Dear Life, I made transfers from xerox x-ray images onto canvas for my Inside-Out project. The work triggers deep feelings, how out-of-control my body felt while I had intense chemotherapy and Stem Cell Replacement. A doctor said, “We set off an atomic bomb in your body”. The project is near completion. Presentation is on Tuesday. I appreciate the periods of time that I feel healthy and can make art.
Yours Truly. Pamela Rose
Transfers of X-ray Images
Dear Life, Figurative Painting prompt: complete a project using yourself as the subject. I went inside-out to begin and will continue this week. I hung pieces together to see what there is and what needs to be added. My teacher and I laughed during a studio visit > “I always have to add a little blood and guts.” >”Yes, you do!” Consistency and innovation. I’ve been turned inside-out by chemo and stem cell replacement but my Creative Spirit remains, changed, but consistent.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic on Paper and Studio Wall 09.26.2025
Dear Life, This little guy showed up on my daily walk. He found his space in the landscape and makes me smile. Today I am happy to move back into a studio space at the Santa Fe Community College. I am grateful to be feeling healthy, strong, and able to work. I am an artist living with cancer. Diagnosed in 2020 with Stage 4 Large-Cell Lymphoma, I am always aware of how vulnerable and precious life is. Thank you Life and for all the little things along my journey.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Dear Life, My dictionary app helps me to understand my body of emotions. Pensive: musingly or dreamily thoughtful, sometimes suggesting sadness. After 5 years of treatments, aggressive cancer cells cannot be detected in scans but small B-cell lymphoma is lit up near my aorta: the great arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to be distributed by branch arteries through the body. Are we ever out of the landscape of cancer once it has been diagnosed? Many people are living in this question. I use words, art, and community to cope. We help one another to navigate life. Thank you for listening.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Contemporary Figure Collage 08.2025
Dear Life, The PetScan revealed no Aggressive Large Cell Lymphoma. A miracle! There are 2 small lit up areas near aorta that are likely Small B Cell activity but these are shrinking in size since last scans. This is the best PetScan since 2020. My immune system is working. No treatment needed. I will have Bloodwork and see oncologist in 3 months; Petscan in 6 months. I thank my Higher Power, my Body and Spirit, my medical team, and all my loved ones and community. Without your love and support, this would not be possible.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Collage 08.14.2025
Dear Life, This morning, I had a PetScan. It’s been 5 months. The report will be ready in 48-72 hours and I’ll go over it with my oncologist Thursday after Bloodwork at 9:00am. Anyone who is a cancer patient knows the wait between now and then feels like an eternity. So what does a girl do? Make Mac n’ Cheese, my go to comfort food. The veggies are there to make me “feel” healthy. I also have a pot of Green Chili Chicken Stew on the stove. Cook, Love and Live!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Dear Life, I am an artist living in this world with a deep need to reflect creativity. I am a sober person involved in the recovery community with the purpose of helping others. I am a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend, a smile to those I meet. I am grateful to be alive and have this new day to experience life. There are delights and surprises for this quirky Being as I travel my Soul’s Journey and walk around the block. Enjoy this day!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Dear Life, A goal of compiling my love letters into a book is in progress. I hope the “Letters” serve as an inspiration for cancer patients, their families, health workers, support teams, and recovery community. Love Letter to Life started when I had a health crisis in 2018 and was later diagnosed in 2020 with Stage 4 Diffusive Large B Cell Lymphoma, an aggressive cancer. I have lived through several treatments and expiration dates. My journey is reflected in my love letters. There is so much more to live. I move forward with love.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Dear Life, I took this sunset photo from the 7th floor window of my hotel in downtown Omaha. Happy to be here and explore the Bemis Art Center Open Studios and city galleries. Will go to the Chihuly Glass Sanctuary, “the cornerstone of the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center Healing Arts Program; a place of respite and reflection for patients, families and staff.” This evening, have dinner with Alice, my Soul Coach since 2008, and who helps me navigate this wild and wonder-filled life.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Pamela Rose Markoya 