Week 69: Adobe Illustrator

Hatmouth 2b © Karen Thiessen, 2013

As an artist, I see beauty where others do not. This has been true since I was a young child when I was fascinated with my infant brother's cleft lip and palate. I called it his Hatmouth, since to my 5-year-old mind it resembled a hat of sorts. Working with the tracing of his mouth has been profoundly moving. He died young but he continues to have an impact on my life.

Catherine Heard's dolls with birth defects (Case Studies, Efflorescence, and others) resonate with me because they acknowledge my late brother and others like him.