Drapery by Heike Kuenzer

In many ways, Heike Kuenzer is the inspiration for Elizabeth’s Canvas. She was one of my mom’s best friends, a cancer patient, and one of the main reasons why my mom began to paint.

I think what made Heike such a wonderful person and such an intriguing artist was that her charm and passion were grounded in honesty. Heike was an extremely positive person, but she also spoke from the heart and that’s what made her and her art so genuinely believable.

The last time I saw Heike she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and my mom had just finished chemotherapy. They decided to take their first and last trip together and visit me in my new apartment in Boston, Massachusetts. My apartment, at that time, was an authentic space composed of exposed brick walls, large windows, and great views, but it never really felt like a home. When Heike first walked in she gave me her usual firm hug, quickly looked around the place, and then slyly whispered in my ear, “We are going to put color on your walls, and you will fall in love.” Two weeks later I got a letter from Heike and it read, “It’s going to be a magnificent piece, full of bright colors and full of life.” I never got that piece. Heike passed away three months later.

Heike was my friend, but she was also an artist. She had a way of bringing textures to life through the use of colors. My favorite piece of hers was Drapery, a simple work that reflected her background as a textile engineer. Unfortunately most of Heike’s art is gone. Since her death the majority of her work has remained hidden and undiscovered. We do not know if the art is with her family in Germany or if it has been lost for good, and that is one of the main reasons why we are creating Elizabeth’s Canvas. Elizabeth’s Canvas will always be a safe haven and a resource for artists, their stories, and their creations.