Janice's Blog

The Curiosities of Janice Lowry book to be released on May 7, 2011

2011-04-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the exhibit, we will also be releasing the first major retrospective book ever published on Janice's artwork and life. The book, like the exhibition, is titled "The Curiosities of Janice Lowry". It is a stunning, 256 page, full color hardcover book that showcases over 200 works of art, as well as several essays written especially for this book.
The book is available in two editions: The standard hardcover, which sells for $45, and a deluxe limited edition of 100 that comes in a custom designed linen covered box and includes a limited edition etching as well as a DVD of interviews with Janice. The Limited Edition sells for $150.
If you are interested in the limited edition or group purchases of the regular edition, please e-mail me at artype@cox.net for more info. Single copies of the regular edition will be available at Grand Central Art Center.

The Curiosities of Janice Lowry opens May 7, 2011

2011-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well friends and family, the wait for Janice's one-person major retrospective exhibition is almost over. The Curiosities of Janice Lowry will open on Saturday, May 7 at 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Art Center in downtown Santa Ana. Click on the picture of the announcement to enlarge it, or go to http://www.grandcentralartcenter.com/ArtGallery_gcartgallery.php for more details on the show.
The show has been in the works for over a year and a half, and will be a survey of her assemblages, journals, collages and paintings. We'll be serving up tasty Mexican food at the opening from one of Janice's favorite restaurants, and the event is planned to be a joyous celebration of her life and art. I hope to see you all there, but if you can't make it on the 7th, the show will be up until June 12th.

Yet another new Janice Lowry book

2010-05-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

This spring seems to be a bonanza for new books featuring Janice. Her good friends and frequent Sommerset collaborators Jenny Doh and Jo Packham have just released a new book, Where Women Create Book of Inspiration. It is a beautifully produced full color hardcover book, and it features a six page feature on Janice in her studio. This was one of Janice's last interviews, conducted in her studio last spring. Ironically, this would be one of the last projects Jenny Doh would undertake while still the editor at Sommerset Studios. She has since moved on to launch her own venture, www.crescendoh.com which states on it's home page: "Creative Passion, Authentic Community, Focused Compassion." Be sure and check it out.

So this book represents a time of transition of both Jenny and Janice. I think readers of this blog will really enjoy it.

But wait, there's a book too!

2010-05-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

I got to thinking a bit after my last posting about the current show at the Smithsonian. I remembered Liza had told me that she really wanted to do a show AND a book on artist's to-do lists. I wondered...hmm...did Liza mange to create the book she wanted to do in addition to the exhibition? I prowled around the Internet, and lo and behold, there it is! Just published on March 24 (my sister Ruth's birthday and just 6 days before Janice's). Here is a link to it on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Lists-dos-Illustrated-Inventories-Collected/dp/1568988885/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272754157&sr=8-1

Just today I received a copy from author Liza Kirwin, who inscribed it "We are honored that Janice chose us as the keepers of her journals." Indeed they are. Every artist in the book includes a full spread of their work, including Janice. Janice is also featured with an additional image as well as description in the introduction. The book is full of amazing people and images, and includes nearly all of Janice's art heroes and mentors, among them Joseph Cornell, Arthur Dove, Pablo Picasso, William de Kooning, Ray Johnson, Grant Wood, and one of my all time heroes, N.C. Wyeth. If Frida Kahlo and Marcel Duchamp were here too it would have been a grand slam home run for Janice.

I know that she would be thrilled and humbled to be here among so many of the artists that she so admired. And I can tell you from my own slightly biased point of view that she stands toe to toe with every one of them.

It's a great book, and I know readers of this blog will all enjoy it.

Janice currently on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

2010-04-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 2007, Janice and I traveled to Washington DC to meet Liza Kirwin and work out the details for Janice's journals to become part of the Smithsonian's permanent collection. Liza was flipping thru one of Janice's journals and she stopped on a page and exclaimed excitedly "Look! You do it too! I just knew it!"

What she had pointed out was one of Janice's to-do lists, which Liza had noticed was a recurring theme in so many of the artists journals that are in the Smithsonian's collection. She said she really wanted to do a show on just artists lists, and perhaps even a book. Well, Liza's show is on display now thru September. It's called "Lists, To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts and Other Artists' Enumerations". (whew!)

My mother, father, sister Sue and Sues' daughter Halley just returned from seeing it, along with a VIP tour of the archives with Liza Kirwin. One wall even features a huge blow-up of one of Janice's journal pages.

These are some photos my dad took, and what struck him immediately as he entered the museum was a statue of a cowboy, leading the way for my family to see Janice's work.

Kelly Ann Brown November 10, 1965-November 28, 2009

2010-04-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of Kelly taken October 15, 2008 by Janice.

When Janice and I were married on Ground Hogs Day, 1983, she provided me with an incredibly rich dowry. I got two sons; Brandon, who had turned 17 four days earlier, and Kevin, who was 13. And I also got a God Daughter, Kelly Brown, who was 17.

Kelly was Katy Jo's oldest child, and she and Janice were connected tightly together since before Kelly was born. Katy Jo and Janice were best friends in High School. They both married their high school sweethearts in 1965. Kelly was born November 10, 1965 and Brandon was born January 28, 1966. Katy Jo and Janice would each decide to have another child, and 1969 saw the birth of David (to Katy Jo) and Kevin to Janice. Both Katy Jo and Janice's husbands would decide to uproot their young families and move to California. And ultimately, both of these early marriages would end in divorce.

But the bond between Kelly and her God Mother Janice would remain rock solid and strong throughout both of their lives. Even though there were sometimes long gaps between seeing one another, Kelly always knew that she could rely on Janice and that gave her tremendous comfort and confidence. And Janice loved Kelly like the daughter she never had herself.

Kelly and I always got along very well. Our families spent several memorable vacations together, in France, in Palm Springs, and Washington. When Janice's cancer forced her to be bedridden, Kelly was by her side. And after Janice died in September, Kelly, Katy Jo, and their good friend Deb Hanula decided that the best thing that could be done for me and my family was for them to host the Christmas holidays at Katy Jo and Steve's home on Vashon Island, Washington. All of my kids, their wives and the grand kids were invited. David would be flying in from India to join us, and Kelly would come in from Santa Monica. Kelly set many wheels in motion; matching t-shirts for the entire family, a bevy of board games for what was bound to be stormy days on Vashon, extensive menu planning, and a jewelry party for all of the girls.

