that I hadn’t done in a long time) at my kitchen table and really liked it. Then pow, the whole concept of art every day for a good cause in honor of my mom came to me. I tried to go to sleep that night but couldn’t, and I stayed up until three in the morning writing all my ideas into a spiral notebook. I’ve been at it ever since.

All proceeds received from the sale through this website of art pieces currently exhibited in the Giving Gallery honoring my mom will be donated to the charities listed on this site. Click here to view the recipients. I am suggesting a minimum $50 purchase price for each piece. But, please feel free to contribute more if you are so moved!

After a year I plan to compile copies of all of the art into a book, entitled, “Art for My Mom.” The books will be available for sale on this site by Mother’s Day 2009. Again, all of the proceeds will go to charity.

Here's what you can do.

• Go to the gallery, browse, purchase one or more of the pieces. The pieces are organized by the date they were made. So, you might choose a piece that I created on a special day in your life like an anniversary or a birthday. Or you could browse and select a piece that touches you for any reason.
• Watch your mailbox for your art to arrive.
• Tell all your pals about this site. The more people who learn about it, the larger the donation to charity.
• Email Oprah for me! I’m hoping to get on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to tell my story and get the word out. Read more on the Oprah section of this site. If pieces sell quickly, then I may create an auction process for sale of the art in order to raise even more money for charity.