 Finally, the following two pages have been updated with my new pieces. In this series, I have tried to portray a range of human responses to dementia, from its risks and diagnosis all the way to death and spirituality. You may have already seen some of the older pieces, but please bear with me, as new works are inserted not in the order they were completed, but according to how the stories unfold. I hope the dementia journeys depicted in these works will offer opportunities for reflection on your own life.
Most of the pieces in this series are currently on display at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. I plan to be at the gallery for Community Night on June 26, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Please feel free to stop by and ask me questions.
Recently, I switched to a new blog notification service that eliminates annoying advertisements. If you would like to receive an email whenever a new blog post is published, please subscribe using the subscription box in the right-hand sidebar or on the contact page. I sincerely appreciate your continued interest in my work. Thank you very much.
2 Comments
 This is one of my favorites. I can relate to the agony of social isolation expressed in this piece, even though I have learned to move beyond chronic loneliness. For many of us, it takes more than a few trials and errors to find where we truly belong. Hope is embodied in the turkey vulture. While it represents death in many cultures, it can also symbolize renewal and rebirth. Ultimately, it is up to him to turn his life in one direction or the other.
  
As my sister and I interact with our mother, who also has advanced dementia, we try to understand the meaning behind her responses. In our effort to find her true self, we share and discuss our interpretations. I hope that, through that search, our spirits may still be able to reach hers.    I am going to share new pieces currently exhibited at the Dahl Arts Center. The first is about my 91-year-old mother, who has been living with dementia. Last February, she fell, broke her hip, and underwent total hip replacement surgery. On top of her advanced age, ongoing COVID restrictions in Japan prevented us from seeing her regularly. The isolation had the potential to worsen her dementia, and I anticipated a poor prognosis. It was under these circumstances that the idea for this piece was born. The following prose accompanies the piece:
p.s. I am in Japan now. My mother is doing well.  Ceramic figure with acrylic painting     A solo exhibition and a trip to Japan have taken place since my last blog post. At last, I feel ready to update this page. This first post after a long break features images from the opening of my exhibition, held at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, South Dakota, on April 17, 2026. As this was the third and final installation in my dementia series, I tried to make it as comprehensive as possible. After many months of preparation, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to attend the opening. The following images were photographed by Alec Butterfield. Thank you, Alec.     A show title piece "Take Me to Your Moon" |