Katy Jo and Deb organized a small birthday party in Santa Monica for Kelly, and it was a very nice event. Kelly was in much better spirits than when I had seen her shortly before Janice died, and we talked a lot about the upcoming Christmas holidays and how much we were all looking forward to spending it together in Vashon. Sadly, this would be the last time I saw Kelly alive.

Kelly battled disease for much of her adult life, and it had taken a terrible toll on her. Sometime on November 28, Kelly died in her sleep. She was 44 years old.

It was an incredibly sad ending to a very sad year. We have had three memorial services for Kelly; a small one at my home immediately after her passing, a large formal gathering on Vashon during the Christmas holidays, and a third one March 21st in Eagle Rock for Kelly's many friends in Los Angeles that were unable to attend the service on Vashon.

This has been a very difficult thing for me to write about. Like Janice, her life was cut far too short. They both had so much more to give and they both had such love for this world and their families. And every time I think of Kelly, I also think about Janice, and the sorrow and loss is twice as bad.

But with a little time and distance, I can already see that some good things that have happened. Our families did indeed spend the Christmas holidays together on Vashon Island, and it was a beautiful, moving and wonderful experience-just what Kelly would have wanted. Our mutual loss has brought Katy Jo and Steve and I even closer together, and we have just finished taking a remarkable trip together which I will be detailing in my next postings. And we plan a trip together to India and the Kingdom of Buthan at the end of May. I like to think that when my time comes and I get to see Janice and Kelly again, they will have got things totally ready for us-the place will look incredible, the artwork will be dazzling, and the meals will truly be out of this world.

Kelly and Janice will be forever linked together throughout all of eternity.

Kate McGarrigle 1946-2010

2010-01-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

One of Janice's very favorite recording artists died this Monday. Although she and Janice never met formally, we did have the great pleasure of seeing her perform with her sister Anna at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. Linda Ronstadt describes what it was like to see the McGarrigle sisters in today's LA Times obituary, which you can read here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-kate-mcgarrigle20-2010jan20,0,2618111.story

I can not help but be struck by the similarities between Janice and Kate. The were the same age, they both died of rare forms of cancer, they were both highly regarded artists that never found huge widespread fame, nor cared to aggressively pursue it.

I can't say enough good things about Kate's music. I can tell you that from the time Heartbeats Accelerating came out in 1990 until the day she died, this album never was too far from Janice's CD player. I posted the following tribute to Kate on her website (mcgarrigle.com) last night. My comment is number 281, and I reprise it here for you.

I am sure that Janice has already begun to show Kate the ropes in heaven, and that they two of them have an awful lot to catch up on.

Dear Anna and family-

I was very saddened to hear the news of Kate’s passing today. I have
followed your work since the 70’s, and my wife and I were both big fans.
Living in Southern California seemed to mean that live appearances by you
were few and far between in our neck of the woods, but I still remember very
fondly the night we saw you at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano back
in 1990. It still remains one of my very favorite concert experiences.

Kate’s passing has an additional personal significance for me. I lost my
beautiful wife of 27 years back in September, also from an uncommon form of
cancer. Like Kate, she was born in 1946, was a mother, a wife and a
grandmother. She was also an incredibly talented artist, although her chosen
field was painting and assemblage as opposed to music. Her journals (all 126
of them) reside in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
You can see her work out at http://www.janicelowry.com.

She and Kate were both taken from us far too soon, and leave large gaping
holes in two very remarkable families. My deepest sympathy and very best
wishes go out to all of you. I feel your pain very much.

A grateful fan,

Jon

New interview with Janice from Where Women Create sessions

2009-12-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

Jo Packham, who published the beautiful interview with Janice in the current issue of Where Women Create also does an e-newsletter. This weeks issue features an antidote from Janice that was not published in the magazine, and Jo has shared it with us here.

It is so, so Janice. I think you will really enjoy it. Here is a link to the story:

http://www.wherewomencreate.com/newsletter-feature/09/novdecjan.html

The painting Janice is talking about in the interview is now in the collection of her oldest son Brandon and his wife Carri. A few weeks before Janice died, she made one last visit to her studio with me and all of our children and their wives. They each got to choose one piece, and Carri chose that painting. Janice had always refused to sell it, since it was one that gave her so much courage to keep fighting her fears. And in the end, she never did sell it-she gave it away to the next person she thought might be needing it.

Jon

Janice's friend Julia needs your support

2009-11-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

Janice met Julia Beers almost immediately after moving to California in 1976. Son Kevin was enrolled into Kindergarten, and when Janice went to the new parent orientation, there was Kevin's new teacher Julia. The two creative, gregarious earth mothers with their giant hearts and dreaming spirits immediately connected, and Julia remained one of Janice's closest friends until the day she died.

Nearly 20 years ago, Julia was diagnosed with breast cancer and not given much hope for recovery. But Julia is a resilient soul. She beat the disease and has remained cancer free all these years.

But life has played it's cruel tricks. Cristoph, her husband at the time was to be stricken with cancer himself shortly after Julia was and died a few short years later. Julia was single for many years, but this September she became a newlywed to Jim Kelly, and they are happily head over heels in love.

Having just returned from their honeymoon, Julia was not feeling well, and was taken to the hospital. Doctors discovered a large cancerous tumor in her skull pressing against her left frontal lobe, and it was surgically removed this past Friday.

At this point, they are awaiting the results of a biopsy to see just what it is they are up against. It is definitely serious, but Julia is hopeful, and as always, a fighter.

Chances are, if you are a friend of Janice's, you are probably a friend of Julia's too. Her friends have set up a website to keep everyone posted, as well as give people the opportunity to send Julia their love and support. And this is where you come in.

It certainly made a big difference to Janice and I to know so many people out there were caring for us, and I would ask you to do the same for Julia. You can access her site at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/juliabeers

She and her family would love to hear from you.

Much love,
Jon

Where Women Create on newsatnds now

2009-11-09T22:43:00.000-08:00

The November 2009/Winter 2010 issue hit the news stands this week, and it is really beautiful. This issue features one of the last major interviews that Janice ever gave, and is eight pages long. It was shot at her studio in February of this year, just before we found out about the cancer. She is absolutely full of life and energy, and the photos are really the nicest that were ever taken of Janice in her last studio.

Jo Packham has put together a truly beautiful package, with 12 different women artists profiled. Although Janice didn't get to see the finished product, she did see a proof of her article before she died, and she agreed with me that this was probably the nicest article that had been done on her. If you are reading this blog, chances are good you'll want this book.

