“In the Blood”

“In the Blood” is an ongoing series of abstracts on copper sheet. They are derived from my fascination with the human blood system. As a Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) fighter, I know all too well the power of nature that has gone terribly wrong.

During my many years of struggle and pain while dealing with CLL, I am constantly bombarded with chemotherapy, drugs, blood tests, and results. This process inspired much thought on what my healthy blood cells and CLL twisted blood cells must look like in a death struggle for domination and survival. The unknown was the chemotherapy, as it did not care what it killed – the sole purpose was to destroy any cells it came into contact with. My artist's eye envisioned how my immune system blood cells, CLL-mutated blood cells, and chemotherapies must have looked like doing battle with each other. “In the Blood” is my rendition of the struggles associated with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Tommy E. Shearer