All in life involves artistry.
Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art. – Andy Warhol.
I believe each and every one of us is an artist. The media we use may differ, but we all contribute to the world at large through our unique artistic ventures. What follows are four examples of said diverse artistry.
I am a writer with one published book Requiem for the Status Quo (another to be published early 2020), and a blog Living: the ultimate team sport on which I have published more than 1,000 articles.
I paint with words: I wanted readers to benefit from the oftentimes grueling, yet very gratifying, Alzheimer’s care I gladly provided for my father, so I wrote a book that paints a picture that readers can step into and experience, be encouraged, and feel a sense of hope. Scientific publications on the subject matter of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, are extraordinarily worthwhile, but when one steps back and looks at the big picture involving hearts and souls, the picture’s struggle becomes clearer and more palatable. Think of the quintessential Monet masterpiece hanging in a museum. If you walk right up to that painting, you detect small blobs of paint in varied colors and shapes but that’s all you see – that is the data and statistical information provided by scientific materials. Now step back so the whole painting is visible where you can see the entire subject matter as it was meant to be viewed – that’s the caregiver’s long days, late nights, and struggling attempts to reach caregiver success. You see, it’s the personal story that oftentimes resonates the most with those in the dementia trenches, and that story is what I paint on my literary canvas.
Painter, Mary Riesche, works with oils, acrylics, and water colors to get her artistic point of view across to others.
With the use of various mediums – from oils to watercolors – I attempt to convey the unique and intricate designs in nature. I endeavor to make it possible for you to feel the warmth of the sun on a hillside, or the wind flowing through the trees, enabling you to become one with my painting. With the use of the thick impasto technique, I develop textures that help viewers enter into the different layers of each scene. As a “traditional” artist, my goal is to capture the essence of each location I place on canvas, to enrich and expand ones’ view of life. Please take a look at the technique Mary Riesche has described by visiting her website, Mary Riesche Studios.
I believe each and every one of us is an artist. The media we use may differ, but we all contribute to the world at large through our unique artistic ventures. What follows are four examples of said diverse artistry.
I am a writer with one published book Requiem for the Status Quo (another to be published early 2020), and a blog Living: the ultimate team sport on which I have published more than 1,000 articles.
I paint with words: I wanted readers to benefit from the oftentimes grueling, yet very gratifying, Alzheimer’s care I gladly provided for my father, so I wrote a book that paints a picture that readers can step into and experience, be encouraged, and feel a sense of hope. Scientific publications on the subject matter of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, are extraordinarily worthwhile, but when one steps back and looks at the big picture involving hearts and souls, the picture’s struggle becomes clearer and more palatable. Think of the quintessential Monet masterpiece hanging in a museum. If you walk right up to that painting, you detect small blobs of paint in varied colors and shapes but that’s all you see – that is the data and statistical information provided by scientific materials. Now step back so the whole painting is visible where you can see the entire subject matter as it was meant to be viewed – that’s the caregiver’s long days, late nights, and struggling attempts to reach caregiver success. You see, it’s the personal story that oftentimes resonates the most with those in the dementia trenches, and that story is what I paint on my literary canvas.
Painter, Mary Riesche, works with oils, acrylics, and water colors to get her artistic point of view across to others.
With the use of various mediums – from oils to watercolors – I attempt to convey the unique and intricate designs in nature. I endeavor to make it possible for you to feel the warmth of the sun on a hillside, or the wind flowing through the trees, enabling you to become one with my painting. With the use of the thick impasto technique, I develop textures that help viewers enter into the different layers of each scene. As a “traditional” artist, my goal is to capture the essence of each location I place on canvas, to enrich and expand ones’ view of life. Please take a look at the technique Mary Riesche has described by visiting her website, Mary Riesche Studios.
Paintings by Mary Riesche
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Don Desonier has been, and still is, an artist when it comes to helping others on their dementia caregiving journeys.
Caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s or related dementia may see their life as a canvas cruelly splashed by dark, foreboding hues of despair, stress, anxiety and fear. In caring for my wife Nancy who had early-onset dementia, I gradually learned to “paint” that care journey with an entirely different brush, using colors that inspired hope, engagement, aliveness, laughter and joy. I now bring that same approach in my support of others who are facing into their own dementia caregiver journey. Follow Don’s ongoing artistic journey at Transitions in Dementia Care.
Kendal Lyon is an avid gardener who has designed four gardens, two in Hawaii and two in Colorado. She is currently designing a Memory Garden for her local church.
When I design a garden, I begin with form and function, putting existing structures, trees, shrubs, fences, gates, boulders and slopes onto my "palette." Then the fun begins. Like a weaver at a loom, or a painter at an easel, I experiment with color, texture, scent, and time of bloom to create a garden that brings joy and provides a welcoming landscape for bees, butterflies, and birds. I introduce meandering paths that calm the mind and invite contemplation and serenity. The plants I invite to the garden create a blooming conversation through three seasons, and some speak to me even through the winter months. As a gardener, I am an artist of the land, working with soil, with trees, shrubs, flowers, and herbs to create a tapestry that I can walk into, engage with, and share with my community. Kendal lives in Louisville, Colorado where she is writing a memoir and hosts a blog you’re sure to want to follow: Not So Tough.
As you can see, with just these four types of endeavors, it is quite possible for each of us to be artists in our everyday lives. What type of an artist are you? Are you a teacher, retail employee, medical professional, package delivery person, parent, or transportation worker? We’d love to hear all about what you do so we can benefit from your life’s artistry. Please know, you are unique, and what you have to offer will surely benefit the masses.
Caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s or related dementia may see their life as a canvas cruelly splashed by dark, foreboding hues of despair, stress, anxiety and fear. In caring for my wife Nancy who had early-onset dementia, I gradually learned to “paint” that care journey with an entirely different brush, using colors that inspired hope, engagement, aliveness, laughter and joy. I now bring that same approach in my support of others who are facing into their own dementia caregiver journey. Follow Don’s ongoing artistic journey at Transitions in Dementia Care.
Kendal Lyon is an avid gardener who has designed four gardens, two in Hawaii and two in Colorado. She is currently designing a Memory Garden for her local church.
When I design a garden, I begin with form and function, putting existing structures, trees, shrubs, fences, gates, boulders and slopes onto my "palette." Then the fun begins. Like a weaver at a loom, or a painter at an easel, I experiment with color, texture, scent, and time of bloom to create a garden that brings joy and provides a welcoming landscape for bees, butterflies, and birds. I introduce meandering paths that calm the mind and invite contemplation and serenity. The plants I invite to the garden create a blooming conversation through three seasons, and some speak to me even through the winter months. As a gardener, I am an artist of the land, working with soil, with trees, shrubs, flowers, and herbs to create a tapestry that I can walk into, engage with, and share with my community. Kendal lives in Louisville, Colorado where she is writing a memoir and hosts a blog you’re sure to want to follow: Not So Tough.
As you can see, with just these four types of endeavors, it is quite possible for each of us to be artists in our everyday lives. What type of an artist are you? Are you a teacher, retail employee, medical professional, package delivery person, parent, or transportation worker? We’d love to hear all about what you do so we can benefit from your life’s artistry. Please know, you are unique, and what you have to offer will surely benefit the masses.
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Irene Frances Olson
Author of Requiem for the status quo, a novel that celebrates and encourages family caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s or other dementia. You can find that book HERE. Ms. Olson is a member of AlzAuthors, www.alzauthors.com, a compendium of authors who have all been affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementia. These authors share their experiences to bring knowledge, comfort and understanding to those on a similar journey. AlzAuthors was recently recognized as a United States tax-exempt organization. |
