April 17, 2016
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| Artist Dick Hale takes questions from the crowd at a panel discussion on creativity and Parkinson's disease at the Woodstock Art Gallery on Saturday, April 9, 2016. (MEGAN STACEY, Sentinel-Review) |
The Woodstock Art Gallery took an in-depth look at an intriguing topic on Saturday, investigating the connections between Parkinson’s disease and creativity.
The panel discussion was inspired by the gallery’s winter exhibit showcasing some of the work of Walter Redinger, who battled Parkinson’s disease for many years.
“We wanted to have something that would reflect Walter and also his struggle with Parkinson’s because it did impact his work, particularly over the last decade,” said curator Mary Reid.
“I thought this was very beneficial way to connect art, Parkinson’s, and to be able to fulfill the desire of the Redinger family,” she added.
The panel featured two artists, Michelle Forsyth and Dick Hale, and a neurosurgeon, Dr. Alfonso Fasano.
Forsyth, an artist and painting instructor at OCAD read the first two chapters of a book she’s writing.
“The book is basically coming to terms with Parkinson’s in my creative space of the studio, which is a live-work space,” she said before the panel.
Forsyth recently underwent deep brain stimulation to help with symptoms of her Parkinson’s disease. She’s noticed a massive improvement, and the procedure allowed her the chance to embrace some moments of stillness, she said.
Fasano spoke about some of the trends he's seeing in Parkinson's patients.
“Another phenomenon which is very interesting is that (some) people with Parkinson’s with no creativity before they get the disease then all of a sudden start being creative,” he said. “This is a side effect, in a way, of what we’re doing to treat them. Medications and surgery can affect creativity.”
Fasano chronicled the changes in one artist’s work during a journey with Parkinson’s. Traditional, very structured paintings became looser, brighter – nearly abstract by the final years of that artist’s life.
It’s something that has long intrigued Reid, and one of the reasons she wanted to develop the panel.
“I’ve noticed among senior artists who have Parkinson’s, that their colour palette really starts to explode. Really bright reds, hot pinks, electric greens, and I’ve never had the courage to ask ‘why is this happening?’” she said.
Hale, a lifelong friend of Walter Redinger, showed the progression of his own work during the discussion.
Far from seizing his creativity, Hale said the Parkinson’s diagnosis has caused him to express his emotions through art more than ever.
“It’s an outlet for my brain to unscramble,” he told the crowd.
Marion Redinger said she was overwhelmed by the response to the event. She also noticed her husband’s work change as the disease progressed, largely because of the physical nature of his medium.
“He was a sculptor, so he did really big work,” Marion said. “As the Parkinson’s took a bigger hold on him, he went into painting and drawing.”
Redinger’s son Jeff said he saw some deeper differences in his dad's approach.
“I thought the work got more active, a little bit more instinctual, a lot less planning towards it – more feeling,” he said.
Hale said no matter the changes or challenges, he’s committed to his art until the end.
“If I can’t hold a brush anymore with one hand, I’ll hold it with two. If I can’t draw a straight line anymore, I won’t make straight lines anymore. I’ll make curved ones,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful feeling I get sitting in front of an easel.”
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