CALLING IN NAOMI

The Sophie Davis Art Gallery at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in Los Angeles, dedicated to showcasing the work of older artists, recently extended a gracious invitation to show my body of work, “Through the Looking Glass”.

As I thought about representing the “elder” set, I found myself wrestling with complex emotions surrounding aging and its impact on our relationships. My thoughts inevitably turned to my grandmother Naomi. She was my beacon of light and adventure. Despite being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in her late thirties, which left her unable to care for herself for half her life, Naomi's spirit remained undiminished. As a child, my brother and I spent countless hours with her while my mother acted as her caregiver.

I remember the pride I felt when I first became strong enough to help Naomi out of her chair. It was a rite of passage, a tangible measure of my growth. Yet, it was Naomi's intangible gifts that truly shaped me.

Naomi was a master storyteller, weaving tales that transported us far beyond the confines of her bedroom and our small midwestern town. She told us stories of her early life — of how she and my grandfather, on a whim, had backpacked from Ohio to Florida. Her vivid descriptions of eating snake in the Appalachian Mountains and inadvertently hitching rides with bank robbers filled my mind with wonder.

Naomi's adventures planted the seed of curiosity within me, one that would eventually lead me to embark on my own journey to California in the early 1970s.

As I prepared my artwork for Through the Looking Glass, I simultaneously began to imagine a series titled "Calling in Naomi." Each piece is an invitation, a way of welcoming Naomi into my world just as she had once welcomed me into hers. Through my art, I honor the woman who had so profoundly influenced the direction of my abundant life.

Naomi's story has challenged my own fears about being a "burden" in old age. I realize that even in her illness and the daily challenge that meant to my mother and our family, Naomi had given me invaluable gifts - courage, curiosity, and a zest for life. Her influence on me was immeasurable, a testament to the fact that we may never fully comprehend the impact we have on those around us, even our closest family members.