Text by Sue Kreitman
How old am I? Somewhere between my mid seventies, and eternity. By the time my mother was my age, she was dead for 25 years, so you can understand why I consider growing old an adventure and a privilege.
But I must tell you that I am not really an old lady; just cleverly disguised as one. Art and colour keep me young, keep me sane. Working as I do as an untutored ‘outsider’ artist is my therapy, my medicine, my joy and my purpose in life.
I mentor and support visionary young artists and a few old ones as well. I create and curate iconoclastic art exhibitions. My life has purpose and my mind and imagination are always going full tilt.
Colour surrounds me: I revel in it, splash it everywhere, gulp it with a spoon. I am immersed in art. I make it, collect it, it fills and defines my existence. Childish, shamanistic, wild and anarchic, it is as far outside the box as it is possible to be. Box?? There is no box!
When I leave the house, I cannot bear to leave my collections and creations behind. So I wrap, festoon, curate myself before I sashay out into the world. The kimonos I wear everyday are hand painted by Diane Goldie, or collaged by Lauren Shanley, or designed by me, and stitched together by a local tailor. My necklaces are art objects, usually rather large, and created by me, or by artist friends.
How lucky I am: relatively healthy, a supportive family, a wild assortment of vivid and talented friends. At this age, we may not be dead yet, but we can almost see it from here. It’s the Memento Mori thing: remember death, but choose life for as long as you possibly can.
Be bold, be adventurous. Do profound things, dazzle yourself and the world. Contribute to society, and live large. Life is short, make every moment count. It is never too late to find your passion.
http://www.suekreitzman.com
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