Name
Veronique Diriker

Brain Tumor Type
Meningioma

Date of Diagnosis
2021

Participant Group
Brain Tumor Survivor / 21 and over

Category
Drawing/Painting/Printmaking/Chalk Art

Artist Statement (include type of art, techniques & materials used, what it means to you)
Some days, I want to use bold colors. Other days, I prefer the subtleties of watercolors. Yet, other days, I am moved by the black ink of a pen..

Once I have a brush or a pen in my hand, imagination takes over and I uncover a world where everything is possible…. Where butterflies fly off the page… giraffes swim with fish… and cherry trees dance with weeping willows…

Having grown up in Paris, France, I was always surrounded by art. However, I didn’t really start painting until I was in my forties. Since then, I have shown my work throughout the state of Maryland, and have had several solo exhibits. For me, showing my work makes it come alive. When people are moved by my work, be it a smile or the flutter of a heart - I, too, come alive.

Artist Bio: Tell Us Your Story
I am a self taught artist based in Maryland, USA.
The artists who have inspired me have evolved over the years, but those who have stayed constant have been Tamara Natalie Madden, Eduardo Kingman, Amadeo Modigliani, and Paul Gauguin.

I have worked in philanthropy most of my career and at the time I started seriously focusing on my art, I created a fund at our local Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore for artists with disabilities called “the Arts and Abilities Fund.”

I felt very strongly about the need to support artists with intellectual, emotional, and physical disabilities in my community. I never imagined I would, one day, actually become one of them. About 4 years ago, I was diagnosed with a large brain tumor. After the surgery, I had to relearn how to use my dominant hand. I could hardly hold a spoon or write my name, let alone gracefully run a paintbrush across a canvas. It took months of hard work, and I am glad to say, I am almost where I want to be.

My personal story has taught me the importance of using art as a therapeutic tool. I look forward to my next adventure of using art to help patients with brain injuries. Life is a series of “happy and not so happy accidents.” In all of this, art is like magic to me: captivating and awe inspiring.