MANSFIELD — Renee Deschner made the necklace herself.
It was glass pendant with a vibrant rainbow of dots set against swirling shades of blue. Abstract at first glance, but look closer and a seahorsejuli appears.
Deschner’s pride and passion were obvious as she talked about her art — wintery scenes made with acrylic paints, a pair of sailboats in watercolor, a set of seasonal glass pendants, each no bigger than a postage stamp.
It’s hard to believe that a few years ago, Deschner’s friend had to drag her to an art class.
After several devastating family losses, Deschner was in a dark place. She looks back and describes herself then as “catatonic.”
“I was just barely surviving day-to-day,” she recalled. “I basically just sat there and somebody told me how to put things together, and that’s what I did. That was two years ago.”
Fortunately, Deschner’s friend Anita Nehrkorn continued taking her to classes. As time went by, she became more and more engaged.
“Art has been a healing thing for me,” she said. “It shuts my brain down.”
In a world that’s messy, Deschner said she finds creating something beautiful to be therapeutic.
She’s not the only one.
Research suggests making art can foster positive personal development and reduce stress.
In a piece for Today’s Geriatric Medicine, art therapist Barbara Bagan wrote that art for seniors can improve cognition, self-esteem and mental health.
Juli Parsons, an art teacher and owner of Lasercraft Enterprises, sees it often.
“Everybody has a story, and a lot of them are very tough stories,” Parsons said. “Art is a way of creating out of the midst of it.”
Lasercraft Enterprises offered 52 free senior art classes with Area Agency on Aging grant
Earlier this year, Lasercraft Enterprises received a $10,000 grant from the Area Agency on Aging to combat social isolation among older adults.
She used the funds to purchase art supplies and run more than 50 free art classes for seniors between August and December.
Participants used spray paint, watercolor, pencils, acrylics and even glass. They got sketch books and tiny paint sets to take home. They dove into technical aspects of art like color theory.
“I just was so thrilled with the Area Agency on Aging for awarding me the grant so that I could actually teach them a little bit more in depth,” Parsons said.
According to Parsons, 415 seniors attended at least one class.
Some, like Rosemary Riedel, had no art background.
“I can’t hardly even cut a piece of paper straight,” Riedel said.
Riedel is also colorblind, but Parsons managed to talk her into an art class anyway. One of her favorite pieces is an orange and purple abstract canvas with the word ‘Blessed’ in the center. Riedel hung it in her bathroom.
“I see that in there every day. It just brightens up my bathroom,” she said.
Bill Weberling spent seven years as an art teacher, but spent the last 30 years working in mental health counseling.
Recently retired, he’s enjoyed the chance to reconnect with his artistic side.
“It’s been very enjoyable and exciting. It’s reawakening those creative juices,” he said. “(When you retire) you need to either learn a new skill or get back to skills that God gifted people with in the past.”
