Bonnie Van Moorlehem Pattys Story page 5

After Surgery	Excerpt from Patty's Story	Artist Comments -Bonnie Van Moorlehem
(click on thumbnails for larger image)	Painting 10 – Patty’s Story *Starting Over* 30” x 40”, acrylic on canvas “It felt so good to be home again. I had been in the hospital for two months. I had to start all over and learn to crawl again before I could learn to walk. When I would walk, I could only take a few steps at a time. I would get tired fast. I would rest for a few minutes then I would try again. I didn’t give up and in the next few weeks, I rapidly recovered. My left side of my brain had to learn what my right side knew. I had to work hard to do the normal everyday things once again. I also had to learn how to feed myself again. Even though I was making progress, I still wondered if I was going to see my eighteenth birthday. I wanted to go back to high school and finish. I wanted everything to get back to normal for me.” --excerpt from Patty's story	Painting No. 10 – Starting Over, represents, after a rough start, Patty was finally recovering from her brain surgery. At seventeen years, Patty was the size of an adult and her remaining brain had to learn to do the functions of the part of the brain that was removed. The painting shows Patty in the center, in a red color representing that she is alive and vibrant again with the potential to recover and thrive. At this time the family was on pins and needles not knowing if this was possible or not. In the painting, Patty, the central figure, has the roots of an adult but is small on top to demonstrate that her skills were like a child. Patty had to learn how to crawl again before she could walk. The figures on the outside could be any other adults in comparison. Both outside figures have the large roots and the skills of an adult. As I painted the green figure on the right, I was thinking of my Mother who was healthy and full of life. The figure on the left represents my Father unbeknown to the family at the time who was having heart problems with the darker colors represent that his body was not as healthy as everyone thought. Our parents are place on each side of Patty as her protectors. --- Bonnie Van Moorlehem
	Painting 11 – Patty’s Story It Should Have Been Me 40” x 30”, acrylic on canvas “When I was still recovering form my illness, my Dad died of a heart attack following my surgery on June 30th, 1970. I took it hard. I had a hard time believing that Dad was gone, for good. Dad would not be coming back to us. I blamed myself for his death. I felt it should have been me since I was the one that was sick. I felt that I wore Dad out from all the different things that I had done when I was sick.” --excerpt from Patty's story	Painting No. 11 - It Should Have Been Me -- was the other painting that was difficult for me to paint. After my third attempt at this painting, I realized that I felt such strong emotions to this event that I was trying too hard to express what I felt and the paintings looked over worked. I had to relax and try to paint it like I did the other paintings. This painting represents when our Dad died five months after Patty’s surgery. The central figure represents our Dad's death and with him rising up to the heavens. The eight yellow figures at the bottom represent each of the rest of our family members being left behind. (Our Mother and seven children ages four years to eighteen years.) The central tallest figure represents our Mother; the only adult left behind and left in charge. The rest of the figures represent the children left behind. While painting, I did not assign each person to a figure. The figures have their arms stretched out trying to reach out and hang onto our Dad to no avail. The colors I used for this painting uses dark colors to represent death and our grief and the darkness on earth. The bright yellows and gold colors represent the heavens that Dad is going toward. The family figures are lighter colors to represent the love we have for him. The title, "It Should Have Been Me" came from a line in Patty's story, but it also reflects a grief comment that had been said by other family members (myself included) and the thought that it would not of been so hard on the family if it had been me and not our Dad that died. I was surprised when I read in Patty's story that she felt this also, because these feelings were never expressed to family members until Patty wrote her story. --- Bonnie Van Moorlehem
	Painting 12 – Patty’s Story Please Give Me A Chance 40” x 30”, acrylic on canvas “After I finished school, I went to Minneapolis to the Rehab Center. I had to work fast. I didn’t realize how important it was until the staff started training me. One day the staff wanted me to come into her office. She told me to have a seat. That’s when she told me that I was a slow worker. When she told me that, I didn’t believe her.” “I worked in many other restaurants that had daytime work. But, if I weren’t fast enough they would let me go. I was angry at the mangers for not giving me a second chance. I felt like a failure.” "You would be surprised what I can do if you let me try things. Every time at work when we hire someone new, I have to prove myself over and over again. They think because I can only use one hand, that I can’t do much. If they give me a chance, they will find out that I can." --excerpts from Patty's story	Painting No. 12 – Please Give Me A Chance- is a plea from Patty and she writes it repeatedly in her story. This painting represents Patty’s plea by placing a figure in a box and if it is not opened, the figure is not allowed to escape from the world’s constraint and allowed to be a gift to the world. Much like if a gift is not opened it is the recipient who loses the opportunity of the pleasure of enjoying the gift. On the inside of the box the arm like extensions are poking against the box wanting to get out and be a part of the rest of the world. Inside the box, the colors are bright and vibrant to represent Patty being a gift. The dark colors on the outside of the box represents the world’s loss by not giving her the opportunity to show us what she has to offer. --- Bonnie Van Moorlehem

