Commission

It has been awhile, I know. Over the summer I completed my first commission. It was for a researcher in nursing who works in the area of African American Caregivers for Alzheimer’s. Here is what Karen Moss the researcher had to say about the project:

Family Caregiver Community Research (FamCare) Laboratory

Established in 2019, the Family Caregiver Community Research (FamCare) Laboratory is based in the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University. Dr. Karen Moss is the principal investigator for the FamCare Lab. The purpose of the FamCare Lab is to partner with people living with dementia and their family caregivers to improve quality-of-life outcomes. We have a specific focus on meeting the needs of Black/African American communities. Based on research conducted by our group, we have learned lots of important information on how to promote healthcare decision making by improving advance care planning and pain outcomes for Black/African American older adults living with dementia. Using a community-based participatory design process, we began this work by first seeking to determine meaning and understanding of end-of-life and quality-of-life-related terminology. Next, we solicited multiple community partner perspectives on the advance care planning needs of lower socioeconomic status Black/African American older adults living with dementia i.e. current and former caregivers, healthcare providers, and community leaders perspectives. This included ideas on the design of a caregiver support intervention. Together we co-created the Peer Support Program for Black/African American Dementia Family Caregivers (Pair 2 Care), a non-judgmental, flexible, culturally sensitive peer support program.

Upon engaging with our Community Advisory Board (FamCAB), we provided a concept to our artist, Dr. Bartle Haring, who participated in an iterative process with us to create an image for our FamCare Lab logo that reflects the various faces of caregiving in the black/African American Community.

So, at first they wanted a purple background images of caregivers and something with the brain. I sent a color sketch with that all worked in, and the group decided there was no need for the brain and wanted another set of images of caregivers. Below you can see the process through to the final image. I’m pleased with the result and so was Karen, so I have successfully completed my first commissioned work, what a concept.

In the mean time I have also given some of my work away with the hope that it will spark interest. One of my colleagues at work sent me pictures her husband had taken on a walk. I asked if I could paint them, she said yes, and now she has the paintings and is displaying them at her family farm where she hopes to develop a place for artists and others to display their work. So, I guess I am getting my name out there as a painter. I have set my retirement date for my “day job” so the notion of me painting more full time is getting closer. Not sure it will be full time, but I will definitely have more time to devote to my art. Michael, my instructor, has suggested that I start to work on a portfolio, other than what I have already done, so that I have examples of my “best” work. So I have started on that. More on that later.