Project: Feeling Our Age

Edith B Age 72 , 2023

Acrylic  
30 x 24 in

I choose sun over the fear of wrinkles My hands in wax, like a child, time traveling through my life, exhuming buried moments, striving forward boldly, I take advantage of this dislocation, my current place in life. Having enjoyed an extensive career designing learning opportunities to promote social justice and equity, I now shift my work to making art to convey that same struggle and hope. I paint the seasons; seasons of the year, seasons of my life, seasons of humanity. Having done some work of the more literal shifts or time of year, I now paint a series of odes to mighty, influential women from the seasons of my life, and a series about “deluge”, a departure from the pursuit of beauty and perfection to a more raw, dark, aggressive portrayal of destruction and cruelty against the natural world. That said, I have so much more in me. I can’t slow down. I continue sailing along, knowing life is short, behaving as if I have all the time in the world. I remain active - kayaking, hiking, practicing yoga, meditation, building networks of friends and fellow artists of all ages and generations, spending as much time on the coast of Maine or in my studio as I possibly can. I choose sun over the fear of wrinkles, activity over the sedentary, and stillness above worry. I wouldn’t trade my wisdom and learning for youth and agility. I am at peace and calm with this place in life.