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Cat and Pat Rummerfield
I met Pat Rummerfield on St. Patrick’s Day 2009.
Pat gave me a call and in his youthful voice he told me his truly unique story of strength. Pat was involved in a car accident in the early 70s which left him paralyzed and near death.
I was amazed to learn that Pat is the only known fully functional quadriplegic. Pat’s “never give up” attitude coupled with iron will and an ability to set priorities and stick to them helped him to heal. Pat has earned over 30 “world’s first titles”, including the FIA World land speed record with an electric car, topping 245 mph.
Cat's passion for guitar painting lives on...
Recently Pat has found he needs to spend more time exercising his fingers to keep up with his physical recovery.
He told me that sticking with an exercise program is the key to success, and went on to explain that he had taken up bass guitar to accomplish this.
I learned that master-level guitar designer and maker, David King, was creating a special instrument for Pat. I was even more excited when I learned I would have the opportunity to donate art inspiration in the form of an oil painting on the bass.
Pat and I talked weekly over the next few months. During one of those conversations Pat informed me that he had been talking with the US Army about participating in the Army’s “Faces of Strength” series. I nearly flipped when I learned this because I had created a collection of portraits titled “Survivor Series”, to honor individuals who were struggling with health concerns.
We decided to combine the bass guitar project with my Survivor Series and approach the US Army to incorporate these focuses into their Faces of Strength program. We kicked off the effort with an oil portrait of Pat.
In addition to Faces of Strength, Pat and I are working with the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD on a series of oils for the new Children’s Wing, which opened May 28, 2009. I visited Kennedy Krieger with Pat and met with the hospital’s medical team to discuss what types of art images help children heal. I will take this information back to my studio and cerate a series of oils which I will donate to the hospital.
Pat's portrait through Cat's artistic eye