Jon

Genevieve and Jon at the installation of Janice's ofrenda

2009-11-09T22:37:00.000-08:00

I came by to see Genevieve as she put the final touches on Janice's ofrenda at the Bower's Museum Friday, October 30th. That Sunday alone, over 4,000 people came to the Day of the Dead celebration at the Bowers. Janice would truly have loved that. I have a feeling she was there checking it all out.

Thanks again to Nancy Johnson and everyone else at the Bowers for making it happen.

Jon

Pictures of Janice's ofrenda at the Bowers Museum

2009-11-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to Genevieve and all at the Bowers. It looked beautiful. In case you missed it, it will be in the basement level of the Santora building as part of the Santa Ana artwalk on Saturday, November 7th.
Jon

Janice to be featured at Bowers Museum Day of the Dead celebration

2009-10-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

Janice had many friends and admirers who work at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, and they have chosen to honor her at this years Day of the Dead celebration. Genevieve Barrios-Southgate has been constructing Day of the Dead altars (or "ofrendas") for about 15 years, and has done one for Janice in the front lobby of the Bowers. I went there yesterday for it's installation, and loaned Genevieve a number of Janice's personal affects for the altar. It's really beautiful, and something Janice would have loved. It combines her long love affair with traditional Mexican art with her long love affair with the Bowers, and I am so pleased that it has happened for her.

The offrenda will be up at the Bowers only until Tuesday, November 3rd. It will then be moved over to the Santora Building in the Santa Ana Artist's Village as part of the first Saturday Art Walk and Day of the Dead celebration on Saturday, November 7th.

I hope you will get a chance to see it at one of these locations. Here is a link to the Bower's website that mentions Janice:

http://www.bowers.org/index.php/learn/events_details/135

Thanks again to Nancy and everyone else at the Bowers that knew and loved Janice.

Happy Day of the Dead-
Jon

Jenny Doh and Janice

2009-10-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

Jenny, for those of you that do not know her, is the Editor-in-Chief and Director of Publishing for Sommerset Studios magazine. She and Janice were friends for several years. Jenny asked Janice to contribute articles to the magazine, which Janice did regularly. Janice also served on the editorial advisory board. I think the partnership was successful because Jenny gave Janice such a wide berth to basically write about whatever she wanted to, which was certainly the best way to get Janice inspired. As a result, Janice's work reached a much wider audience that it otherwise would have, and to this day I still get e-mails from people all over the world that begin "I never knew Janice, but she really inspired me..."

Jenny was one of the people Janice personally asked to speak at her memorial service. She did, and was great, as were all of the speakers and musicians.

Jenny writes her own blog, and has posted several really moving tributes to Janice. Here are links to three of them I think you will enjoy:

Nonsense to the side
http://jennydoh.typepad.com/crescendo/2009/09/nonsense-to-the-side.html

Happy Trails to our Beloved Janice Lowry
http://jennydoh.typepad.com/crescendo/2009/10/happy-trails-to-our-beloved-janice-lowry.html

Remembering Janice Lowry
http://jennydoh.typepad.com/crescendo/2009/10/remembering-janice-lowry.html

Thanks for everything, Jenny.

Jon

November issue of Smithsonia magazine with Janice article out now

2009-10-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Janice and I have been long time subscribers to Smithsonian magazine (waaaay before they accepted her journals). On Friday, the November issue arrived in my mailbox with Janice's last interview, written by Owen Edwards. It appears on page 24 and 26. It is a very sweet article, even though Owen had told me he was somewhat sheepish about it not being a really long and in-depth profile, due to space limitations. Perhaps this will spark interest in more and longer stories in the future. Let's hope so.

I am fairly certain you can purchase Smithsonian magazine at bookstores and good news stands, but if not, you can read the story on their website. Here is a link to it:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Object-at-Hand-Drawn-From-Life.html#

Thanks again Owen. Janice would have loved this.

Jon

Thank you all so very, very much

2009-10-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

It has been quite sometime since my last post, and I do apologize for that. A lot of my time and focus has been on Janice's memorial service, which was held on October the 10th at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, followed by a reception at our home.

I have to say, I was completely overwhelmed by the love and support shown to Janice and our family by so many of you out there. Not just at the memorial service, but
throughout this process, with your cards, your letters, and your e-mail postings on this blog. Not to mention all the folks that made us food and brought it by the house, just knowing we would not have much time to cook (which we didn't, by the way). The folks that came to wish Janice well at her bedside, the people that continue to show me and my family the love and support since Janice's passing. I literally could never begin to find the time to write back to you all individually...there are just too many of you, which is certainly a testament to how deeply Janice touched so many, many people.

I hope you will accept this blast in to cyberspace as at least a small way of letting you know how much we appreciate everything you have done for us. Your support has certainly provided us with a lot of strength during this dark time in our family's life, and we sincerely want to thank you for all that you have done for us.

Full text of Janice's LA Times obituary article

2009-10-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Several of you have told me that you were unable to open the link to the LA Times website to read Janice's article, so I have included here in case you missed it.
Jon

OBITUARY
Janice Lowry Gothold dies at 63; artist and journal writer taught in Orange County
Her journals are in the Smithsonian's permanent collection and her art received national acclaim.

Janice Lowry Gothold's collage-filled journals were accepted into the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection. (Family photo)

By Valerie J. Nelson

October 2, 2009 | 11:05 p.m.

Janice Lowry Gothold, an artist who specialized in creating primitive-looking assemblages from found objects and whose journals received national recognition, died of liver cancer Sept. 20 at her Santa Ana home, her family said. She was 63.

At 11, Gothold started keeping a diary, which led to a lifelong fascination to "prove" that she "existed," the artist said in a 2008 interview.

Over the next 50-plus years, her journals became increasingly visual, and, in 2007, the collage-filled collection of 126 volumes was accepted into the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection.

"They have these elements of diaries and confessions and to-do lists, a whole matrix of an artistic life," Liza Kirwin, a Smithsonian curator, told the Orange County Register in 2007 when she decided to add the journals to archives that document how artists live and work.

Gothold was "attracted to real objects from the real world" and found many of the pieces she worked with at swap meets, in trash bins and at thrift stores, she once said.

In a review of a 1989 show of Gothold's three-dimensional assemblages at the Westside gallery Art Space, a Times reviewer said that the artist made "droll little commentaries on life" as she developed an "idiosyncratic cast of characters" that was "rife with sprung clock springs, measuring stick figures and skeletal ladders."

