Lately I've been involved in the care of a dear friend. He has colon cancer, stage 4, and has been in tremendous pain for months. Two weeks ago he told me he was ready to transition. He bought an extremely expensive sweater to wear for eternity. The tumors had spread and we feared that when he was opened up during the upcoming surgery the doctors would determine that they were too vast and would close him up and send him home to die. I lost three friends in this manner last summer and I was coming to terms with the fact that I might be about to lose a fourth. On Monday he had the surgery. It lasted ten hours. The doctors were able to remove the tumors. They also had to remove a couple of organs. My friend is going to live!! Let's hear it for Western medicine! Sometimes life takes on a dramatic intensity. Dramatic intensity is an undercurrent in my art. Art can convey a sense of heightened reality which is how we sometimes experience life. You can see what I mean by clicking here: http://www.amymarx.com/#/try-again/ All the paintings you see here are available. Please feel free to reply to this email with any response to my work or thoughts you'd like to share. Thank you for opening this email. Be well. All the best, Amy