"Making seniors' dreams of art become reality" - Fosters Daily Democrat, August 5, 2006

Posted: September 5, 2006

Copywrite used with permission from Fosters Daily Democrat

Saturday, August 5, 2006

By DEREK CUNNINGHAM

Democrat Staff Writer

DOVER - Ruth Keene chatted with some of the visitors who came to gaze at the paintings adorning the walls of the Gallery at Alexander Lake on Central Avenue. The paintings, some her own, depicted homes in idyllic settings, scenes from around the world, and other subjects.

About 30 people milled about the room, socializing, sipping on drinks and munching on snacks, with Joni Mitchell music in the background.

Keene has been painting for about 40 years, a hobby she picked up when she was looking to do something just for herself. She also teaches painting to some of her good friends at her home. Now, at 93, the lifelong Dover resident is seeing her paintings displayed in her very first art show.

She is one of three senior artists whose works are on display at the gallery for the next two weeks as part of an exhibition hosted by the Ageless Dreamer Foundation, a nonprofit which works to make dreams come true for senior citizens.

Keene felt her first showing was gobecause art is so personal, she did wonder whether people would like it. Keene does realistic oil paintings, because she feels her subjects "have to look like they actually look like," she said. Keene began when she was working and taking care of her parents, and she needed to do something solely for herself. Painting allows her to get away from everyday life and just think, she said.

"You don't think of another thing," she said.

The artists on display include Keene, John Albright and Vince Carpano and were brought to the gallery by members of the Ageless Dreamer board of directors who knew them, according to founder Laurie Widmark.

The art show is the fourth event for the newly founded nonprofit, said Widmark. It was founded in January 2006 after being in development for five years. The mission of Ageless Dreamer, Widmark said, is to "redefine the age-old definition of old age."

The group works to make the dreams of senior citizens come true and wants to "raise the level of awareness for the wisdom, energy and the generosity still available in them," she said.

Widmark said this event could serve as a template for future events, foreseeing similar showings in galleries in Hampton and Newburyport, Mass.

Ninety-year-old Albright's interest in art began when he worked making patent applications. At the time, the patents required meticulous paintings of the product in India ink, he said. This grew into a passion for painting, and he studied art seriously with a number of teachers. Originally from the Worcester, N.Y., area, Albright moved into Langdon Place in Dover about three years ago. He has made many new friends and now considers Langdon Place his home.

"I don't want to go back to Worcester, N.Y.," he said. "This is my home. I never thought I'd say that."

Albright works in watercolor and paints scene from his travels around the world, such as a red and white ferry that crosses the Nile from Luxor to the Valley of Kings. No bridges cross the Nile at that point, and he remembered that ferry being crowded with people.

Albright says its hard to say what makes him want to paint something. He goes through many attempts and will make a preliminary painting a few times before setting down to create the final work. For him, painting is an involved, all-consuming activity, and said he frequently lost track of time when painting.

"You can't beat a camera for a photograph, but a camera shows what was there at that instant," he said. With painting, "you can make it express what you feel."

Artists John Albright, Ruth Keene and Vince Carpano stand next to Laurie Widmark as she leads attendees in a toast to celebrate the senior artists in a show at the Gallery at Alexander Lake in Dover on Friday.

Albright has not been able to paint for a while since being injured in a fall.

"I wasn't going to live, but I did," he said. Now, he is recovering and looking forward to picking up his brush again soon. He already has some ideas, such as a wooden bridge in Portsmouth that's "just asking for someone to paint it," he said.

At 89, artist Vince Carpano is still learning new techniques and new mediums. Having studied painting and sculpting, he is now taking classes in ceramics. He has his own kiln, and one his recent pieces, a free standing sundial, sits among the works he has on display.

He first took classes in painting in the 1950s and studied sculpting at Virgina Commonwealth University after he retired. Born in Somerville, Mass., he now lives in Midlothian, Va., and lived in Maine for a number of years while he worked for a paper company. Most of his work relates to his own personal experience. He said one of his sculptures- an apple cut in half - is a tribute to his father, who used to cut apples in the same way as the sculpture.

"Every painting is a challenge," he said. It starts with a blank piece of paper and a desire to get something on it, and it can be somewhat frightening, he said.

"But it's a pleasure when you get something down and get it all out," he said.

Two paintings, one by Carpano and one by Keene, will be raffled off with tickets costing $5. The hors d'oeuvres were provided by Tuttle's Farm.