During the 2020-21 season, the world COVID-19 pandemic suspended dragon boating, and many of Knot A Breast’s fund-raising activities. We are very grateful to KAB team member and amateur artist, Norma Moores, who turned to art as an alternative activity and then turned her artwork into an opportunity to raise funds for our team.
Norma created the original watercolour painting “Knot A Breast: Finish!” based on a race at the Canadian National Dragon Boat Championships in Regina SK in 2019. It captures the front of two dragon boats as they near the end of the race. It depicts the surge of the boats as the drummer and coach, Kathy Levy, calls for power from the 20 paddlers to finish the race. The drummer has the best view of the team’s position in the race; while all other paddlers ‘focus in the boat’. Norma claims that she chose this composition because she did not want to paint 44 arms!
The painting was printed at Centre3 (https://centre3.com/) in their fine art digital studio in Hamilton on Espon 100% cotton cold press paper. The prints were matted and framed at Corby Custom Framing (https://www.corbyframing.ca/) in Carlisle.
Twenty-eight prints were sold to Knot A Breast Breast Cancer Survivor, Lively Dragon, Welland Warlocks, and Sisters in Sync dragon boat team members along with some to family and friends. $833.54 was donated to Knot A Breast through this fund-raiser including $140 from Milka Vujnovic without a purchase.
The artist, Norma Moores, has been dragon boating since 2011 and joined KAB in 2018. She participated in the 2019 Canadian National Dragon Boat Championships, Regina SK, where Knot A Breast won gold in the Breast Cancer Survivor Category. Norma started watercolour painting in her teens in Nova Scotia, then took courses at the Dundas Valley School of Art before developing a career in engineering and raising a family. In 2020 she returned to painting, and thoroughly enjoys learning from each unique painting she creates.
Norma would like to acknowledge the support of the following individuals:
- Jo-Anne Rogerson for appreciating the artwork and encouraging Norma to make her first ever artists prints.
- Milka Vujnovic for moving ahead with the framing part of the fundraiser, delivery, pick-up, sorting and distribution.
- Alex at Centre3 who ensured that the artist prints were top quality.
- Don at Corby Custom Framing who was pleasant, efficient and generous in framing the prints.
- Don Wood for taking the original picture that captured this moment.
And to those who bought a print, thank-you for supporting Knot A Breast. We hope you feel the power of “Team” every time you look at it!