After Surgery

Excerpt from Patty's Story

Artist Comments -Bonnie Van Moorlehem

(click on thumbnails for larger image)

Painting 10 – Patty’s Story
Starting Over
30” x 40”, acrylic on canvas

“It felt so good to be home again. I had been in the hospital for two months. I had to start all over and learn to crawl again before I could learn to walk. When I would walk, I could only take a few steps at a time. I would get tired fast. I would rest for a few minutes then I would try again. I didn’t give up and in the next few weeks, I rapidly recovered. My left side of my brain had to learn what my right side knew. I had to work hard to do the normal everyday things once again. I also had to learn how to feed myself again. Even though I was making progress, I still wondered if I was going to see my eighteenth birthday. I wanted to go back to high school and finish. I wanted everything to get back to normal for me.”

--excerpt from Patty's story

Painting No. 10 – Starting Over, represents, after a rough start, Patty was finally recovering from her brain surgery. At seventeen years, Patty was the size of an adult and her remaining brain had to learn to do the functions of the part of the brain that was removed.
The painting shows Patty in the center, in a red color representing that she is alive and vibrant again with the potential to recover and thrive. At this time the family was on pins and needles not knowing if this was possible or not. In the painting, Patty, the central figure, has the roots of an adult but is small on top to demonstrate that her skills were like a child. Patty had to learn how to crawl again before she could walk. The figures on the outside could be any other adults in comparison. Both outside figures have the large roots and the skills of an adult. As I painted the green figure on the right, I was thinking of my Mother who was healthy and full of life. The figure on the left represents my Father unbeknown to the family at the time who was having heart problems with the darker colors represent that his body was not as healthy as everyone thought. Our parents are place on each side of Patty as her protectors.

--- Bonnie Van Moorlehem

Painting 11 – Patty’s Story
It Should Have Been Me
40” x 30”, acrylic on canvas

“When I was still recovering form my illness, my Dad died of a heart attack following my surgery on June 30th, 1970. I took it hard. I had a hard time believing that Dad was gone, for good. Dad would not be coming back to us. I blamed myself for his death. I felt it should have been me since I was the one that was sick. I felt that I wore Dad out from all the different things that I had done when I was sick.”

--excerpt from Patty's story

Painting No. 11 - It Should Have Been Me -- was the other painting that was difficult for me to paint. After my third attempt at this painting, I realized that I felt such strong emotions to this event that I was trying too hard to express what I felt and the paintings looked over worked. I had to relax and try to paint it like I did the other paintings. This painting represents when our Dad died five months after Patty’s surgery.
      The central figure represents our Dad's death and with him rising up to the heavens. The eight yellow figures at the bottom represent each of the rest of our family members being left behind. (Our Mother and seven children ages four years to eighteen years.)
The central tallest figure represents our Mother; the only adult left behind and left in charge. The rest of the figures represent the children left behind. While painting, I did not assign each person to a figure.
     The figures have their arms stretched out trying to reach out and hang onto our Dad to no avail. The colors I used for this painting uses dark colors to represent death and our grief and the darkness on earth. The bright yellows and gold colors represent the heavens that Dad is going toward. The family figures are lighter colors to represent the love we have for him.
     The title, "It Should Have Been Me" came from a line in Patty's story, but it also reflects a grief comment that had been said by other family members (myself included) and the thought that it would not of been so hard on the family if it had been me and not our Dad that died. I was surprised when I read in Patty's story that she felt this also, because these feelings were never expressed to family members until Patty wrote her story.

--- Bonnie Van Moorlehem

Painting 12 – Patty’s Story
Please Give Me A Chance
40” x 30”, acrylic on canvas

“After I finished school, I went to Minneapolis to the Rehab Center. I had to work fast. I didn’t realize how important it was until the staff started training me. One day the staff wanted me to come into her office. She told me to have a seat. That’s when she told me that I was a slow worker. When she told me that, I didn’t believe her.”

“I worked in many other restaurants that had daytime work. But, if I weren’t fast enough they would let me go. I was angry at the mangers for not giving me a second chance. I felt like a failure.”

"You would be surprised what I can do if you let me try things. Every time at work when we hire someone new, I have to prove myself over and over again. They think because I can only use one hand, that I can’t do much. If they give me a chance, they will find out that I can."

--excerpts from Patty's story

Painting No. 12 – Please Give Me A Chance- is a plea from Patty and she writes it repeatedly in her story. This painting represents Patty’s plea by placing a figure in a box and if it is not opened, the figure is not allowed to escape from the world’s constraint and allowed to be a gift to the world. Much like if a gift is not opened it is the recipient who loses the opportunity of the pleasure of enjoying the gift. On the inside of the box the arm like extensions are poking against the box wanting to get out and be a part of the rest of the world. Inside the box, the colors are bright and vibrant to represent Patty being a gift. The dark colors on the outside of the box represents the world’s loss by not giving her the opportunity to show us what she has to offer.

--- Bonnie Van Moorlehem