"Aphasia", oil on canvas, 36" x 36". I am very grateful to The Huntington Arts Council in Huntington, NY for a microgrant that is helping me create new work for my show in October titled "Beyond Words: Healing Through the Arts After Stroke" to be held at the Huntington Public Library on Main Street in Huntington, NY. An Art Reception and Presentation will be held on Sunday, October 6th, so I am busy finishing works that will be in this exhibition. Everything in this exhibition is work that I have done since the strokes. Recently I find I'm almost holding back and scared to really use my art as my truest voice, knowing that some of my work will not be easy to see, to experience. But I'm starting to let go a bit. Not let those who might judge my art as "too strong" make me self-censor. Isn't art supposed to be for what the artist needs to express? That can be pretty or not. It can be anything. For me, now, with the theme of this exhibition and presentation for a truly under-represented community (a sentiment that is echoed in every stroke support group I've attended), I'm tapping into my deepest feelings about this experience in my life which has been perhaps the most frightening of all, the most frustrating, at times incredibly peaceful as evidenced by the circles, and every other emotion in between. I have mild aphasia and it impacts my life SO much. I recently met another stroke survivor who can walk very well (unlike myself) but has lost the ability to read and write. I cannot imagine that and am grateful for my ability, though impacted as it is. We're all different but the common denominator I seem to find among stroke survivors is that most of us feel so different from before our strokes. Many of us don't know who we are now or how to move forward. I fit into this category absolutely. Painting, music, and this show which I am so gratefully being supported to do, is giving me something to look forward to in my very isolated life. I'm grateful for my life and want so much to be useful, to feel a sense of purpose. Yet the brain and body are not always okay with that pursuit. This painting needed words. Ironic for a person who has trouble with them. Peace all. Stay healthy. Be kind. Enjoy life.
