Friends Host Gallery Show for Artist with Cancer

By Desiree Parker Tuesday, December 13, 2011

 

Deb Greathouse DeLong paints with bright, vivid colors because she wants to make people smile.

Almost 10 months ago, doctors gave DeLong, 37, eight weeks to live – but she is still here, enjoying every day. She and her art have a brightness about them that brings a smile to everyone’s face, according to her friend Nancy Paschall. This one reason why folks who know her have pulled together an art show Tuesday evening to share DeLong’s art with the community.

Paschall, the executive director of therapeutic riding center Dream Catchers, met DeLong in March when she started riding for therapy at the center. DeLong, who has been painting for years and was formerly a biology teacher, has a terminal brain tumor, but Paschall says her new friend has only brought laughter and fun on her visits.

“She’s a laugh-a-minute when she’s here, from the minute she leads [her therapy horse] Jake down the aisle in her wheelchair,” Paschall says. “We tease each other, we joke; it’s a very open relationship.

“Deb is particularly special because she makes us all grateful for what we have, and especially our friendships. Her relationship with Jake reminds us of the power of the horse to comfort and give a few minutes of freedom to a body that no longer responds and a spirit that still soars.”

DeLong and Jake have a very close relationship, according to Paschall. During quiet times, the horse puts his head in his rider’s lap, and he knows she’s coming without even seeing her. “They have the most extraordinary relationship,” Paschall says, which is one reason DeLong’s painting of Big Jake will be one of the featured paintings at Tuesday’s show.

DeLong painted the picture of her riding partner with her left hand, after she lost function in her right hand due to her tumor. The Williamsburg Winery has been working on creating a special label with DeLong’s picture of Jake on it; though the special label wine won’t be available for sale Tuesday, it will be served to guests as a tribute.

DeLong has often said that she wanted to have another art show, so her friends thought it would be a fitting gift to organize the event for her, Paschall says.

Paschall hopes people in the community will come, not in sympathy “but in celebration. Deb is one of the most grateful people I’ve ever met. We feel honored to be a part of her life.”

Reprints of “Jake” (available at the show) and proceeds from the sale of the “Jake” label wine (available for purchase in the spring) will go towards the Deb Greathouse DeLong Cancer Schmancer! Scholarship at Dream Catchers. The scholarship will go to help people who are actively fighting cancer.

The art show will take place Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New Town Art Gallery on Main Street. Complimentary hors d’oeuvre from Buon Amici and wine from the Williamsburg Winery will be served, and Virginia Beach musician Scott Davis will perform.

DeLong’s art will be available for viewing from Dec. 14 through 16 at the gallery, and reproductions of her works will be available for purchase. Visit the Dream Catchers website for more details.