Born March 30, 1946, in Phoenix, she was one of five children of a mother who married seven times. Family instability and the desert of her youth were prominent in her art, her family said.

She was a divorced mother of two when she earned a bachelor's degree at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1979 and a master's a year later. She also taught at the art center but took a break after marrying Jon Gothold, an art director, and having a third son in 1985.

In 1986, she returned to teaching, first at Cypress College and then at the Art Institute of Orange County.

As it praised "her little shadowbox monsters," the Orange County Weekly named her the region's "best visual artist" in 2007.

In addition to her husband and sons, Brandon, Kevin and Brent, she is survived by two sisters, a brother and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah, 614 N. Bush St., Santa Ana.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests donating to Taller San Jose, a continuing education program for at-risk youths, www.tallersanjose.org.

valerie.nelson@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

Nice article on Janice in today's Los Angeles Times

2009-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to tell you that the LA Times has published a feature article on Janice in the obituary section today, Saturday October 3rd. Here is a link to the story:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-me-janice-lowry-gothold3-2009oct03,0,7635613.story

I wrote up a full obituary for her and submitted it, along with photos, to the Times, the OC Register, The OC Weekly and the local Idyllwild paper, the Town Crier. I also pitched each paper with an individual letter, asking them to consider her as a significant artist that deserved a feature treatment, not just a standard obituary.

I know Janice would have been really pleased to see this in the LA Times, a newspaper we both hold in very high regard. I am really, really happy and proud of this tribute for her.

A charity that was near and dear to Janice

2009-09-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Several of you have asked about the possibility of making a donation to a charity in Janice's name. There is a continuation school in Santa Ana that serves at risk youth that both Janice and I have been involved with for several years, and we would love for donations to be made to them. They do an incredible job with some of the toughest kids in Orange County, and have remarkable statistics for success in walking youths out of poverty and into healthy productive lives. To make a donation and to read more about them, please go to www.tallersanjose.org for details. We would ask you to consider doing this in lieu of flowers, as this was a very important organization to Janice.

Many thanks,
Jon

Memorial Service for Janice set for Saturday, October 10

2009-09-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, it's Jon.

There will be a memorial service for Janice at The Episcopal Church of the Messiah, 614 N. Bush Street, Santa Ana, 92701 at 2 PM on Saturday, October the 10th. We will have a reception celebrating Janice's life at our home in North Tustin immediately following. La Chiquita, one of Janice's all time favorite Mexican restaurants will be catering. Margaritas, cervesas, and sharing stories about Janice will be the order of the day.

The church is a beautiful building, built in 1888. We have had a long association with it and Father Brad from the many years we lived in French Park. Our son Kevin married Monica there, and two of our grandchildren were baptised there as well. Janice was on the volunteer board for Helping Hands, one of several outreach programs sponsored by the church.

Parking at the church, and at our home is somewhat limited. I would suggest that if you can carpool with friends, so much the better.

We will look forward to celebrating with you all then.

Peace be with you-

Jon

You can get directions to the church at their website, www.messiah-santaana.org
We will provide driving directions and a map to our home at the church.

Janice Lowry Gothold March 30, 1946-September 20, 2009

2009-09-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last night at 6 PM my beloved wife Janice completed the last part of her journey and quietly slipped from this world into the next. She was 63 years old.

She was at home in our bedroom, surrounded by the people she loved-including all three of our sons, our daughter in laws, our grandchildren and her best girl friend Katy Jo. She went calmly, quietly and without pain, which had been our solemn oath to her and something I am very proud to say we were able to fulfill for her. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was playing softly on our stereo, an album she listened to pretty much daily.

For the past few days she had told us that there was a cowboy in the bedroom with us, silently smiling and watching over her. She did not know who he was, but she could tell by his face that he was kind and she was not afraid. We told her that it was all right, we trusted him, it was OK for her to go with him and we are all going to be all right. When our time comes, we all know who to look for to take us to see Janice. And I'm sure by then she will have the afterlife totally wired, and we'll have the best looking piece of real estate in heaven.

The hole she leaves in our hearts, and in the world, is immense and quite frankly, I don't think will ever be filled. It seems that the brightest stars just can't burn with such intensity for overly long periods of time, and we have to enjoy and savor each moment with them as they pass through our orbits. Janice was the sun in our families universe, and it will be a long while before we can right ourselves and move on. That is truly the hell of it-for such a little person, she has left enormous shoes to fill.

We want to thank all of you-friends, family and loved ones for all the support you have shown us these past few months. It has taken a village, and we feel very blessed to have had a village as large and caring as you all are.

This will not be the end of this blog. We will be posting details about a memorial service, as well as keeping you posted on what Janice's plans for her final resting place are, which I promise you is classic Janice.

We also have an artist's legacy to keep alive and I hope that all of you out there will continue to post your memories and stories about her. She will never truly be gone as long as she is still in our hearts, and too few people in this world know about all of her amazing gifts as an artist. Sometimes a tragedy is what it takes to push an artist's work from a career into a legend, and dying at 63 at the peak of your art making prowess certainly qualifies as a tragedy to us. My daughter in law Carri says Janice is the Frida Kahlo of the United States, and I sure as hell agree with her. Time will tell if the rest of the world will come to the same conclusion. Yes, time will tell.

The picture in the sunglasses was taken on August 23, 2009 when her bother and sisters were visiting us. The other one was taken on September 6, 2009 and is the last portrait of Janice and I together. Fittingly, she looks a lot more composed and put together than I do.

Here is a link for a film about Janice

2009-09-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Many of you might not have seen this little film that was done as part of a series promoting creativity in the city of Santa Ana. It has been running on public access TV stations, primarily in Orange County.

I think it captures Janice really beautifully, and it was shot in her first Santa Ana studio shortly before she moved around the corner into her new loft. She occupied that studio for over 10 years, and you can really feel her essence in every nook and cranny.

I think you will enjoy this.

http://www.akorn.tv/primer/primer_janicelowry.html

Janice to be featured in Where Women Create Winter 2010 issue

2009-09-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Early in 2010 be on the lookout for the Winter issue of Where Women Create. There is a beautiful 8 page article that features the first published photos of her new studio loft in Santa Ana, as well as the text being written by Janice herself. We have seen a PDF preview of Janice's article, and it is one of the finest articles done on her yet. See http://www.wherewomencreate.com/magazine.html for more information.

Here is a post from Mark Ryden

2009-09-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

The photo was taken at the opening of Mark's Tree Show, 2007. Jon, Janice and Mark.

