The Front Line
Image Credit: Original artist/Stace DeWolf
April 07, 2020 - 5:00 PM
Life as a registered nurse at Royal Inland Hospital has proved to be trying for Kamloops mom Karrie Simons, but one thoughtful gift has turned into a wave of positivity for her.
Last week before a night shift, Simons’ uncle showed up at her house and gave her an original piece of artwork he commissioned from Stace DeWolf. The image of a healthcare worker, titled 'The Front Line' is now being hung in the hospital, and proceeds from related prints and merchandise has raised $400 for the Kamloops Food Bank.
"I was hyper-focusing on the news and all the latest information coming down from the government, which is important to do, but I was hyper-focusing," Simons says. "Now I feel more positive by promoting Stace DeWolf’s fundraisers. It's a nice distraction, I suppose when there are so many other things going on I'd really like to see more positivity, community coming together.”
Simons has two young girls and says it has been a difficult time to handle the stress from changes to everyday life for her family.
"It's been challenging... It has helped me feel more positive,” Simons says. “I’m going to bring it to the intensive care unit and hang it on the wall there, and then Stace is going to donate a print to the hospital as well and I can hang the original in my living room.”
For DeWolf, he felt a personal attachment to the commissioned piece.
Karrie Simons was gifted this original Stace DeWolf piece.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Karrie Simons
“My wife is in healthcare and my mother-in-law teaches nursing in the Middle East right now, so I wanted to create a piece honouring front line healthcare workers, and the idea of a metal face mask is sort of illustrating the patchwork of kind of re-piecing things back together and sort of indicating and trying to say they are in the front line of a battle in the trenches,” DeWolf says.
The father of seven realized that the image could be used to bring good to more than just one Kamloops nurse.
“I started to think about it and I thought maybe there's an opportunity to help out, maybe with the food bank because food insecurity is so tough right now,” DeWolf says.
All proceeds from 'The Front Line' merchandise and prints sold will go directly to the Kamloops Food Bank. DeWolf has also included an option for those who wish to donate without making a purchase. So far, the fundraiser has raised $400.
DeWolf is now offering portraits, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Kamloops Food Bank. You can send in some photos of the individual to be drawn, and for $80 DeWolf will re-create their face with his unique artistic spin.
Check out his website for more details.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2020