One of the featured pieces in The Art of Melody is a work by Rita McIntyre, a mixed media artist whose creations explore memory, place, and discovery. She was so moved by the mission of the gallery that she donated her striking work Standing Strong, which is currently being displayed in the 2nd floor waiting area. Standing tall in both form and meaning, the work brings hope, beauty, and light, offering quiet strength to all who experience it.
Rita crafted the painting as a remembrance of a lifelong friend and a celebration of the many cancer survivors who inspire us.
“The bald heads and markings symbolize the journey and the physical impact of cancer treatments, but also resilience and renewal,” she explains. “Standing together, the figures embody the community and bond that forms between those walking this difficult but courageous path.”
Rita was overcome with emotion when she discovered her work was accepted as part of the gallery. “A floodgate opened,” she said. “I knew this painting belonged there and nowhere else!”
The Threads of Hope gallery, including The Art of Melody initiative and Legacy Lane cancer survivor portrait display, is open to patients, caregivers, and all members of our community from the
Watson Clinic Cancer & Research Center at 1730 Lakeland Hills Blvd. in Lakeland. For more information,
click here.