Dearest Jon and Janice,

Your e-mail came in while Marion and I were visiting Seattle. I am shocked
beyond words to here the news. I find myself at a total loss of knowing
what to say. I am so so sorry. I can't imagine how hard this must be for
you guys and what you must be feeling. How are you handling it all? How is
Brent?

Janice, I don't know if I have ever told you just how much of an impact you
had on me at Art Center. You and your art set my creativity on fire back
then. I remember the first day of your class when you had us make masks.
You made art such fun! When you first showed your amazing dimensional
assemblages I was forever transformed and inspired. It is hard to describe
the feelings your art gave me. When ever I use a hot glue gun the smell
brings me back to those days of making art late at night in a delirium of
creative ecstasy! You would tell me how much more rewarding a life of making
fine art would be than doing commercial art and rendering strawberries. It
took me ten years to finally follow your advice but I thought about it the
whole time I was doing commercial art! (I guess it's ok to also tell you to
that I had a total crush on you back then too!)

I also want to thank you so much for your support and coming to my shows. It
is always so nice to see you guys.

Please write back to me if you feel up to it. I would love to hear how you
are doing. It must be really tough to correspond with everyone. I will be
checking in on the blog.

I send my love and best thoughts to you guys!

Mark

Family dinner with grandkids

2009-09-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

All three grandkids are in the front row. Left to right, Savanah, Nigel and Ashton

Family outing, August 23 2009

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Back row, left to right: Daughter in law Monica, sister Joanie, Brother Bob
Front row, left to right: Janice, son Kevin, sister Judi

Three sisters

2009-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Left to right, Judi, Janice and Joanie, taken August 22, 2009

Here's a handy little tip for you newbie bloggers

2009-09-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

If you double click on any of the photos in Janice's blog, they will come up very large on your computer screen. That way you can really see her magnificent artwork, as well as her smile.

Janice's first international one person show in Oaxaca, Mexico

2009-09-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

In March of this year, Janice and I were in the middle of a series of tests on her liver that would ultimately lead to her cancer being diagnosed in early April. In the middle of all that, Janice had been contacted by the MUFI Museum in Oaxaca about doing a one person show of her "Stamp People". For those of you not familiar with this aspect of Janice's art, this was something she had started doing rather informally in her journals several years ago. She would take vintage postage stamps, usually of a person, and then draw the rest of their body and perhaps an environment, using the stamp for their head. People started to see them, and they became wildly popular. Janice created quite a few of them over the years for various U.S. gallery shows, as it was a way for her to create affordable Lowry art. They sold out every time she exhibited them. Somerset Studios Magazine asked Janice to write an article about them, and the article caught the eye of Gallery director Eduardo Mendoza and his right hand man Edu Cabral when the two of them were traveling in the US looking for artists to exhibit.

The MUFI was founded with the idea of celebrating the art of the postage stamp. While the gallery showcases a wide variety of art beyond just postal works, they are always on the lookout for anyone using stamps in a modern context, so they actively sought out Janice and asked her to do a show for them.

Janice didn't really know what to expect, but we figured it was a great excuse to visit Oaxaca together, which is a town Janice dearly loves and one we had not been to together before, so she agreed to do the show.

It turned out to be quite a triumph for her. They treated her like royalty, picking us up at the airport in a private car, wining and dining us, taking us out sightseeing, and then hosting a wonderful opening reception. They did posters, postcards and magazine ads promoting the show, and arranged for her to give a lecture with a translator provided. They also covered all the costs of shipping the art, as well as framing all 30 pieces. Janice really was made to feel like what she was-a visiting, internationally recognized artist.

Janice, being the charmer she is, made friends with all the guests in the boutique hotel we stayed at (Casa Oaxaca, HIGHLY recommended!) and invited them all to the opening. They came, as did the owners of the hotel, and Janice sold quite a few of the works at the opening. As a final coda to our stay, MUFI agreed to buy the entire remainder of the show for their permanent collection, making Janice's first international show a complete sell out.

Janice had nearly canceled going to Oaxaca in order to get her liver biopsy scheduled sooner, and I convinced her that the liver biopsy could wait a week for her to do the show. Given what was soon to come, I am so, so glad we made that decision.

Here are some photos of some of the works, as well as the show opening.

Here's one from Joe Ongie

2009-09-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last summer Janice and I took a trip to Ireland. We planned a little 24 hour layover in New York City on the way so we could see our friends Joe and Catherine, and Joe spent a whole day playing hookey with us all over the city. A highlight for me was a show of J. C. Leyendecker originals at the Society of Illustrators, which completely blew my mind. I think we hit 4 or 5 museums and shows in one day with Joe...living the art life to it's fullest. Thanks for the memories and photo, Joe!

Hi Guys,
I just came across this shot from your (too brief) trip to NYC. It
was a fun day (and colorful) day.
Thinking of you.
Love, Joe and Catherine

A posting from Jacki Long

2009-09-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank you for your inspiration, teaching and kindness that
has honestly affected my life and work.
And, I am just a speck among the many who have benefited from YOU.
You truly are a "hero" to me.

You are in my thoughts and prayers,

love,
jacki long

Janice to be featured in the November issue of Smithsonian Magazine

2009-09-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Not all of the news we received this August was grim. In fact, when Smithsonian magazine contacted Janice and let her know they wanted to write an article about her journals, well, that was really a high water mark. It is always especially gratifying when a magazine that you have subscribed to and enjoyed for many years calls out of the blue and says they want you to be a part of it.

Making it even sweeter was the fact that Owen Edwards wanted to write it. Owen has been writing about artists and photographers for many, many years, and in particular has written extensively about Peter Beard, an artist and journal maker that Janice has admired for years. Once again, here was a writer whose work Janice already owned, and he wanted to write about her! Very gratifying indeed.

Janice gave Owen a long telephone interview, and sent him one of her very special packets of goodies to inspire him. The results will be published this November, so be sure and pick up a copy.

Some great images from Bart Morris

2009-09-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Our good friend in Virginia Bart Morris sent these photos he shot of Janice and I. We spent a great weekend with Bart and his wife Kate back in November of 2007 in Baltimore. Baltimore has a surprising amount of great stuff to see, and the crab eating is truly spectacular. The shot of Ratso is from last year when Bart came visiting. Thanks for sharing, Bart!

