September 10, 2010

Who Cares for the Caregiver? collage

My collage is 30 x 40.  The frame is made of the containers that hold bullets. The ladder-y looking stripe on the left is the netting that you wear while you're undergoing high-dose radiation for breast cancer.  On the bottom near the netting is a fake MammoSite made from a squeaker that fits in a pet toy and a straw.  The targets were shot out by dear Michael, Caregiver Extraordinaire.

Other artifacts on the piece include medical appointment cards, a lymphedema-warning bracelet, a latex allergy bracelet, and our radiation oncology parking card. The red star is a quilt piece I got with a bunch of pieces from Iowa several years ago; it's included to highlight a list of things caregivers can do to relax.

Close-up of the fake MammoSite.

Even closer up of the fake MammoSite.  I bought the pink pin in Washington, D. C. in 1991; and the fragments of pink are from a paper top I didn't wear that somehow came home with me.

I loved making this piece.  About an hour into it, waves of rage were pulsating through me.  I kept working, and after two or three hours the rage faded and I was caught up in the pleasure of the work.  I plan to do a series of three or four pieces to go with this one.

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