Caroline’s Corner : Honouring Caroline Breen

Earlier this year, I was approached by the folks at Variety, The Children’s Charity to help create a portrait to honour a longtime member and beloved friend Caroline Breen, who passed away last year. I have a number of installed artworks at Variety Village, the large, accessible, all ages facility operated by the foundation, and I was honoured to be asked to work on a new piece to help commemorate the generous contribution made in Caroline’s honour by her family.

I learned so much about Caroline in my time working on this piece; she was a fighter, resilient, active, wise and very funny, and spent her life doing so many things that she loved - swimming, biking, listening to talk radio, figure skating, camping, and visiting New York and attending shows on Broadway, and of course , spending time with her dog, Rosie. I realized quickly that a simple portrait of Caroline, in a static pose, would not encapsulate the many faceted person that she was, and we opted for a montage style illustration to create something that represented her and the things she loved to do.

It was also important to tie everything to Variety and how this contribution to the charity will help other kids and adults like Caroline, and the community as a whole. The artwork was printed and installed in a space now dubbed “Caroline’s Corner” - a natural junction in the building that is now a cheery, sunny yellow and adorned with planters; a spot for people to sit, talk and take a moment to themselves. I was truly touched to have been a small part of this wonderful initiative.