Bob wearing his contraband Jack in the Box uniform

2009-09-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Joanie, Judi, Ratso and Tricia

2009-09-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Janice's brother and sisters made a return visit

2009-09-17T10:51:00.001-07:00

We were very pleased to have all of Janice's siblings return to see us this month. Her younger sister Joanie was able to stay with us for over a week, which was really great. It was very comforting for Janice, and it gave all of us a chance to know our Arizona sister in law so much better. Judi came over with her daughter Tricia for a few days, and brother Bob came in from Denver for a few days as well. Lots of love, lots of Lowrys.
From left to right, Janice, Joanie and Bob, September 12, 2009.

Here is a posting from Diane Harris

2009-09-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

After the bombing of Hiroshima a Japanese girl developed leukemia from the radiation and spent her time in a nursing home folding paper cranes in hope of making 1000, which traditionally would have allowed her to make one wish, which was to live. However, she only managed to fold 644 cranes before she became too weak to fold one more, and died shortly after. Her friends folded the remaining cranes for her. The origami crane is now a symbol of world peace in Japan. In the Hiroshima Peace Park there’s a shrine to this girl. School children daily bring 1000 crane bundles as well as art work made from 1000 cranes, which is displayed at the shrine.

Attached are some pictures I took while we were there last spring and in 2003. In one is the offering I brought in 2003, a small laminated print of a piece of my angel art.

I love that you are surrounded by colorful cranes!!!

Love,
Diane

Janice holding court

2009-09-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Just because Janice spends the better part of her days in bed doesn't mean she is being passive. She has her good days and her bad days, but when her energy level is up, she has had some very good days indeed.

The evening sun lights up the cranes beautifully

2009-09-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you agree?

1,000 cranes

2009-09-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

We have three large glass sliding doors that open out into our back yard. My youngest sister Ruth has a Japanese friend that just got married. Ruth and her friend folded 1,000 paper cranes as a traditional symbol of good luck for the wedding, and after the ceremony the bride shared them with Janice. They are hanging where Janice can look at them all day long at the foot of her bed and they are exquisite.

Here is what Janice's room looks like

2009-09-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

This was shot right thru Janice's toes, looking out over our back garden. The trees and greenery are really beautiful and a very serene view for Janice.

We are in hospice care now

2009-09-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Jon here. It dawned on me that we have been in hospice care since September the 1st, but I don't think we have posted that information here for you yet. Here is how we arrived at our decision.

After Janice was released from her second stay in the hospital on August 29th, we were told by her hospital doctors that they had basically done all that was in their power to slow down her cancer. We have been extremely happy with all of the staff at St. Joseph Hospital. They have been compassionate, professional, and perhaps best of all, very straight forward and honest with us. Her lead oncologist, Dr. Byun, has always told us the truth, even when it was very difficult. He told us that of course, we could continue to try more and more radical forms of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but he really felt that it would not prolong her life. Perhaps most importantly to us, not only would her life not be significantly longer, it would also be considerably more painful and unpleasant in terms of side effects if we chose to pursue more medical procedures. Knowing those kind of facts made it very clear for us to decide that the time was right to move to hospice care.

We are working with a company called Companion Hospice, and we are very happy with them. For those of you not familiar with hospice, here is the basic principal-it is all about keeping Janice as comfortable in mind and spirit as humanly possible. It is about keeping her from feeling pain. It is about letting her be in her own home, her own environment, and living on her own schedule. And certainly for us, it is a real partnership between them and our family. They have been great at training all of us in various aspects of care giving, as opposed to shutting us out of the process. Of course, if one did not have a family that could be as active in the care giving they would handle everything, but they are all about adapting to what is right for each individual family.

They operate in a team approach, and we have assigned to us our own nurse, as well as a dedicated home health aid, a social worker and a chaplin. All of these people are reporting to Janice's oncologist Dr. Byun, who is continuing to monitor her case. They are available to us 24/7, which is very comforting.

Team Janice is, as you might expect, much larger than just the folks at hospice. Her childhood friend Katy Jo has continued to live with us full time, which has been the greatest gift to both Janice and I that I could ever imagine. All of our sons and their families are here every day, and their love and support for each other and all of the family is probably our single greatest achievement as parents. And of course, good friends continue to send cards, post to this blog, and come for short visits. This house is completely filled with love, joy, support, laughter and some of the most amazing food you have ever tasted. It is far, far different from what it would be like if Janice was in the hospital, and we are all really proud of that.

Janice and her three sons

2009-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken on September 6, 2009. From left to right, Kevin, Janice, Brandon and Brent.

Janice and Ratso making each other feel better

2009-09-09T16:57:00.001-07:00

Ratso after surgery sunning her scar

2009-09-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

The strange story of Janice and Ratso

2009-09-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Ratso is our dog. She is a two year old rat terrier, and for those of you that have met her, you know that she is a real live wire. If Ratso doesn't feel well, you can really tell, because Ratso pretty much ALWAYS feels well and loves to play.

When we returned from Scotland and Janice was truly suffering from back pains, I went to the place where we boarded Ratso and brought her home. Within about 2 hours of being home, we could tell that Ratso had suddenly grown very stiff and was having extreme difficulty in walking. I rushed her to the vet, who informed me that Ratso's back had gone out, and that it was caused by some kind of unusual stress. A few shots and some ultrasonic back treatments, and she was back to her old self.

Last week, as Janice was experiencing difficulty breathing, I noticed Ratso was acting pretty strange. I got up around 3 AM to give Janice a breathing treatment, and when I was done, I went to check on Ratso. I found her sprawled on the hardwood floor, breathing very erratically and looking really bad. We rushed her to the pet emergency hospital, where they informed us that she had a diaphragmatic hernia-basically she had torn a hole in her internal diaphragm, and all of her internal organs had shifted from her stomach cavity into her chest cavity, which was choking her. They also informed me that she had an elevated enzyme reading in her liver, which, if you recall, was the first indication Janice had that something was wrong.

Ratso underwent surgery and spent several days in the hospital. She is home now and recovering nicely, and is currently on 4 different medications. It's pretty much a three-ring infirmary around here right now.

Janice has always said that Ratso is MY dog, and that she is more psychically connected to me than to her. I think recent events might suggest she is mistaken about that one.

Thanksgiving was on Sunday, September 6, 2009

2009-09-09T12:35:00.001-07:00

Janice's two sisters were in town from Arizona, her niece Tricia was here, Katy Jo is staying with us from Vashon Island, and Janice had a hankering for turkey dinner. Seemed like an excellent reason to have Thanksgiving to us.

