Susan Richards of the Selah Fun Runners approached me about creating the artwork to represent her virtual 5K to benefit the Endometriosis Research Center after seeing my watercolor paintings in the autumn of 2012. She had a vision that my style could be used to express the dynamics of the pain and confusion women suffering with Endometriosis struggle with as well as the strength they need to embrace in order to function and thrive. Here you can see the multi-medium components that were assembled to flesh-out Susan's vision.

The watercolor image above was the final version of three that Susan chose to use for the artwork. The yellow represents the internationally recognized color for support of Endometriosis care and research. Spatters of magenta and blue represent the connection of the disease to menstruation, intermittent stabbing pain and the general confusion women face while trying to navigate contradictory treatment methods while trying to maintain a normal lifestyle.

The central theme Susan wanted to communicate was that the only way for women to "break free" from both immediate and long term effects of the disease is be strong and to be informed. Susan is also an avid long distance runner and believes in using physical activity as a therapy we also wanted to incorporate that into the design. Our outcome is a woman who may yet be only a shadow of her former or potential self finally breaking free from the weight of her disease and failed therapies. This image was created using Adobe Illustrator. 

Our goal with the text was to keep it simple, to the point and easily read from a distance so it could be used to raise awareness through being worn on t-shirts and displayed on tote-bags that would be used by local and virtual race participants. Versions of the artwork have also been used throughout the month of March, the month designated for Endometriosis Awareness, by hundreds of members of the Endometriosis community for their banner and profile pictures.