This trio is bound together by the work they have accomplished during the course of Mark's dementia. According to the artists, their artwork visually describes three complementary journeys: Mark, the one affected by the disease, finding a voice and helped to feel vital; Suzy, the caregiver, being grounded through self-discovery and renewed by the meditative process; and Beth, an artist who expresses her deep spiritual journeys, is becoming an art therapist. Reviewers of the show report that there is nothing unsubstantial, morose, or overly sentimental about the artwork -- rather it is thought-provoking, joyous and life-affirming.
Beth's encaustic works are multi-leveled, luminous and mysterious. They are highly symbolic and include references to the ancient Aztec rain god Tlaloc and the topography of the ocean floor. The cry for environmental consciousness as expressed in her artwork indeed represents a deep spiritual journey. Kendrick's work with Mark and Suzy has inspired her to contribute to the healing arts; she is currently enrolled in a graduate program with the ultimate goal of becoming a licensed art therapist and grief counselor.
Mark's works, in black and red, are topographical and gestural Mark draws every day for considerable periods of time, filling up sketchbook after sketchbook. Display cases containing collections of Mark's sketchbooks completed from 2003 to the present are part of the exhibit. He is equally productive in class, sometimes jumping right into work and doing as many as a dozen small drawings. Running along the bottom of the show's panels is a "parade" of selected drawings by Mark. Beth has said of his art pieces that they "are much more than squiggles and lines...encrypted within these marks are stories and tales writ from a life, lived long with experience and expression." Now in approximately the 11th year of dementia, Mark, "at his peak," spoke six languages, was a writer of fiction and poetry, reveled in word play and puzzles, and had a legendary sense of humor and romance. His work as an international educator took him to all corners of the globe. One of the cruelest aspects of dementia is how the disease has steadily robbed Mark of his gift of language. Drawing and painting inspired by Beth's class have become mainstays of communication for him, according to his wife.
Suzy's multi-media works, including collage, handmade paper, acrylics and monoprints, express strong emotions. Almost all pieces come from the guided meditative process taught to her by Beth. Suzy reports, "Beth's voice has become so mesmerizing that she only needs to begin reciting and my MGM technicolor, surround-sound, 3D mental movie starts rolling! It's
actually quite amazing!"
Perhaps the most striking of Suzy's works in the exhibit is Hibiscus: My Wounded Heart. Suzy muses, "Watching someone with whom you have shared an incredible love for 37 years, disappearing into himself, forgetting wonderful moments in your life together, even sometimes failing to recognize you, is so very painful, devastating, the most profound suffering...beyond words! Although I have over the last few years shared my "broken heart" with a few family members and intimate friends, some medical professionals and spiritual counselors, the most consistent outlet for my emotion has been the artwork done in our class with Beth."
According to all three participants, through the years, Beth's studio has become a safe haven, a place of nurturing, encouragement, support, solace, calm and guidance. The positive effects on Alzheimer's patients of participation in the arts is well-documented, but what makes this trio's approach unique is the holistic nature of the process -- all three (patient, caregiver and teacher) have benefited from the "treatment regimen." Each member has learned from the others about the healing capacity of doing art, the power of the spiritual in everyday life, about trust, friendship and love. The trio humbly hopes the show will offer some small measure of compassion and encouragement to others facing a similar situation.
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