Grand Central Press to publish Janice Lowry monograph

2009-09-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here is some great news. Andrea Harris and Amy Caterina dropped by to visit Janice a couple of days ago and told us that the Grand Central Press is planning to publish a book about Janice and her art. This was a project that Andrea and Janice had talked about doing a year or so ago, but personal issues arose in Andreas life and the book was put on hold. It looks like it will happen after all, which will be a great addition to Janice's legacy as an artist.

The photo was taken at the 10 year anniversary show for the Grand Central Gallery on March 11, 2009. Janice was one of the featured alumni who had shown there several times over the past 10 years. She was disappointed that the book on her work was not completed as originally planned for the show, but undaunted, she took matters into her own hands. She wrote, drew, designed, assembled and self published her own monograph on her life, and her self published book made it's debut that night. It was a big hit, and she sold out of every copy she had.

Diane Teske Harris asked me to post this

2009-09-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Janice,
I've been out of touch all these years since Art Center graduation and our move to Montana. But your inspiration has lived with me, especially when I work in my journals and sketchbooks. Please know that you are in my heart and prayers.
Diane Teske Harris

The strange stroy of Ashton and Janice

2009-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

It was Sunday, August 16 and my Aunt Chris and I had decided to take Janice to St. Joseph Hospital because her back pain was so out of control. I had loaded Janice into the car, and was heading out to get in myself when our phone rang. I waited for the answering machine to pick up so I could see who it was, and I heard our daughter in law Monica. She said that she and Kevin had taken our youngest grandson Ashton to emergency at St. Joseph, and that he was heading in for emergency surgery, as his appendix had failed. Their whole family had booked a week in Hawaii for a vacation, and they were supposed to leave early the next morning.

I figured I could catch up with them at the hospital, since that is where I was heading. As we waited in emergency to get Janice admitted, Chris went to find Kevin, who by now was next door at CHOC Children's Hospital, which is where Ashton's surgery was about to begin. There was a bit of confusion for Kevin when he saw us. Initially he figured we were there to visit Ashton, but I filled him in on what was happening with Mom, and suddenly we were all on the family plan.

Ashton and Janice were in the hospital for almost the same amount of days, and both had successful outcomes. If you are going to have two members of your family have to go to emergency, it's nice to have them there at the same time. You can really maximize your visiting hours that way.

The photo is of the two of them the first day they were both home. Ashton had three small incisions on his belly, and Janice had three targets on her belly that they used for her radiation treatments. The two of them will always have a very, very special connection to one another from this.

Janice feeling it in her back while in Scotland

2009-09-07T12:00:00.001-07:00

Bad backs, pain mangaement and radiology

2009-09-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

About midway through our Scotland trip, Janice started to feel sharp pain in her lower back. She remembered standing up suddenly while we were visiting Eilean Donan Castle at the Kyle of Lochalsh and feeling like she had pulled a back muscle. We decided to take an extra day off the road and stay put in our inn, using a heating pad and taking her prescription vicadin that we had brought along for pain.

One day turned to three, and I started to get very worried that instead of her back pain getting slowly better, it seemed to be getting slowly worse. I found a local hospital and took her to see a Scottish doctor, who prescribed her stronger pain medication. We managed to soldier through the rest of the trip, but it was a long and uncomfortable flight for her coming home.

Back in the US, her regular doctors got her on to stronger pain relief, but nothing was really eliminating the pain. She was scheduled to go in for an MRI on a Monday to see what was really going on, but that weekend I asked my aunt Chris, who is a nurse, to come and see Janice. She could see that Janice was getting dangerously dehydrated, and we decided to take her to emergency at St. Joseph's Hospital. She ended up spending five days in the hospital on various IV drips, with a pain management team working very diligently to balance her pain medication with her other basic body needs, like water, bowel regularity and not being completely doped up out of her mind. They also did the MRI and discovered that the source of her back pain was indeed the cancer. It has moved into her spine, and the bone loss was pinching her nerves. We began radiation therapy right away, as her ability to walk was being threatened.

The doctors were amazing. They got her stabilized, and she is not experiencing any pain currently. She is lucid, her bodily functions are under control, and the radiation therapy in her spine has resulted in her having flexibility that we never thought she would have again. She was released on August 20th, and we never dreamed that she would be returning on August 29th, this time because the cancer had moved into her lungs.

Liver cancer never really rests. It just lies in wait and when you let your guard slightly down, it attacks somewhere else. It's a really shitty disease.

Mysterious rock piles near Loch Lochy, Scottish Highlands

2009-09-06T18:31:00.001-07:00

Jon and Janice at the Corriegour Lodge Hotel

2009-09-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

Janice loves any man in a kilt

2009-09-06T18:26:00.001-07:00

Janice's favorite meal of the day

2009-09-06T18:24:00.001-07:00

Hiking on The Isle of Skye

2009-09-06T18:22:00.001-07:00

Janice at Urquhart Castle

2009-09-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Janice journaling at Sterling Castle

2009-09-06T18:17:00.001-07:00

Scotland

2009-09-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Why Scotland? Well, we figured the weather would be cool, the people would be friendly, if we ran into medical issues everyone speaks English (well, pretty much English), and the countryside was supposed to be beautiful. I must say, it did not disappoint in any way. It was a really spectacular trip. Here are a few photos to give you an idea.

Chemotherapy

2009-09-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jon here. I thought it would be good to fill you in on the path cancer has taken us on for the past six months. Perhaps some of our experiences will be helpful to you or someone you love someday.
We received the grim news about Janice's cancer on April 8, 2009. Stage 4, not curable, life expectancy of somewhere between 6 months and 18 months. At that time, they told us that the next 3 or 4 months would be the most "normal" months Janice would have. After that, more and more symptoms would start to show. They also wanted to begin chemotherapy treatments immediately.

It's an interesting crossroads. Do you use those precious 3 or 4 months of "normal" health to travel and have fun, or do you use them to try and extend her life as close to the 18 month mark as possible? Certainly she would have the best chance of a good response to treatment when she was at her healthiest and strongest. But the side effects make you, essentially, very sick.

We decided that each treatment option would be carefully looked at, with the potential pluses weighed very carefully with the minuses. We ultimately decided to go with a very new and cutting edge form of chemotherapy using the drug Nexovar. This is a chemo pill that is taken twice a day, and is very targeted specifically at treating the liver. If it works well, it can reduce the size of the large tumor in her liver, as well as keep the smaller tumors in her lungs and spine from growing as fast. Side effects are pretty much like regular chemo, but not quite as severe. We decided the effort was worth the reward, and started it right away.

