Carolyn Sanders
White River Junction, VT, USA
ARTIST BIO
I am a Vermont resident without a work history. I finally graduated Goucher College in 1999 with an English Major and an emphasis on creative writing. A misdiagnosis at 19 almost stole my life, a future and erased most memories of my past. My passions, my writing, my music, and my art were buried under perhaps a dozen mis-prescribed medications and, later, unnecessary medical procedures. In the last 5 yrs of my reclaimed life, my passions have come alive; despite the scarce physical and material resources remaining for which with it to flourish. Yet, I am alive. Yet, I thrive. I WILL shine my life, and my story, proudly as a beacon of hope for others. No matter the trials and trauma, pain can be focused and shaped into music, beauty and art.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My life was saved, reincarnated, after multiple heart attacks in a day, at age 37, left me with advanced heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and an ICD. Diagnosed with a distended heart and given a hypothetical life expectancy, I found myself in an all-encompassing darkness, beyond any other in a lifetime of traumas. This coerced me to be the revolution and change needed to salvage the remains of my broken body and life. Reclamation of my soul first came through the rediscovery of song, cello, and writing. Music gave me the hope needed to begin to detox my body, lose 100 pounds, and my lifestyle changes. Now, multiple inflammatory diseases leave me crippled with pain. Standing to sing for performances is impossible (just sitting through rehearsals is excruciating), and I can no play my cello on many a day due to the increasing stenosis of my neck and lower back. Yet, just as a dandelion can grow in through just a narrow crack in a sidewalk, I rediscovered my art, and a way to “paint” that would not induce allergic reactions to either the paint, the medium, or the chemical scents; digital art on my iPad! In less than a year, my lost love for painting has found a place where it can flourish. While working, the roar of my pain is distanced to a mere murmuring, and all that exists is my digital canvas coming to life with passion and beauty.
