Painting was Kurt Taecker's means of survival. Since diagnosis of mental illness at age 17, he was compelled to create artwork. Driven, he grasped a brush, palette knife or spatula oozing with oil paint. Feverishly he worked the canvas until it reflected the twists and turns in his mind...and beyond. Then his fingers smeared and scraped the buttery, brilliant hues. Through this process, he said, "is a sense of healing, a momentary lessening of anguish." So he continued, "The main thing is I'm still here today," says Taecker. And he will always be here, in spite of his passage on January 31, 2010.

His presence lives on in his lasting legacy of art, music, musings, and his independent research on cancer prevention, which he worked very diligently on. But most of all, Kurt will live on in the hearts and minds of Awakenings artists everywhere, as we continue to celebrate his life and his many accomplishments.