Drawing portraits - 2023 03 15

 


Trevor and I have been watching "Portrait Artist of the Year" to inspire our own drawing and painting. On a sunny Wednesday afternoon Trevor asked Mom if he could draw her portrait as she sat out on the porch. 


After Trevor was done, he encouraged Mom to draw his portrait. Mom agreed to give it a try and spent the next 20 to 30 minutes concentrating on her drawing.


It was a revelation to see Mom's drawing - the detail, the proportion, the layers, the perspective, the shading. She was surprised too, and thoroughly enjoyed looking at the drawings on display for the rest of the afternoon. 

In the following days, we have all spent happy time looking at the drawings, talking about portraiture, and admiring Mom's work. She beams from her big green chair, happy to be part of the interests and creative work of the household.

It is one thing to provide for the facilities, the physical and medical care, for our elders in-home caregiving. There are additional intangible but significant dimensions of caregiving infrastructure that make it deeply rewarding and fulfilling: feeling socially connected, sharing new experiences together, feeling a sense of belonging and pride of place in the family. 

It is these intangibles that comprise an overall feeling of health and well-being, once the facilities, physical and medical care are in place.

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