Barbara Gautcher And Ray And Betty Burkhart – Circle Of Light
The “Strokes of Distinction” art show is a collaboration between Sentara RMH Medical Center, Arts Council of the Valley, VMRC, local artists, and Stroke survivors and their care partners. The art works displayed will depict the artist’s interpretation of his or her conversation with stroke survivors and their care partners about what it means to live with stroke and be a stroke survivor. The exhibit is a unique way of enhancing stroke awareness and providing education.
The art show is currently on display at VMRC/Park Gables Gallery, 1491 Virginia Avenue, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays/Sundays, 1-4 p.m. through September 1.
An interview with the artist, Barbara Gautcher “Circle of Light”
Artist: Barbara Gautcher
Title: “Circle of Light”
Medium: Acrylic paint on archival paper, matted and framed, 23x23
Previous to meeting the Burkharts my only close connection to any stroke victim was an elderly family friend who continued to walk with a cane and had lost some speech. My father also had experienced a mild TIA when he was 80 but fully recovered. I had a delightful afternoon with Ray and Betty, telling stories and discovering how their lives had connected and woven together. It was difficult to see any discernible physical disability in Betty, who had experienced the stroke. As the sun streamed into the windows of their home on the mountain, they talked about meeting at IBM in Vermont, their children, making the decision to move to Virginia to care for elderly parents, traveling and hobbies. They shared about Betty's unexpected stroke ten years ago and the constraints and strain it sometimes puts on their marriage. Though Betty has no visible physical limitations from the stroke, she experiences a lot of memory loss, causing some confusion and frustration for both of them. Patience is a keyword for them.
The painting is a blending of their two lives, abstractly represented by a green hued rectangle and a blue-gray hued rectangle. There are streaks of other colors in the rectangles because our lives are not simple, but filled with times of warmth and light. The darker, murkier colors also represent the lost memories and confusion present as they have navigated through this time. The warm, moon-like circle in the center is the light and warmth of the love and hope I see they have for each other. The gold is for their golden relationships with family and faith and the good times in their life together.
Tell us: How does this work of art remind you of your own stroke journey?
The art show is currently on display at VMRC/Park Gables Gallery, 1491 Virginia Avenue, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays/Sundays, 1-4 p.m. through September 1.
An interview with the artist, Barbara Gautcher “Circle of Light”
Artist: Barbara Gautcher
Title: “Circle of Light”
Medium: Acrylic paint on archival paper, matted and framed, 23x23
Previous to meeting the Burkharts my only close connection to any stroke victim was an elderly family friend who continued to walk with a cane and had lost some speech. My father also had experienced a mild TIA when he was 80 but fully recovered. I had a delightful afternoon with Ray and Betty, telling stories and discovering how their lives had connected and woven together. It was difficult to see any discernible physical disability in Betty, who had experienced the stroke. As the sun streamed into the windows of their home on the mountain, they talked about meeting at IBM in Vermont, their children, making the decision to move to Virginia to care for elderly parents, traveling and hobbies. They shared about Betty's unexpected stroke ten years ago and the constraints and strain it sometimes puts on their marriage. Though Betty has no visible physical limitations from the stroke, she experiences a lot of memory loss, causing some confusion and frustration for both of them. Patience is a keyword for them.
The painting is a blending of their two lives, abstractly represented by a green hued rectangle and a blue-gray hued rectangle. There are streaks of other colors in the rectangles because our lives are not simple, but filled with times of warmth and light. The darker, murkier colors also represent the lost memories and confusion present as they have navigated through this time. The warm, moon-like circle in the center is the light and warmth of the love and hope I see they have for each other. The gold is for their golden relationships with family and faith and the good times in their life together.
Tell us: How does this work of art remind you of your own stroke journey?
