“Slice of Life”
Hannah Halter
Upper Deerfield, NJ
Social Media: @Hanhalter; Hannah Halter (Facebook)
Survivor
Twist on cancer: I don’t believe cancer makes us strong. I think it reveals how strong and resilient we already are. I think we’re all so much braver than we realize, even if we don’t know it until we have to be. My experience has shown me that I have the power to find sunshine in anything, and through it all, I am so happy to be here. At 24 years old, I saw some of life’s scariest days, and somehow, I have never been more in love with being alive.
Roxy Rimmer
Chicago, IL
https://www.hearts2headlines.com/
Social Media: @hearts2headlines (Instagram)
“Slice of Life”
Mixed media
20” x 20” x 0.5”
$800
Artist Statement: Slice of Life was inspired by Hannah’s resilience and optimistic perspective on her cancer journey. Cancer is undeniably a part of her story, but it’s really only a small slice of her story. The painting depicts that slice as a piece of cake being removed, symbolizing Hannah becoming cancer-free and reclaiming control over her life. The cake’s six layers represent her six treatments, each with its own flavor and texture to reflect the battles, challenges, memories, and experiences she and her family faced throughout each chapter. Hannah shared that her family celebrates everything with cake, which inspired me to see “cake” as a symbol of life and celebration. Like Hannah, it can be colorful, full of flavor, and ever-changing. I incorporated real baking tools and techniques into the painting process to create rich, tactile textures and make it an experience rather than simply a visual depiction. Like Hannah, it needed to be something that cannot be contained by borders or limitations, or remain a flat surface. Slice of Life is a celebration of life beyond cancer, and a reminder that even through the hardest chapters, there is always room for color, connection, joy, and celebration.