The Art of Aging

In May, I turned 65 years old. That officially makes me an old man. What better event to go to than one titled, The Art of Aging. I have no intention of slowing down as an artist and neither did any of the artists assembled on the Timucua Arts Foundation stage. The event was a thought-provoking panel discussion where artists shared how their relationship with art has transformed across different phases of life. Through personal stories and open conversation, the panelists explored how art shapes perspective, fuels resilience, and reflects the passage of time. The audience discovered how creativity continues to redefine itself at every age.

Leah Love acted as the host for the evening, by asking each artist in turn questions about their art and process.

Dr. Antonio Andrade is a musician and Ear Nose and Throat doctor in Altamonte Springs, who has over 50 years of experience in the medical field. He played a short musical composition to familiarize the audience with his work.

Terry Olson is an arts instigator and multifaceted arts enthusiast whose life has been defined by building spaces where the arts can thrive. Now, he draws from decades of leadership experience in creative roles to serve as Timucua’s President of the Board. Terry has been prolific in having exhibits of his photography work all around Orlando. I also often see him at the arts events I sketch so he is well entrenching in the arts scene.

Mimi Hwang is a contemporary abstract painter; Mimi’s work is shaped by her Asian heritage and Western birth. Her paintings are poetic landscapes where abstract modern expressionism is combined with elements of traditional Asian art. Mimi’s paintings were on display on the walls of the venue so she referred to several when discussing her work.

Compass Fusion at Timucua

Terry Olson offered some free tickets to the Timucua Arts Foundation, Compass Fusion Concert. He said the first people to e-mail him could have the tickets. I emailed, but wasn’t fast enough. Knowing I wanted to sketch, Terry pulled some strings anyway. Leah Love, the Executive Director at Timicua, let me know she would love too have me sketch. She and Michael Rizzo had been married since the last time I saw them. At the entrance Leah actually didn’t recognize me since I now have a grizzly mountain man beard.

Thick red velvet curtains separated the entry, social area from the performance space. On stage, visual artists Edson Campos and Kathleen Brodeaur were working on a large portrait of a young girl. Edson and Kathleen worked on the portrait together. It was fascinating to watch them work before the start of the show. By the time Benoit Glazer made his announcements and introduced the performers the face of the portrait was complete.

The Compass Trio are from Brooklyn New York. They performed Indian Flamenco-Groove Fusion with guitar, Tabla (drums), and sitar. The music was absolutely mesmerizing and fantastic to sketch to. One piece called Murmerations which was inspired by large flocks of birds flying in absolute unison. The music wove its way into the soul. I swayed as I sketched feeling every undulating improvisation that inspired the lines to dance on the page with little second guessing.

A string broke on the sitar, so there was a brief question and answer session as the repair was made. I took the time to keep sketching feverishly. That break was a good time to break out the watercolors. The final piece they performed kept building in layers to a magnificent crescendo that they maintained indefinitely. When it ended the audience burst into a standing ovation. I had to put my art supplies away before I could stand.

I had driven 32 miles from the back woods of Yalaha, Florida to witness this performance, and it was well worth it. The room vibrated with creative inspiration. Benoit got on the stage and mentioned that the painting that Edson and Kathleen had done live on stage was available for $700. Someone in the back of the audience purchased the painting. I do believe that they were painting a woman’s portrait on the very first evening I sketched at the Timucua White House. That painting has hung in the room ever since it’s creation.