Laura's--Light as a Feather,
Stiff As a Board--Trust Game
Medium:
Oil Painting and Fabric on Canvas
Dimensions:
18" x 24" x 1"
Artwork for Sale:
Contact Julia if interested.
Year Completed:
2026
Description:
Based off of the witchy childhood game "Light as a feather, Stiff as a board", this piece is of my friend Laura, her battle with cancer and the people who cared for her in the last months of her life. During her fight, she often would isolate herself from the ones that loved her most...I came to her with the idea for this painting when I noticed this...as a reminder to her and to the ones who were helping her that we were all there for her, to support her in her last journey, and hold her up (physically, mentally and spiritually). Each hand represents a person who was with her in the last stages of her life and the end of her battle with cancer. The fabric representing her gown was a piece of fabric from the actual clothes she received from the hospital--something she gave me while we were discussing this painting. The hat saying "Holy Shit Girl Queen Pussy Boss" and is based off a real hat we would laugh about and which she kept by her bedside table during her fight--as a reminder that she was a spit fire/a tough cookie/a "Girl Queen Pussy Boss". Her face shows two sides: the left side being a peaceful sleep and the right side being her cheeky self. I originally came up with the idea of this painting when we were unsure how things would end up with her cancer and her two sided face was a representation of the possibility of life or death.
Sadly Laura passed away before brush touched canvas and so when I finally started this piece it was extremely hard and bittersweet to actually paint it. I promised her I would though and wanted to finish it as a first year death-aversary gift to honor her.
The owner's hands goes as follows:
Top Left: Tom--Laura's ex husband who put aside their differences in order to care for her in the end. Being a nurse in his previous career, he often would come over to her house to administer important medicine. I put his hands closest to where her port was and where he would give her ivies.
Second to Top Left: Neris--Laura's visiting angel who would stay in Laura's home for days on end to care for her in ways that friends and family often couldn't. Neris's hands are representative of all the visiting angels and other support staff who came to help her when Laura ultimately decided to do her treatments in the comfort of her own home.
Third Left: Shayna--Laura's niece whom she loved very much and viewed as another daughter. She often would talk about her in adoring ways and after meeting her I understood why.
Hands Holding Her Feet: Julia (myself)--I reserved the feet for myself as I often would try to relieve the bloating in her feet and legs by doing very short leg exercises with her and would often rub her feet and legs to try to give some kind of ease--even if for a moment. I can not express how much this experience of taking care of my friend changed my life--it was beautifully tragic and will forever have me grateful and in pain all at the same time.
The Next Two Pair of Hands Bottom/Middle Right: Sharon and Hannah--Laura's best friends were there for Laura through the tough times, always trying to cheer her up with laughter/dancing/drinking, and, although things got rough in the end, they came back to make sure to help her pass on to the afterlife in a meaningful way.
Top Right: Lynn (Cassidy)--Laura's daughter, loved her mother deeply and was/is always looking to repair with love, kindness, loyalty, compromising, and understanding...which is why I wanted to place her hands closest to Laura's heart.
The spot around her head is reserved for her son Daniel who was the number one person by Laura's side in the last months of her life. Although he never agreed/nor disagreed to be a part of this piece, I wanted to leave a spot for him. His hands being at Laura's head both represent how Dan and Laura had shared knowledge, and it also represents how Dan was thrown into being the "head of the household" both literally and physically. Laura wanted him to be a part of this painting--hopefully one day he will be.
