I hope all is going epically well for you!
I haven't posted any updates lately due to personal issues in during the last month and a half. This illustration is exactly how I’m feeling right now. I’m taking it slowly on my journey to recovery from the events I am about to tell you about.
First of all, I went to Puerto Rico to help with my dad who was having a rough time with his chemo and dialysis. Well a few days into our visit I started getting violent abdomen pains and bloating. I called my doctor back home from Puerto Rico and scheduled a visit with her when we returned home. She was shocked to see what was going on with me and that I had lost 10 pounds in 5 days (not that I have a lot to give anyways). She ordered a CT scan right away where the results showed I had 2 abscesses in my small intestine and had to go to the emergency room. I was hospitalized for 11 days going through major surgery to remove two infected abscesses on the outside of my small intestine and removing 18 inches of small intestine and stitching them back together. While they were at it, they removed my appendix due to a benign tumor found on it...so I kind of got a two for one deal there. It could have been worse. If the abscesses had burst it could have been life threatening. The surgeon Dr. Deschner and his team at the GenesisCare Surgical Specialists here in Asheville, NC were amazing and I could not have been more pleased with the outcome. During this whole ordeal I have lost 20 pounds and the road to recovery will take 6-8 weeks.
To add to it all, my father passed away during the course of all this which has made my recovery that much harder.
There is a positive bookend to all this that happened last weekend. I got the epically great news that I was selected to exhibit in the MAIN SHOW in the 2023 IX art show! The show will run from October 18th through October 22nd, 2023, at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA.
This is the most prestigious and highly competitive show featuring over 90 of the finest imaginative artists in the world. I am sooooooo blown away and honored to be included among them!!!!!
You can see more info about the show and see all the other artists selected here:
https://imaginativerealism.com/main-show/
This great news helps to light the way in moving forward to an awesome 2023!!!!
Illustratively yours,
-Fian
P.S. As I mentioned in past emails, my Instagram account was hacked and deleted in April so I recently had to start all over again. My new account is Fian_Arroyo_art or click on the IG icon below. Thanx!