By Raiza Giorgi
Many seniors resist taking Cynthia Devine’s art classes at Solvang Friendship House and Atterdag Village of Solvang, but when she wins them over, the results are more than just a pretty picture.
“The saying, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,’ isn’t true with art. I find that a lot of my students are stimulated more and more each session, and some of them who barely could pick up a brush start creating amazing works of art,” Devine said.
Some of her students at Friendship House, all of whom have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, are featured in the “Memories in the Making” show that is now on display at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang. At an artists’ reception at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 5, the public can meet some of the artists behind the paintings.
“This provides the artists fulfillment and joy as they work on their individual pieces,” officials at Friendship House said on their Facebook page.
Devine, a longtime valley resident, spent her early life wanting to be a journalist but while attending UC Berkeley she found a love for art and humanitarian studies and decided to focus on those as her majors.
She has lived in the valley since the mid 1990s. She developed and taught the art program at Family School for 17 years before teaching art at both Friendship House and Atterdag Village.
Using art teacher Cynthia Devine’s understanding of color therapy and painting, a Friendship House resident was able to paint a flower even though she has dementia and is non-verbal.
“My art lessons are more than just learning how to paint. We talk about culture, civilization, and we study art by looking at art galleries around the world through the Internet,” Devine said.
Residents who are able are also taken to museums such as the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art and the Wildling to look at exhibits.
“I find that art and music are long lasting, even after memories tend to fade. People can recall certain feelings or emotions when they hear a song or see a piece of art,” she continued.
Depending on the students’ skill level and physical abilities, sometimes Devine draws the picture and the students do the painting, and sometimes with the help of Devine’s hand.
“I find that art really helps my seniors as they get socialization, which helps battle depression, and it also helps their brain with critical thinking and self expression. Even my nonverbal students are able to tell me through painting what they are feeling,” Devine said.
The Wildling Museum, at 1511-B Mission Drive in Solvang, is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday. For more information, log onto www.wildlingmuseum.org.
FYI – An artists’ reception is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, July 5, for the public to meet the elderly artists who created the “Memories in the Making” show on display at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang.
