Rick Gribenas died last year leaving a young widow and son behind. I can't say that I knew Rick, or know Charissa, his wife, well. I met Charissa through the local punk messageboard, Never Tell Me The Odds. His wife writes on the BRICKS blog about some of the things they endured.
charissa posted this on Nov 10th, 2008 at 05:52:40 pm
My husband, Rick Gribenas, has Hodgkins disease and has been the recipient of many blood products over the last several years. Most recently, he has received platelets and blood during the course of his treatment. We feel that by hosting a drive we can give back to the organization that has provided the blood and blood products that have been so crucial to his care.
The first drive was to be held at the Roboto Project. Deek and the Roboto Project didn't quite get along. I didn't really know what was going on but ended up volunteering my blood because 1) I have plenty to spare and 2) I figured most of the punk scene has tattoos and piercings that render them ineligible to donate and 3) I thought, you know, doing it at Roboto could be like some sort of biblical-grade atonement.
There was a call in the thread for some artwork to place on mugs to be given as a gift to donors. I jumped at the chance to make something absurd but community oriented and positive. We ended up with what I like to think of as a deceptively cute, nauseating image of a huge drop of blood about to land like icing on a cupcake. I called him Mr. Droppy. Mr. Droppy ended up on buttons and mugs this year. I am really proud of this work.
The drive was held at the Modern Formations gallery in Garfield.