When we’re young we never think about getting old. And when we’re old that’s all we worry about, being grateful for our families and not wanting to be a burden.

But I’ve noticed that as I get older, time is flying by y’all. Literally flying. I was talking to my daughters the other day and they said how old they were and I was like “What?!?! You’re thirty-something?” And we all had a laugh, but it wasn’t ha-ha funny. It was one of those “aha” comical moments, that no one quite gets, but you feel awkward if you don’t laugh. So we did and it felt surreal… They’re catching up to me and just like that, my toddlers of yesterday are forever gone.

And honestly, it’s not that I’m feeling nostalgic, it’s just that the sun keeps whipping about at a game of catch me if you can. And old man time, that man made concept, where we fiddle with our watch dials twice a year, just to get some “daylight savings” is becoming a blur. And it’s all happening so fast!

I’m looking back at my life in increments, not because the small bits are more easily digested, but so I can assess where I’ve been, what I’ve done and what I need to do next.

Last September I won Best in Show. It was also the last time I saw my friend Napoleon. Life is fast y’all. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Do you and “Enjoy!”

If you make art, keep at it. The world needs to see your work. I want to see it. And as a creative, stay fluid. Onward 👍🩷

#art #BestinShow #kunst #artistssupportartists #rareillness

Hopkinton Center for the Arts

I did it! I’m so proud of myself! Let me tell you, it’s been a minute, but I did it. I got behind the wheel of a car and I drove y’all for the first time this year! Yup, today my art journey continues. I arrived right before noon at Hopkinton Center for the Arts Hopkinton Center for the Arts.

Back in the saddle, so to speak. And I saw her, her and her and the piano too! What a marvelous day! I drove myself, by myself for a two and half plus hours- round trip drive! And I didn’t mind the traffic, who would’ve thought it? Surely I hadn’t.

I’d grown accustomed to Ben sitting behind the wheel, so much so, that he had become a little like Morgan Freeman in “Driving Miss Daisy”, except I was grateful and he wasn’t wearing a chauffeur’s hat. But today that all changed. For one, the sky was blue, the sun was shining and I was listening to my music! Bopping my head, tapping the steering wheel and trying to sing🎶 It was fantabulous!

If you’re a creative making art, please keep going, keep making your art. Share it with us. The world needs to see it. Thank you!

Photo credit: Rebecca Skinner

#art #selfsufficient #kunst #artistssupportingartists #rarediseases

Grateful. Dianne DeLucia 🙂
Sarah Alexander and Megann Filio

Yes, there really is a pause button! And I just hit it. Because in the midst of all that’s going on, life still has an ample supply of surprises. Moments when we don’t understand what’s going on, are followed by moments of clarity, with newfound purpose.

I’ve been selected to be the next featured artist of “Art Ability”. Wait… what? Yes and I’m so honored and grateful for an opportunity to have eleven of my paintings on view. In addition I’m going to share tactile cards of selected artwork, so people who are neuro-diverse and those with low vision can touch to “see” my art.

My hope is to bring awareness to #artaccessibility and opportunity for artists like me, who disability. The exhibit will be in Malvern, PA.

Today, I paused… because I needed a moment to reflect on this amazing art journey. If someone had told me, that I would have my art on a billboard, that it would be on TV, and in the Governor’s Reception area at the Massachusetts Statehouse, I would’ve guffawed, spitting out my drink, I would’ve said “No way!”

And yet there was a way, as I was invited to an art residency in North Adams, where I was allowed to be part of an art cohort! And I met amazing creatives, some have become my family! And oh, I was given keys to a real studio! The proverbial “Room of One’s Own” that Virginia Woolfe wrote about…

Me, I’m that woman, looking outwards to see the view to see inside myself. I’m just so appreciative! Cheers to all you creatives who make art #ilikeyourwork. Keep making art. Pls. We need it ❤️

“Art Ability” open call link https://www.artworkarchive.com/call-for-submission/art-ability/2026-art-ability-at-bryn-mawr-rehab-hospital

Deadline July. Opening Gala Nov 7, 2026

#artistswithdisability #kunst #arte #artistssupportartists

See me? I almost wasn’t here.

