Title: Extracting from Desiderata
Artist: Marion Llewellyn
Medium: Mixed media
How does this artwork represent healthy human aging? (Artwork Description)
My body of work, as a practising artist, has consistently maintained a curiosity and, exploration of our inner landscapes; our interior lives as individuals, collectively and, genetically, rely on concrete imagery that the viewer recognizes. For example, the images of kites and paper clips: they constitute emotive metaphors for our interior lives and how the broader, optimistic message of Healthy Aging can be approached. However, this submission was a challenge to encapsulate in one image, rather than a series that gives room for getting the broader message across. At age 77, me and my peers aim for health and well being, despite underlying conditions and a range of circumstances. I believe most people are aware of the principles of Healthy Aging but are inured to diagrams and posters, as in a doctor’s office. The challenge for me was to come up with imagery that avoids any hint of moral didacticism or, inference of guilt; at the same time understanding what is age appropriate for all ages. The poem, “Desiderata”, reveals compassion, reassurance and hope. I’ve extracted parts because they so potently pertain to Healthy Aging. Depression, anxiety, trauma is endemic.
Submission Category: Public