Jane Betz

Chicago, IL
“What Other Choice Is There?”
18” x 24”
Acrylic
$800
Artist Statement: As I got to know Jen, she described living with systemic mastocytosis as feeling like being alone in a boat. That image stayed with me. At the bottom of the painting, a small figure rows along a winding river, unable to see every turn ahead. A small house in the distance suggests home, safety and sanctuary. The river seems to lead toward it, but perhaps the true destination isn’t the house at all.
Rising above the landscape is Jen, surrounded by the challenges and unexpected turns represented by the hills.
Her arms are wrapped around herself, and at the center of her chest is a heart marked Strong. People often use that word to describe Jen; after spending time with her, it became my takeaway, too. The heart honors the love and strength she gives others, while her self-embrace suggests the care she is learning to give herself.
Jen has spent so much of her life advocating, helping, protecting, motivating and stepping in when someone needs her. Her self-embrace asks a quieter question: Can some of that strength, attention and love be turned inward?
The flowers represent what continues to bloom as she moves forward: joy, relationships, purpose, hope and the lives she has touched.
When people comment on Jen’s perseverance, she says, “What other choice is there?” In those words, I hear both her determination and the weight of what she has carried living with systemic mastocytosis.
Perhaps the journey isn’t only about finding her way through the disease. It’s also about finding her way back to herself.