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Gilda's Club Artist wins top national awards.
Author: | Thursday September 13, 2007
Paintings by Susan Lazarus "Bright Future", a tropical scene, and "Simple Pleasures" depicting a Seder Dinner, won first and second place respectively.
A Brush with Fame
Rehab Professional's
Art Brings Awareness
Industry colleagues were surprised and amazed that they had an artist among them when Susan Lazarus, M.S, a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Consultant, won first and second place in a national art contest. Lazarus, an active member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP), had submitted two of her water colors in "Snapshot of Survival", a contest for people with colorectal cancer.
Lazarus, now fully recovered nine years after surgery for Stage 3 colon cancer, started painting under the guidance of artist Dorothy (Dottie) Hutton, a Gilda's Club of South Florida volunteer. "That's when I started painting and really loved it. It's a wonderful outlet," Lazarus told the Miami Herald Newspaper in an interview that was the basis for a feature story in the publication.
Her painting "Bright Future", depicting a tropical scene with striking detail, a trademark of Lazarus' work, was the first place winner. The second place entry, "Life's Blessings" depicts a Seder Dinner and is in the "primitive" style that many are familiar with through the works of folk artists such as Grandma Moses.
As a rehabilitation professional, Lazarus appreciates the irony that she had waited some six months, back in 1998, before getting a colonoscopy following blood tests that indicated she was severely anemic. "I consider myself very lucky that, despite putting it off, I did get the test in time," she told the Voice Newspaper. An advocate for testing, she is pleased that most of her friends and loved ones have had a colonoscopy.
Her artistic mentor and friend, Dottie Hutton, suggested that Lazarus enter the contest and is also encouraging her to start painting more. The rehabilitation professional admits that work and the challenges of every day life have taken her away from her palette.
"Winning this competition has not only brought me my fifteen minutes of fame, but it has also inspired me to make more time for painting," Lazarus said. Her fifteen minutes of fame was extended when she was invited to a reception at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center where her artwork and those of others in the contest were on display. Local television stations interviewed Lazarus while friends and supporters looked on.
Ed. Note: The exhibition of paintings were at the Sylvester Center (Radiology/Oncology Conference Room) through September 19 and then traveled to Seattle. The feature story appeared in the Health Section of the Miami Herald's August 28, 2007 edition. For more information on Gilda's Club visit www.gildasclubsouthflorida.org. Susan Lazarus' web site is www.vocationseeker.com.
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