Strong (2017)

Melanie Cervantes
Various handmade relief prints. Each one unique.

During my recovery from a lobectomy which removed a large portion of my right lung and the cancerous tumor and cells it contained I was unable to sustain my normal art practice of screenprinting. Screenprinting is a very physically strenuous activity so as adjustment I decided to make small carved stamps in order to make prints. I was able to print as much or as little as I had the energy to do.

I sold these prints to make extra grocery money as the diet I was eating was costly.

Text that accompanied social media posts with prints:

I continue to carve relief images of cacti as I experience the waves of emotion that come with my lung cancer diagnosis. One of the surprising gifts that this cancer has given me is a deep well of gratitude for the people in my life and in my community who are showing me such compassion and empathy. This feeling makes my heart swell like never before.

Screenshot from social media post with prints.