As that sinks in and marinates, I’m reminded that life is a gift. We say it all the time, we say life is short, we reach for more time, challenging. Hello 2026

Ben says it can only get better from here. Maybe he’s right or maybe I just need him to be right, because being wrong isn’t an option.

Of course I’m experiencing anxiety. How could I not?

Posting here and sharing over there, somehow, in some strange way helps. I’m no less overwhelmed, still the drudgery of relearning steps across my apartment is real, so is seeing another sunset y’all.

Yesterday, I picked up a paintbrush and stood painting for a little over an hour. I stood, because I don’t like sitting down to paint, that is it doesn’t feel comfortable to me. Besides, I’m constantly in need of stepping back and away from the artwork to gain perspective of the subject matter and more so now… my life.

Today was a day. I suspect my art excursion yesterday was a wee-bit too much, or as my doctors keep telling me- “you can do anything, your body will tell you when you’ve done enough”…. Translated today, meant “you’ve done enough of everything. ​“ So I was unable to do anything.

Even my re-stepping around the apartment was without bounce, no joy. Slow moving. The part about healing energy that no one talks about, is that it ebbs and flows. Your mindset which needs to be full of robust intent and determination is instead sidled with fear and intimidation. Can I do this? Again? Languishing, to me seems more like an act of self-pity.

Still, I’m here. I get to tell people that I love & appreciate them and maybe that’s the whole point. Because I do. Even if I never paint another painting, I have a body of work, I’ve shown and been seen. Perhaps, that’s enough.

Anyway, I was just thinking… what if we remove words like “Can’t” and “Cannot” from our vocabulary? Would we do the impossible? Or maybe, at least try harder? Maybe then, we’d believe in ourselves from the very start, maybe removing the “can’t” so we can. I can.

There are 7000+ rare diseases impacting 300 million people globally. I’m one of them.

If you’re a creative, please keep making art. The world needs art. 💕

#raredisease #rarediseasemonth #rareartist #raredieeaseadvocacy

This first photo is my cane. It’s how I get around and how the world is accessible for me. This year I was delighted to visit @tuftsartgalleries and read their statement of accessibility for artists, who like me have disability.

But I was blown away by @opendoorartsma @worcesterartmuseum because it’s the only year round gallery that exhibits artwork of artists with disability in the country! How cool is that? Very 😎

I hope you’ll support them and make a donation. In addition, they host an Arts & Culture Accessibility HUB to help organizations on line for free! Just Fantastic! Really, really tho 🙏❤️

I’m delighted and so very honored to announce that the Opening Reception for “A Journey of Inclusion and Belonging” will be held on MLK Day, Jan 19th at 12:30pm. It will be a crossover event with the museum’s celebration of MLK Day which will include free entry to the museum, a choir, talks, snacks and refreshments!!!

Amazingly, that’s not all. In addition this exhibit includes a mock-up of my 20ft. “Voices Carry” sculpture ( which was a public art finalist last year in Denver, CO):

But as I continue to make my art accessible- from gray-scale conversion to tactile transformation, the team at Open Door Gallery made this their first ever #Virtual #artexhibition on-line. That’s right, click the link in the BIO ⬆️ and you’ll be given a private tour from the comfort of your home!

https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/14956999/journey-inclusion-and-belonging

I’m filled with Gratitude 🙏💜
Thank you Megan, Mehdi and Nicole for bringing my vision to life. I’m #SOL 🥰 (smiling out loud) I hope you hear me.

If you’re not in the Worcester area, this is your opportunity to see my art up-close

On a side note, more of my artwork which includes tactile cards is on view @theattleboroartsmuseum thru Jan 24th!

