Carefree Artist

5/19/22

Raging about Cancer

Cancer Centers Need a Room for Rage

My latest blog post at CURE®

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5/8/22

Hoping to Prevent Hereditary Cancer

 

A Mother’s Day blog post of mine on CURE.

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The Colors of Love and Loss

Illustrated by me, Dr. Joanne’s Cacciatore’s newest book for grieving children, The Colors of Love & Loss, featuring a chameleon family struggling with heartbreaking loss. This is a FREE resource.


Disponible también en español.

Link to articles I have written for CURE Today about my wife's cancer battle and hereditary cancer:


click here

Recent Posts

A Holiday Offering for Those Affected by Cancer
    
A Monster and Evil Cancer
A Monster and Cancer's Evil 
  
Grief Break : Earth Day
  
Some days are like this...
    
Patented Inventor
    
Bottling Grief
 
 
On the Other Hand...
 
Nature's Greetings
  
    A Jolly Holiday Children's Book
A Jolly Howliday Children's Book 
 
Whip It
 
     the sheep & the turkey fable
The Sheep & the Turkey
 
Lots of Tricks but Definitely No Treat
  
Adventures in Geography

Featured & Popular Posts

     
Art, Desert Beginnings, and Someday
 
Delicate Sounds of Nature
  
First (and Last) Contact
 
    Drawing Science
Award-winning Junior Ranger Book 
  
La Fiesta, NOT Tijuana
La Fiesta, NOT Tijuana
 
Depressed Post-Impressionist Not Impressed
   
A Bad Head Day
A Bad Head Day
  
Meet Dusty Pack
 
 Some Thoughts and a Painting for Earth Day  

Free Education Clip Art

Free Education Clip Art

Yes, I created the Thinking Cap image above! Originally created for and licensed to Discovery (Channel) Education for many years, it has since been used in numerous publications and on countless websites. If you would like to use it, you can find it and many more images at EducatorClips.com. Use terms apply.

(Click on the image to learn the story behind my education clip art.)

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A Note from the Artist...

As you look around this blog you can’t help but notice a distinct change in the artwork and the tone of the content over the past few years. There’s a good reason for this -- the death of my wife due to hereditary cancer. Something that should have never happened.

I never wanted this blog to be a place where I unloaded anger and sadness because of cancer and grief. I had other plans, more lighthearted and whimsical. But when you have the love of your life take their last breath in your arms because someone didn’t have the compassion, brains and courage to speak up and share vital genetic info, it changes everything.

So, I have chosen to use my humble little corner of the world to speak up about hereditary cancer awareness and the unbearable heartache of the untimely loss of a loved one.

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About the Artist...

My photo
Mark
I'm a semi-retired award-winning, internationally published freelance artist and illustrator who has created thousands of works of art for books, magazines, greeting cards, websites, and countless other publications over a long career. I had hoped when I retired to just happily fade into the background and the simple life. The plan was to continue to do volunteer art projects with the National Park Service and maybe do some other volunteer work alongside my wife. And maybe also find time to paint, sculpt, and create other art -- but just for art's sake. But after becoming my wife’s cancer caregiver and then losing her to the evil disease, my life was turned upside down. So now, in honor of my previvor daughter and my beloved late wife and muse, I'm now dedicating most of my time to being a hereditary cancer awareness and prevention advocate.
View my complete profile

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Please note: I respect your privacy. I do not sell or share your email information with anyone.


About this blog/art journal...

The Carefree Artist is about my artistic endeavors and adventures as a professional freelance creative. Posts might feature a cartoon, or a recently published illustration from a book or magazine assignment, or an original piece of art that I might be selling to try and raise funds for my art supply donation project*. All with an emphasis on originality.

Why did I name this journal the Carefree Artist? Actually, it’s really just a wishful sentiment. A professional life in the arts, mine included, is usually anything but carefree. But oh, how wonderful it would be to really be a carefree artist! Living the simple life in a quiet and inspiring location and creating a ton of art just for art's sake!

The name was also inspired by the Carefree Highway. A road that played an important role in my life... More about this journal's name at the bottom of this page.

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Please see my website, MARKiX.net, for more info and more samples of my work. For whimsical art go to my site, Whimsicalillustrator.com.

Studies have shown that art has the amazing ability to help heal the body and mind. With that in mind I created Art Mends™, my personal art supply donation project.

The goal of Art Mends™ is to simply provide as many free art supplies as possible to a local municipal hospital. The supplies are used by children facing challenging illnesses so they might use artistic creativity to fight whatever ails them. Please see ArtMends.org for more info.

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Learn More About my Books...

My Books
Click Here

10 year member SCBWI
Society of Children's Book
Writers & Illustrators Member

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Creating fun and whimsical greeting cards for the holidays is a passion and a specialty.


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Pages

  • Love, Loss, Cancer & Advocacy
  • Resources for Talking to your Family about Hereditary Cancer
  • Life as an Artist Cartoon
  • Know the Copyright Law and Don't Steal Art!
  • Favorite Quotes
  • My Art Sig, mHicks, and the Copyright Notice

Respect Intellectual Property!

Respect Intellectual Property!

More about this journal's name...

The name for this journal was also inspired by the Carefree Highway here in my native state of Arizona. (Yes, the one Gordon Lightfoot sang about.) A road that played role in my life as a child and a very important role as a young adult. First, when it was just a rough dirt track to basically nowhere. Then later, when it was a small two-lane road in the middle of the desert. All many years before they widened it and put up all the ugly cookie-cutter houses, apartments, and strip malls and ruined the natural scenic beauty of the area. ("Carefree Highway, you seen better days... Carefree highway, let me slip away, Slip away on you.")


And no, I do not live in Carefree, Arizona. I live in Phoenix. Land values in Carefree are, unfortunately, not particularly friendly for those pursuing freelance artistic endeavors.

(below) The Road to Carefree. What the Carefree "Highway" was like in my childhood. Acrylic on canvas. 24" x 36" Private collection.


All the material on Carefree Artist is copyrighted by Mark A. Hicks -- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction for any purpose without the express written consent of
Mark A. Hicks, illustrator is strictly prohibited.
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