Painter Finds Purpose Through Art After Losing Her Mom To Cancer

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Jennifer Dunham, 46, wished for death every day for almost two-and-a-half years following the loss of her mother. Art gave Dunham a reason to get out of bed rather than give up.

When Jennifer lost her mom, Eileen Dunham, to colon cancer in January 2017, she lost her special person with whom she shared a deep bond.

"I got very close to my mom in my late 30s," Jennifer Dunham told a Patch reporter. "I could tell her anything. She was my best friend. When we found out she had cancer, it just brought us even closer because I knew I was going to lose my mom."

Her mother beat the six-month prognosis doctors gave her by staying alive for two-and-a-half years. As Eileen made the best of every day, she colored a lot, and Jennifer said she loved hearing her mom talk about her coloring pages and seeing what colors she used.

Jennifer said colon cancer spread throughout her mom's body. Pieces of her lungs were removed along with a piece of her liver.

"After they gave her the prognosis, I woke up every day in fear and panic thinking, 'Is this going to be the day I lose my mom?'" Jennifer Dunham said in tears. "I saved voicemails of hers so that I can still hear her voice. We would talk two to three times a day."

She drove 17 hours to Indiana, where her mom was in hospice care, and spent the last moments of her mom's life with her.

"Toward the end, I could not sit there any longer watching my mom breathe," she said. "Every breath she took, I wondered, 'Is this it?' The anticipation of her passing was just too much, and I ended up coming back to Florida before she died."

Jennifer brought her mom's art with her back to St. Petersburg and turned it into a poster. As she stared at the poster, she said she felt her mother's spirit transition to heaven before she got the dreaded phone call.

"I even said it out loud, 'She's gone,'" Jennifer said. "And then I got a phone call from my mom's partner that she had just passed away."

Although Jennifer felt peace for her mom and was happy she was no longer in pain, it didn't make the transition of losing a loved one easy for her until she picked up a paintbrush in April 2019 and finally felt as if she had purpose.

The grief she experienced channeled through to her artwork, and she felt connected to her mom. Jennifer taught herself art techniques by watching YouTube videos.

Deep depression and sadness stopped controlling her mornings because she knew that all she had to do was pick up a paintbrush to feel good.

"A lot of times when I'm painting something, I'll ask which colors would my mom use," Jennifer said. "She loved purple. Purple was her favorite color, so a lot of my paintings have purple in it."

She has created 59 vibrantly colored paintings, and counting, since April 2019.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, and Jennifer was out of work at Punky's Bar & Grill during its temporary closure, she sold a lot of her paintings to get by. She sold 57 of those paintings on social media within a short time.

Jennifer said she surprised herself with finding her hidden talent in a dark time. She is grateful for the many people who support her, and she appreciates the excitement people feel about her paintings.

"I made a promise to my mom that I would make her proud, and I have through my art and working hard," Dunham said.

The piece she is currently working on, "You Are My Sunshine," has already sold before she has completed it.

Jennifer Dunham's artwork can be seen on her Instagram page at Creative Artwork by Jennifer Dunham and/or her Facebook page. She can also be contacted via Instagram or Facebook Messenger for creative customization pieces.