Product Description
A portrayal of Island Life through the art of Peggy Chun and the music of Daniel Ho.
Peggy Chun is known in Hawaii for her beautiful and often whimsical artwork. Her work can be found in both private and corporate collections across the globe. The watercolor artist, now fully paralyzed by ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, captures the "spirit of aloha" in her paintings and thrives on sharing her love of the islands (and life!) with the world. These days, with only her eye movement unaffected by the disease, Peggy now paints digitally with the help of a computer. She is, after all, the Unstoppable Peggy Chun!
Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Peggy has been a resident of Hawaii since 1969. Throughout her career, Peggy has worked primarily in watercolor, but has also explored a variety of media over the years, including acrylic, oil, pastel, photography, and collage.
In 2002, Peggy was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease; the same disease that took her twin sister, Bobbie, their mother, and grandfather. Bobbie, who passed away in 1987, was a well-established artist herself and was the inspiration for Peggy to pick up her first paintbrush in 1989. She has been creating ever since.
Currently, there is no known cure for ALS. But this debilitating motor neuron disease has yet to slow Peggy down. Peggy does not allow ALS to slow her creativity. In 2003, she lost use of her right hand. She simply painted with her left. In 2004 a weakened left hand sent the paintbrush to Peggy's teeth. Now that Peggy is totally paralyzed except for her eye movement, she communicates and digitally paints with a computer system called ERICA from Eye Response Technologies. This system has given her a renewed sense of independence as well as the most important thing for an artist - creative expression! "After all," she says, "you don't paint with your hands, you paint with your heart."
Look carefully next to Peggy's signature on her most recent prints. You will see a tiny "LH" for those images she created using her left hand. You will see a "T" next to her name on those she painted with her teeth. And now, look for an "E" next to her name for her latest creation - digital eye paintings!
Please visit Peggy's website at www.peggychun.com. We hope you enjoy Peggy's artwork. Thank you for your continued support and Aloha.
Peggy is 100% dependent on a ventilator, as well as, twenty-four hour nursing services. A portion of her needs is provided by Peggy's famed ohana, aptly named "Peg's Legs" - a group of volunteers who "Share the Care: -- a concept developed by author, Sheila Warnock. As Peggy's care needs have increased, her family has brought on supplemental care in the form of private hire caregivers. The out of pocket expenses to care for Peggy each year, in her home are astronomical, even with the help of "Peg's Legs," hence the need for raising money with artwork sales and fundraising. Donations for Peggy's medical expenses may be sent to:
Friends of Peggy Chun
3115 Alika Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817