In 2020, I lost one of my closest friends to cancer, and I made this painting to honor her. This is a painting of the two of us kayaking in Tomales Bay, watching the bioluminescence.

Original painting is acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20" (Choose from 3 photo print sizes or 3 canvas print sizes).  The original painting is available and the proceeds will be donated to fund breast cancer research.

About the Prints

Photo prints are printed in a professional lab on matte finish photo paper, suitable for framing.  

Canvas prints are professionally printed on high quality stretched canvas and wrapped around 1.5" wooden stretcher bars. They have hanging hardware attached and matching finished edges, and are ready to hang without a frame. The look is very similar to an original painting on canvas. See photos for examples of canvas prints.

Read more about the print types.

About this Painting

Last fall, she and I had planned to go on a kayak camping trip to see bioluminescence. We looked up the tides and moon phases, aiming for a night with a new moon so it would be dark enough to see it. We also scheduled it around her chemo, so she would be feeling well enough to enjoy it, and we made lists and bought supplies. The dates all lined up, and I got the permits, but that week she was not well enough to go. I took my kids instead, and saw bioluminescence for the first time. She and I had always hoped we’d get another chance to see it together. 

Though she wasn’t with me, through her I had a greater appreciation of the beauty of this place. Being out on the water and seeing the bioluminescence on my own, after putting my kids to bed in the tent, was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I wasn’t able to photograph it, but I painted this painting to show you the way I remember it, with the Milky Way and the light trails from the paddles. 

I made this painting to honor her; her courage, her jokes, her sense of adventure that has stayed with me. I miss her, but I’m grateful for the time that we had, and all it taught me about living in the moment. She had stage IV breast cancer for most of the time we knew each other, and every sunny afternoon we spent together felt like a gift.

The proceeds from this original painting will be donated to Metavivor, the breast cancer nonprofit she supported. Metavivor.org is a nonprofit that supports medical research for stage IV breast cancer.

This painting is created in Kathryn’s Fluid Landscapes style, which she has dedicated to helping nonprofits. All images remain copyright © Kathryn Beals. All prints are printed without the copyright watermark.