Ave Hurley Illustrations

Seems I have put off going public with my artwork for decades since the accident.I was doing so well when I was young and always busy. Then when I became an adult, I wanted to try other things and worked on Wall St., doing clerical stock work.Then I went on to trying import/export and other clerical jobs, doing my artwork on the side.

When I began having my children, I found less time to do my art, so only worked on referrals from friends, family and employers. I got busier despite keeping low key. Then I finally gave up the office work and opened a store on Staten Island. I was going to save money by not having to pay for babysitters since I could keep the kids with me while I painted.

I got busy with sign work, which took about 40% of the time alloted for art.My competitors offered me a deal to work with and through them so I considered it.

Then there was the accident.. a date to never forget May 14th 1984 As I went through the glass window, I panicked and pulled back. That was it. I severed everything important in my right hand- nerves, tendons, muscle. It hung backwards by a thread. My career ended abruptly.

Within weeks, I lost my store, my home and then my possessions. I had the initial surgery on Staten Island by an incompetent doctor who oversaw a resident. I was left with claw hand deformity and no use of my hand. Within 4 months I hit bottom and lived the next 14 months on and off in rented rooms and shelters with my 3 young children. I left their father as well after becoming pregnant with my 4th child and still being homeless.

All the things I managed to save to storage were later stolen from me. While in one shelter I was referred to a hand specialist in Philadelphia at the Graduate Hospital. I went to see Dr.Lee. He operated and restored 15% of my hand usage back. I later moved upstate NY with my children and found other means to support myself and family while I tried to learn to paint again , taping a brush to my hand and seeing what I could do best. I basically took longer and had real difficulty in doing details so I opted for more impressionistic pieces, but wasnt satisfied, so I persisted in detailing, although it took longer and required numerous corrections.

After moving again to northern Pennsylvania, I hurt my back and the doctor I met was also a hand specialist. Who would have thought that in the middle of no where, there'd be a microsurgeon with a heart!

Dr. Robert Supinksi was curious about my hand. He offered to operate and restored 50% of its usage after 6 years of misery since the accident.

I began painting and drawing more and more , getting to the point where I made gifts and did a few commissions. I seemed to do better with sign work, so did mostly that. I also was able to begin doing better pen & inks so I began small drawings of peoples homes and businesses.

Bartering is a way of life in the country here, so I began bartering my services for things I needed for my children. Funny that I used to make $75 an hour in NYC painting years earlier and now I was sign painting for store credits....Still it helped.

In 2005 I began helping a church on a scenery project for an upcoming Christmas play that was to raise food surplus for the twin tier food banks and provide food baskets to the needy for Christmas. It was a big production with 2 story sets and many actors and singers, very taxing, requiring many hours over the ensuing weeks. It was successful.

Shortly after, my hand began to ache. I went to a hand specialist and found after 21 years, nerve regeneration was occurring~ Miraculous to say the least, since in 1990 when I had my last of 3 surgeries I was told it would never get any better than it was.

Now I am painting, drawing and selling my artwork as life seems to be beginning over for me after turning 50~ I am single again and my children are all grown and I have 9 grandchildren with 2 more on the way.

My youngest daughter gave me her computer when she got married last year. I began learning to use the digital art programs and now have been painting in both acrlics and digitally online and combining the media in creating new paintings. I then learned printing processes to create high resolution quality prints and purchased 2 wide format printers and 3 photosmart models.

I joined Ebay and Etsy and various art posting sites and have been selling original paintings and original digital paintings that are giclee printings.

My work has improved in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years and in particularly over the passed year.

I hope you view my illustrations and that you like them.

I give God all the thanks for the restoration of my withered hand! Although it hurts, I'd rather that than the numbness & clumsiness of use I endured for years.