She had a lot of nausea, lost a bunch of hair, had horrible sores in her mouth and felt like crap a lot of the time. But she's a trooper, and in general her body accepted the drug well and we were still able to be pretty functional.

We kept it up until mid July and her doctor told us that although it had done quite a lot of good in reducing her main tumor and keeping the others at bay, it was no longer effective and he wanted us to consider moving to a more invasive and serious form of treatment called chemoimobolization. It would take a couple of weeks to get all of that set up with the surgeons and insurance.

We looked at that two week window and asked him if it would be OK for us to take a trip to Scotland. Fortunately for us, he thought it was a great idea, but encouraged us not to stay any longer than the two weeks and to please hurry back. We booked our flight that same day.

Sister Judi and Janice

2009-09-03T21:36:00.001-07:00

Sister Joanie and Janice

2009-09-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Lowry Gothold Gilbert clan family photo August 20, 2009

2009-09-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Front row, left to right: Sister Judi, Janice, sister Joanie, brother Bob, grandson Ashton, Daughter in law Monica
Back row, left to right: Grand Daughter Savanah, son Brandon, Daughter in law Carri, grandson Nigel, son Kevin, son Brent, daughter in law Cole

Janice and her siblings, August 20, 2009

2009-09-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

If there is a good thing about cancer, it is that it can bring families together in a meaningful way. Janice's two sisters both live in Arizona, and her brother lives in Colorado, so getting all four together is no mean feat. Everyone came to visit on August 20, and we were lucky to take in a classic car show together to boot. From left to right, Janice, Joanie, Bob and Judi.

Letty Brooks asked me to post this for her

2009-09-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Janice Lowry

A pioneer,
always exploring,
you create new worlds where you go.

An Artist, you transform the stuff of life and death.
You have the gift of vision,
power, and love.

Forever,

Letty Brooks

Cancer is messy

2009-09-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Jon again. So much has happened since my last post on Friday. I had planned on taking you all on a leisurely recap of Janice's treatments over the past six months and get you caught up to the present in a few days of postings. But cancer has other plans for us, and has decided to start accelerating it's presence in our lives.

Last Saturday morning, very early, Janice woke up and was having exceptional difficulty catching her breath. She is a life long asthmatic, and certainly stressful situations can bring on more serious attacks. I was having a tough time getting enough of her inhalant into her lungs, so for the first time in my life I called 911. The paramedics showed up, got her stabilized, and then she was rushed to emergency at St. Joseph Hospital. They continued to give her oxygen and asthma treatments, and within a very short time she was smiling, happy, alert, breathing normally and asking me to get her eggs, french toast, fresh fruit, the works. What a great sign.

One of Janice's oldest and dearest friends Katy Jo has arrived and is staying with us right now. She and I headed to the St. Joe's cafeteria to get Janice some breakfast and we ran into the emergency room doctor that was treating her. I had mentioned to him when she was admitted that she had some very tiny traces of cancer in her lungs that her oncologist had said were still very insignificant in size as of last week. The doctor had done a chest x ray in the emergency room, and told us that that was no longer the case. Her cancer has now spread significantly into her lungs, and was the reason her breathing is more difficult.

I returned to her room with the doctor and her breakfast and told her the news. Janice seemed to take it all in a kind of zen like way, that this is just the natural progression of things. She then proceeded to put a huge dent in that breakfast.

Her spirit and strength continue to shine like the brightest of beacons.

A little background on what we have learned about liver cancer

2009-08-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Most people, including us until recently, don't know much about liver cancer. Part of the reason for that is that it is a relatively rare form of cancer, and really has no early warning detection testing going on in general, unlike breast cancer, prostate cancer or colon cancer. The majority of people who do contract liver cancer are usually people that already have had some serious disease of the liver, such as hepatitis or psoriasis brought on from heavy drinking. Janice does not fit that profile, which makes her case an even rarer form of an already rare disease.

The mortality rate for people with liver cancer is very high, for two main reasons: 1) many of the people who get it were already very sick when they got it, and 2) by the time it actually shows up in your system, it has usually already spread to other parts of your body and can not be cured, which is what Stage Four cancer means.

Unfortunately for Janice, she falls into that second group. By the time they knew she had it at all, there were already small tumors in her lungs and spine, and a very large one in her liver.

How could that happen?? First of all, let me tell you that Janice is one of those people that goes in for a regular check up and blood test every year on her birthday (March 30) come hell or high water. And for the last 20 years or so, the only abnormality that has been present was an elevated AST reading in her liver. Not alarmingly high, but higher than normal. For the past several years, in addition to her standard tests, she has gotten a sonogram of her liver to make sure there were no signs of tumors, just to be extra proactive. In 2008, she was free and clear. In 2009, she was Stage Four. Liver cancer, once it starts, grows and moves very, very quickly.

Janice has always been a model patient, and she has a wonderful doctor as her GP that has always been proactive in looking out for things like this. We keep looking for some sort of an explanation-she is an artist, could it be caused by repeated exposure to chemicals like turpentine? No, we have no evidence to support that. She spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural Arizona mining town near an open pit copper mine. Could that be it? They don't think so. The experts just don't have an explanation for it.

If it seems like it just isn't fair, it's because it isn't.

Did you really start this blog back in April?

2009-08-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is Jon again. You might have noticed that there was quite a gap from when we originally started on this blog to when you actually got notification about it. I thought I should explain that a bit, and also let you know what has been going on for the past few months in terms of her treatments.
We first got the news about Janice's cancer in April of 2009. We contacted her long time friend and web master, Charles Wolfe and asked him to get a blog set up for us. Charles got on it immediately, and then it was our turn to start posting. To be perfectly honest, we just couldn't do it then. The news was too new, too raw, just too hard to talk about. We brought our children in on it, and then the rest of our families, and kind of tried to work through it as a family for a while, and that took some time to process. Now feels more like the time to go broader with the news, so here we are. I trust you will understand and bear with us.

2009-08-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

2009-04-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is Janice's husband Jon. To be honest with you, I don't know if Janice would have ever started a blog of her own free will. She has always preferred to touch people either face to face or through her art. But the time has come to start this one, unfortunately, because of some very sad news. In April of this year, Janice was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. Her spirit, for those of you that know Janice, has never been stronger. But her body is having a tough time keeping up with her spirit right now.
I plan to use this blog as a way of keeping you all updated on her condition. But more importantly, this will be a way for all of you out there to share about all things Janice. That is something that I know will make her very happy.