Sixty-Something Roses

By Cassie Carroll

The title of this piece (Sixty-Something Roses) is a play on the phrase “65 roses” which is a registered trademark of the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation. The “65 Roses” story dates back to 1965 when an observant 4-year-old, hearing the name of his disease for the first time, pronounced cystic fibrosis as "65 Roses." I loved playing around with the imagery of the roses because of the dichotomy of the beauty of the flower versus the pain that the thorns can inflict. There is no doubt in my mind that having CF has made me a better person and has allowed me to help others in a way that I would have never have been able to if I was 100% healthy, however it is a very difficult and lots of time painful road. The original piece is mixed media. Everything is outlined in black pen, the roses and the shading of the bones is in marker, the thorns are in watercolor and the background are torn pages from the textbook Gray’s Anatomy. A perfect piece of art for a medical setting specific to pulmonology and respiratory therapy.