Hike For Lung Health, 2008

An overview of the Hike for Lung Health in Chicago. It was a moving event and I hope that you enjoy the video.

Abbi-ARDS Survivor

Not Named: Octopus Chandelier

materials used: pen and graphite
not sure if this is done yet. maybe it needs some crystals. I am only partially kidding. It seems too tidy to me.

Hike for Lung Health

This weekend I attended the Hike for Lung Health in Chicago. It was a wonderful event and I was so glad to be able to attend in person after all of the fundraising I have been doing. It felt great to meet others that have survived ARDS and to see my favorite city. Eileen and I, she is the president of the ARDS Foundation.
My daughter and I at the Shedd Aquarium with Chicago behind us.
A view from the hike with my great friend and her daughter.
Here we are at the beginning of the walk. I had a great team with me, thank you all for walking and thank you all for donating and following my fundraising adventure!

Jen

Jen's words were: Relentless, Desolate, Star
Materials used: ink, pen, graphite
This drawing is meant to be a companion piece the one shown below.

Deep Breath Opening featured in the Detroiter

Deep Breath: Drawings to Benefit Lung Health
solo show by area artist, Abbigail Knowlton Israelsen
Deep Breath is a fundraising exhibition, with all proceeds from the sale of drawings donated towards Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) research. Abbigail recently survived ARDS after a long fight at the University of Michigan hospital where she was placed on a ventilator in a drug induced coma for 18 days, fighting for her life. After many months of physical and emotional recovery, she decided to raise awareness of ARDS and to give towards research.
Continue reading....

Jill

materials used: graphite, pen, and ink

Deep Breath Exhibition Opening

My husband and I in front of one of the walls where the drawings were hung.
Me on the night of the opening..... happy about all of the money I have raised for ARDS!
View of the large hanging arrangement of drawings at the Anton Art Center.
View of the other side of the room where the rest of the drawings were hung.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
The Anton Art Center was so generous with their time, space, and energy. The show wouldn't have happened had it not been for their kindness. Thank you to all who purchased drawings at the show and those who donated money beforehand. I am so surprised and thrilled by how much money I have been able to raise for ARDS research. I am excited to finish all of the drawings for my donors, so keep your eyes on this site for updates. I am even more anxious for the Hike for Lung Health this weekend in Chicago!

Good News

Today I had my six month appointment after my admittance to the hospital for ARDS. I am participating in a study that involves an experimental medication that was administered to me while I was intubated. The great news is that my lungs seem fully recovered and my oxygen levels were wonderful and my breathing tests all went perfect. I am so grateful to have come to a physical recovery.

The Dr. and I discussed how I have an emotional recovery post ARDS as well as physical. I have been dealing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with my Therapist and Psychiatrist. The emotional healing will continue for months or years he said. It is getting better everyday, but it can still feel like a battle.

I was so happy to be able to walk out of that hospital today healthy and see the shining sun. I am really blessed to have had such great care while I was sick, wonderful support from friends and family, and a passion to fight for my survival.

Not Named: Kittens

I have hung almost all of the drawings for Deep Breath and I was planning on not doing any more drawings until after the opening. But....... I had this sketched out and today I just had to do it. So I think this is the last one for the show opening. I am going to buy a few more frames and install the last few a bit before the opening on Friday.
Materials used: graphite, watercolor pencils

Kathleen

materials used: graphite, ink, pen, watercolor pencils.

All out of frames

Today I finished another drawing for my ARDS fundraising project. I put it in the frame and realized that it was the last frame that I have. (Granted, I did have two sheets of glass break when my dog stepped on one, and another when I was handling it a bit aggressively.)

I have enough drawings for my upcoming show. I have thought about the placement of the drawings and they all fit together to tell a strange story. I have many other ideas and a lot of donors that I still need to make work for, but this may be it for the opening. It all depends on how much energy I can muster up this week.

I have not forgotten my dear donors Emily P., Missi, my Mom, Jen, Sarah, Chelsie, my sister Alison, and Grandma Gutke. Your drawings will be done soon and I will hang them in the show probably next week. I am just really tired and out of frames.

Cindy

Cindy's words were: daughters, life, and love
Materials used: graphite, pen, watercolor pencils

Mike

materials used: pen
In my hallucinations I was often traveling in a plane, or a boat, or the hospital was a barge..... there was a lot of traveling. When I began this drawing I conceived of the airplanes similar to a swarm of birds. But, the longer I worked on it and the later it became in the night; the planes became sharks.

Emily S.

materials used: graphite, ink, watercolor pencils

She is meant to be hanging next to another drawing.

Not Named

Materials used: ink, graphite, watercolor pencil

Not Named: Elephants on Parade

materials used: graphite, ink, watercolor pencils

Jack: Rainbow Machine 2

Materials used: pen, ink
This is my second drawing of a rainbow machine, this strange machine played a large role in some of my hallucinations while in a coma. You can view the other drawing titled Sophie.

Not too late for donations....

I will be taking donations for my Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome fundraising campaign until September 20th, the day before my Hike for Lung Health in Chicago. I am so proud to be one of the top fundraisers for this event. I thank each donor that donates over $40 with a personalized drawing. You will receive this drawing in the mail by mid October.

At this point, I cannot guarantee that your drawing will be included at the opening of the exhibition Deep Breath: Drawings to Benefit Lung Health. I am very busy and thankful to have so many donors. However, I am not able make enough drawings to match my number of donations. It seems every time I finish a drawing I have two more donations. It is a great place for me, and I am so grateful for the support.

If your drawing is completed after the opening of Deep Breath, I will take the drawing to the gallery and install it, so that it may be shown for the duration of the exhibition.

Thanks for your understanding!

Noah

His words were: silver, water, and elephant
Materials used: ink, watercolor pencils, and graphite
I have decided to stop working on this drawing for now because I cannot think of anything more to add to it, not necessarily because I think it is finished.

Mary

Materials used: pen, ink, and graphite

Eva and Samuel

Eva and Samuel's three words were: Kitty and Flower, their parents word was light.
Materials used: graphite, watercolor, watercolor pencil

These curious and mischievous kittens reminded me of Eva and Samuel, and my husband says that smoke is an indication of light, because you need light to start a fire.
The flower is a peony, they are my favorite these days because my maternal grandmother who I never met always grew them, and my mother always grew them and told me about my grandmothers field of peonies. I have used peonies in all of the drawings in this project when there is a flower.

Marleen

materials used: graphite, pen, and watercolor pencils