Name
Linda Brandt

Age Group (If you are a caregiver/family member please check Caregiver/Family Member)
Adult: 21 and over

Describe your art here - type of art, techniques and materials used, what your art represents and what it means to you.
"Angel of Hope" is an expression of my Hope for this world. Having experienced my own death, my oldest son's and my stepson's, I believe I am truly here for a purpose. I collapsed on the beach not knowing I had a brain tumor....one that was in my cerebellum with tentacles wrapped around my brain stem. Three weeks after a 10 1/2 hour emergency surgery, I developed spinal meningitis and coded in a mri tunnel. My oldest son, who had been killed two years prior, was with me in that tunnel. It took me nearly three years of crawling, learning to paint, drive, walk again, etc. and it was during that time that hope rose up inside of me...the hope that I share today in my art and in my speaking to folks.

Re: my art style, it seems to always be driven by line work while imposing the vast use of color which I title "Gestural Expression". The paint was created with water based materials (acrylic, watercolor), ink and pastels and brushed &poured on canvas.

Please include your age, tumor type and date of diagnosis (patients & survivors only) and let us know how art has impacted your life.
I am now 70 years young. The tumor was non-malignant, the size of a golf ball, in my cerebellum and had formed tentacles around my brain stem. Date of diagnosis was Good Friday, April 9th, 2004. I had been painting since the age of four, but after the surgery and then death experience from spinal meningitis, it took nearly three years to be able to paint again. I had to learn to paint with my left hand and had never even thought to put a brush in that hand before. I now teach standard and therapeutic art, helping others regain, recharge, and reload their lives with hope through my "Color Me Happy" classes.