Lise Poirier is a self-employed artist living in Red Hook, New York. Born and raised in the Canadian province of Quebec, where she initially trained as a nurse, Poirier emigrated to the United States in 1970. She received a master's degree in printmaking from New York University in New York City. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in private and corporate collections. Her scientific illustrations have been used by the American Museum of Natural History and the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration in New York City.
About Heart Blood, Poirier says, "I started this piece in 1988, around the time I was diagnosed with cancer, and worked on it intermittently over the next few years while undergoing treatments. The found arrow symbolizes fate, which can seem inescapably random. The hand holding the heart represents the support one is given, which can be mysterious-whether medical, psychological, familial, or spiritual, sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not. The heart speaks to our vulnerabilities when ill."
Art of Nursing is coordinated by Sylvia Foley, senior editor: mailto:[email protected].