And new work is showing in Boston in the group exhibition “Invisibility” at the Piano Craft Gallery

These are indeed exciting times💜

Special Shout out to @collectivefuturesfund I was able to make even more of my art accessible! Thank you 🙏

arte #kunst #soloexhibition #bostonart #artcreatescommunity #spaceistheplace

Anxiety. Excitement. Joy. My story is coming out this week in ArtScope magazine, in actual print.

For me, there’s a little bit of apprehension, because I’ve only known the lived version of my life that is, I’ve become comfortable pressing onward and thru, damn the details.

When asked about my artwork, I’m hard pressed to answer. Because so much has happened in such a short time- five years, my achievements can be overwhelming, so I don’t spend time adjusting imaginary laurels. Neither do I dawdle, always my motto is onward.

Lately, I’ve been more engaged in administrative duties. With limited in-studio time, the dedication to my craft and honing my skills has presented another disability, one shared with many artists, that is a lack of affordable space.

So I’ve gone from protecting the bits and pieces of what makes me who I am, to sharing who I am in real time. It’s an odd dichotomy, making both myself- the person. and my art accessible. But I think digital archiving of my work and tactile cards are important parts of my art practice.

We all have a story, if we stop to take a moment and listen. For me, 2016 wasn’t only being diagnosed with a rare disease it was also the year that I almost lost my eyesight. My right eye had swollen and doctors didn’t know why.

*******

Special thank you to Megan Bent at Open Door Arts, and Stephanie Bissonette at VABVI for working with me. And huge kudos to Collective Futures Fund and the Andy Warhol Foundation for a Sustaining Art Practice Grant. As I convert my art to grey-scale and transform my paintings into tactile cards.

Forever grateful and I’m excited to read the upcoming issue of ArtScope magazine.

#art #rareartist #soloexhibition #artexhibition #SOL🥰#accessibility

#contemporaryart #artistssupportartists   #accessibility #artcommunity #kunst  #bostonart #artcreatescommunity #arte #bostonartist 

#artaccessibility #domoregood

So this happened…

I’m a 2025 National Rare Artist Awardee!!! Yes, it feels good 🥰. If you voted, thank you 💯

What does being a National Rare Artist mean?

It means that I’ll be able to advocate for people, who like me, are living with a rare disease.  

I’ll get to tell my story to foster more awareness, which will hopefully lead to more funding, more research and better health outcomes.  I’m very excited about this part of my art journey because it directly helps people.  

In a digital world that’s spinning incredibly fast, art makes us stop, makes us pause and look at one another.  Keep shining your light, even from way over here, I see you 🥰

“In Someone Else’s Shoes” the viewer is asked to see what someone feels. We’re reminded that we’re more alike than we are different. In that way, empathy and compassion makes us feel good.

Having a rare disease can be like standing in a room full of people and feeling alone. For me, and many like me our rare disease is invisible, that is you won’t see it, but we know it’s there… we feel it, because it’s always there, lurking inside us.

Like wearing shoes that are way too big, you can’t outrun your rare disease and it’s challenging, nearly impossible to navigate the world of medicine alone, without policy change and legislation.
#sol 🙂

Gratitude 🙏❤️ @rare.artist @rare_advocates @everylifeorg You are appreciated

#raredisease #rarediseaseawareness #granulomatosiswithpolyangiitis #art #arte #artcreatescommunity #kunst #artistssupportartists

People milling about, smiling. Looking at the exhibits and secretly waiting for the awards. I could sense the anticipation in the audience, but not me. I wasn’t there to get an award, I was there to look at amazing art and to watch these amazingly talented artists who had been selected from 720 submissions, look at art. And I was just thrilled to be included.

Standing there sipping my preferred cocktail “neat” with Ben and his beer. We were listening to well deserved praise, these people who had gathered to celebrate art. It was simply fabulous!

I clapped excitedly when a nearby artist’s name was called, and then another name, a young man, an emerging artist! I didn’t know him, but I was so proud of him. We all were.

