Following a traumatic accident that left her in constant pain from the resulting neck injuries, Deborah Friedson has turned to her love of art and is sharing that love with others facing life-changing difficulties.
In The Woman with the Elephant Heart, Friedson presents images created as a part of her recovery and acceptance of who she was, following a head injury more than 10 years ago that occurred when she fell after slipping on a patch of black ice.
After two rounds of physical therapy and neck surgery, Friedson struggled to come to terms with what was important in her life. She has been diagnosed with Dystonia, a neurological problem that leaves her in constant neck pain, and she has to get Botox injections to help alleviate that discomfort every 10 weeks. Despite those circumstances, Friedson decided to find a way to make herself happy once again.
`One day I woke up and said, ‘If I can’t get any better than I am today, how can I learn to be happy with who I am,’` said Friedson.
Using her background as an art teacher in the Niskayuna School District, where she still works part time, and her art education at Syracuse University and Wagner College in printmaking and textiles, Friedson used printmaking techniques with pens, markers and pencils to create visual layers of personal feelings and reflection to learn more about herself and who she was post-injury. From December 2005 through March of 2006, Friedson made nearly 30 different pieces of artwork on who she was after the injury and what it meant to come out of the other side and begin rediscover the joy in life.
After bringing a few of her paintings into her classroom and watching the emotional reactions of other members of the staff, Friedson realized that she was not the only person dealing with the issues of healing and recovering from tough times.
`I found out who I am through this process. It was like a purging,` said Friedson. `I was amazed that when I brought a few of my first paintings to school, that when other teachers saw them, that they felt the same way I did and I wasn’t alone.`
After that initial reaction, Friedson created a booklet of prints of her paintings and showed them to Dianne Zack, the owner of Symmetry Gallery in Saratoga Springs, who she has worked with for more than 20 years.
`She came to us and asked if we wanted to be involved,` said Zack. `After the first few pages I knew it was a great idea to get involved in. The images and thoughts are heartfelt and are easily transferrable from one person to another.`
The gallery sells Friedson’s original paintings, prints and book.
`Through her artwork, Deb really has a great ability to communicate on a level that most of us don’t on a day-to-day basis,` said Zack. `I feel very honored and grateful to work with her on the project. I have been very grateful to see the project bloom over the years.`
Since, 2006, Friedson has created and published a book of prints of the paintings she created with the help of local printmakers Camelot Copy Center and Vincy’s Printing. On her fourth printing, her books are donated to charitable causes throughout the Capital District and a percentage of the profits goes toward the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has also auctioned off original pieces that Friedson has donated to their charity.
`Deb has been involved in the society for a long time. Not only does she donate time to the community but also allows us to sell her book online,` said Director of Special Events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Northeastern New York Nicole Spath.
Friedson has been a part of the foundation since her son, Matthew, was diagnosed with the disease. Her original prints are on display at their national headquarters in Bethesda, Md.
Friedson has also donated works to local hospitals and emergency shelters including SAFE, Inc., the Ellis Hospital Trauma Recovery Program, the Community Hospice of Albany and the Haven Grief Counseling Center in Schenectady.
Friedson said that while she may not be able to help with large monetary donations to charities, she is grateful to be able to help in the recovery process with her art.
`I may not have a million dollars but I can give through my art,` she said.
Friedson said that the name of the book comes from a saying that a friend told her about the size of her heart and the work she has done with her paintings with the different emotions and feelings that were a part of the work and that she had `a heart the size of an elephant.`
`I feel other people’s feelings,` she said. `I’m really thankful for the people that I have met and the stories that they have shared. That has been a very unexpected gift.`
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