Saturday afternoon at the Primrose Retirement Community, 19 artists, all 60 years or older, displayed their work in a showing titled “Art From The Young At Heart.” The show features one piece of from each artist on display and available for purchase in two galleries.
“We had a great turnout today. Probably about 120 people came all in all. We really worked hard to put on a good show,” said Primrose marketing manager Jessica McGill-Berberich.
 ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman Artist Sheila M. Howard talks about her bronze sculpture, 'Amanda,' with Ellen Gantly at the Primrose Retirement Community's 'Art From The Young At Heart' Second Saturday artist reception. |
In a program called Valley Second Saturday, both women help highlight two local artists with receptions on the second Saturday of each month.
“I help find the artists and Jessica coordinates all the show details at the retirement community,” said Bach. She believes the response from the residents at Primrose and residents from the community has helped make the shows a success.
McGill-Berberich agrees.
“The residents here have absolutely loved the shows. It gives them something that they really love looking forward to.” Laughingly, she tells the story of one resident who loved to dress up specifically for the shows and told McGill-Berberich that she had not worn that much jewelry in 10 years. “They just really like and have such a good time.”
For one artist and resident at Primrose, the show has given her a chance to rekindle a passion once lost.
Two years ago, retired nurse Sheila Howard lost the feeling in her hands due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
“I was the chief of nursing staff at the VA when my MS progressed to the point where I could no longer work. It was then that I decided to pursue my own passions,” she said.
Howard, who loves history and writing, said she began writing and then became curious if she could do the illustrations to her writing as well.
“After drawing the illustrations I saw that I had some skill and talent in drawing and painting. Then I started working with all sorts of different media, especially sculpture work,” she said.
Howard soon began drawing, painting and sculpting as much as possible when MS affected her again.
“It started slowly, but I began to lose sensation in my fingertips and palms,” she said. From there Howard slowly lost the skill she once possessed.
“I had to watch my hand as I tried to paint, but then I could not let the watercolors do what they needed to do.”
She had packed up all her sculpting equipment, brushes and tools and was determined to move on when a cruise to the Panama Canal changed her life.
“My sister and I went together down there, and while on board I met and talked with an acupuncturist on the ship,” she said.
As a nurse and believer in homeopathic healing techniques, Howard found herself wanting to try acupuncture.
“My original goal with acupuncture was for weight management and overall health, but after the fourth or fifth session with the acupuncturist I started to regain a tingling in my fingers.”
She recounted that it was the same feeling in her fingertips she experienced when she began to lose sensation.
“It was so bizarre, so I after the session I asked for a needle and poked my own fingertips, and sure enough I was able to feel again.”
Although Howard ad mits she has not completely regained all the feeling she had in her fingertips prior to MS, she believes it has gotten better with each session.
“My feeling has returned enough where I can paint and draw again,” said Howard. Although she can no longer sculpt the way she was able, Howard is quite pleased with the results.
“It is an amazing experience. I feel really blessed.”
Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.
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