I took it all in. Here I was up in New Hampshire inside a huge, vibrant space filled with amazing art. Whew! What a view. And as the executive director spoke, the anticipation in the audience grew, and I was listening to every single word that was spoken, every single word and then I heard my name and I dropped.

Ben said “that’s you, they said your name”. But I wouldn’t get up. And he said that I had to go up there, but I stayed down there for a moment longer…. And I was crying when I walked up there to receive my award…#BestinShow

I wish my Mum could’ve been with me or my darling Sis DeMane Davis . So happy that Ben was here. I hugged everyone, because hugs keep me from crying.

I was overjoyed. I’m overjoyed still. And I’m sooooo grateful. I’ll share more tomorrow.

Thank you 🙏 ❤️ Bruce McColl New Hampshire Art Association Amanda Kidd-Kestler Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club

#SOL Yup, that sound you heard, that was me 🥰

peopleneedpeople #art #groupexhibition #awards #arte #kunst #artistssupportsartists

UPDATE… Lately my art journey has included fraud. That’s right, my unique one of a kind, copyright protected painting is being used in a scam.

Whew! LinkedIn, Instagram Fam, it’s a lot. By the way, this doesn’t personally impact me. In fact, like the Mona Lisa being stolen from the Lourve, all this attention may be adding value to the painting. I doubt it, but what if…

So, if you’ve been following, i’ve been questioning Cloudflare ‘s security. Letting them know that we should have zero trust in their claims to make the internet better.

Well, I was wrong. Come to find out they’re not the host of the fraud website! But here’s the ethical bit, they are the portal that the hosting company provides for the scammy website. Clutch my pearls!

Exactly. So while I can’t completely excuse Cloudflare, I do extend them an apology. Sorry.

Now that I understand the hosting company is Virtual Systems , I’ve asked them to #ceaseanddesist and to have their client take my unique, copyrighted painting off their scammy websites, which has increased since I’ve started asking them to take it down.
These ⤵️

sellogiamk.clic k

goodguanvs.clic k

lploverar.bes t

Just to be clear, even though Cloudflare Area 1 Security isn’t the host, they are providing a portal, that is a way to do the dirty deed smh.

In the photo at the top of this page, the painting on the right is my unique, copyrighted painting that is authorized on my Artsy webpage (where it was illegally copied from) and on the left is Virtual Systems clients’ fraudulent website with its scam activity.

I could walk away, but why would I? If it were you. What would you do?

Whew! For a lot of reasons, this one is special y’all. The fact that I’m sharing an incomplete piece of artwork, is itself a little out of character for me. But what’s more exciting, is that this is my third public art piece. And what’s even more exciting than that, it’s all been 3D! Wait… what?

Yes, this painting on stretched canvas is a small mockup of a bigger piece. Not a mural, but a 3D artwork and I’m literally over the moon!

Five months ago, I was in Denver, CO being told that I was a 2D artist and not likely to move forward in a 3D competition, but I did make it to the last round becoming 1 of 5 finalists to be seriously considered.

After my presentation, one of the panelist who had been a nay-sayer came over and congratulated me, saying she was impressed that a woman who made 2D art had transitioned to making 3D art.

And I thanked her, but never fully made her understand, that I was able to make 3D art, because I had never been told that I couldn’t. That’s the thing, never having grown up being told that I couldn’t, allowed me the grace of ignorance, that is I didn’t know and I suppose, it never occurred to me that I couldn’t transition and so I did. Imagine that. Imagine if we removed words like cannot and can’t from our vocabulary.

Anyway, I didn’t win that contract. But the experience had a marvelous impact on me, and when another opportunity presented itself, I submitted my work and here we are!

“Hair tossed. Check my nails” Life is like that.

My 3D public art will be completed and on view come June. Of course, I’ll share when and where. It’s titled:

“Joining in. Tickling the Keys of Life”
I’m excited to see how it plays #SOL 🥰

art #publicart #contemporaryart #artistssupportartists #kunst #3DArt #artcreatescommunity #arte