Title: Transformation: One Day or Day One
Artist: Gloria S. Daly
Medium: Textile art
How does this artwork represent healthy human aging? (Artwork Description)
Experiencing an ischemic stroke in January 2021, a month in the hospital, and returning home alone gave me an opportunity to truly find out what “stuff” I was made of. As a textile artist working with my hands, to not be able to stitch was my first challenge. My hands and fingers were weak and didn’t respond. I couldn’t hold a needle and went from 4-5 hours of stitching a day to 10 minutes of uncoordinated fumbling. Slowly over three months I was able to stitch for half an hour 2-3 times a day. “Transformation: One Day or Day One” was created before my stroke, and so as I was recovering, the work hung where I could see it every day. It reminded me to set goals, take actions towards my dreams, be disciplined, and to remember to not quit. Do the work and you will reach your goals. The Universal Circle symbolically expresses birth, survival, and death, while black was chosen for the background to suggest an independent spirit along with striving to age gracefully. The primary colours express energy, trust and hope, green suggest growth. Little did I know that my art form of stitching would become my healing therapy allowing me to have healthy human ageing. One Day or Day One, the choice is mine. Stephen King once wrote, “get busy living or get busy dying” (36” x 24”).
Submission Category: Public