On Saturday, November 12th, our local PFP community came together for our 2nd Annual Creative Showcase, an event highlighting the exceptional artistic talents held by so many within our community. There was something truly special about bringing together Power for Parkinson’s community members from across the country and around the globe to share in the joy of art.  

While many of our participants are lifelong artists, others discovered their creative talents after being diagnosed with PD.  Many of those touched by Parkinson’s have noted a link between Parkinson’s and an “artistic spark” that drives people with PD to create.  Where this spark stems from remains unclear, but a growing body of research suggests that dopamine replacement therapy may increase the drive to create in people with Parkinson’s. 

Whether they discovered their artistic talent before or after diagnosis, we were extremely impressed by the creative power held by all of the artists who participated in our 2022 Creative Showcase.  

The Showcase included works from over 14 artists. For those of you who were unable to attend, we have compiled this gallery of artwork for you to enjoy from wherever you are in the world! 

Gallery

Dulce Possante, Painter

The first time Dulce picked up a paintbrush with the urge to paint was in April 2019, a year after her PD diagnosis. As soon as Dulce began painting she was immediately addicted; painting day and night and completing several paintings a day. From that day on, she has never stopped and creates art on any piece of paper she can find and also knits, crochets, and makes macramé! Dulce paints from her heart, without technique, rules and without having any idea what the final result of her creation will be. She is completely self-taught and lets her love of mixing colours guide her as she paints, reflecting that through her creations she sees and feels life with more colour in it!! In Dulce's own words, when she paints she feels free and happy; content in a space where there is no pain, cold, heat, hunger or sleep. You can find more of Dulce’s work here.

Robert Kamper, Photographer, Author, Musician

Robert Kamper is one of our local participants who captures amazing photos of native Texan plants, flowers, insects and the occasional portrait of a PFP participant!!

Photography has been a big part of Robert’s life for a long time and he enjoys recording the beauty of his fellow inhabitants on this planet. He has found and documented a few “firsts” for Williamson County flora. Robert finds that he feels more connected to nature through his photography; that it becomes a form of meditation which allows him to see things that others may miss as he sits and waits for minutes at a time to get the perfect picture of a critter or rare plant. Along with his photography, Robert is also musically creative and a very clever lyricist. You can find some of his music here.

Alex Andron, Mosaic Artist

Alex underwent bilateral DBS 9 years ago to address his PD. Within six months of his surgery, he began exhibiting the symptoms of a very rare brain infection as a result of one of the stimulators. During his rehabilitation for this, he learned about neuroplasticity and was encouraged to pursue more creative outlets as a way to stimulate the right "creative" hemisphere of his brain. So Alex began exploring computer-based cognitive therapies and then progressed to jigsaw puzzles which then led him to discover mosaic artwork. Alex has created many incredible mosaic pieces, including the one featured in the picture above which is a contemporary mosaic using glass rods - a technique that Alex is proud to have devised himself!

Heidi Pearsall, Quilter

Heidi, one of our dedicated global participants, is also a talented quilter! Heidi hails from New York, and we can always count on connecting with her during our online classes. Despite the distance, Heidi shared her Pocket Prayer Quilts (PPQs), little quilted squares with small crosses tucked inside them as a symbol of peace and love, with us for the Showcase. These beautiful little quilts pack a lot of meaning and with the help of local Austin participant, Barbie Alford, these PPQs have been shared across the US, to London and as far as Zimbabwe. Heidi finds quilting calming and also a time for deep connection as she often quilts with her sister over Zoom. Thank you, Heidi for your many meaningful contributions to PFP!

Barbie Alford, Quilter

Barbie has been quilting for many years and especially enjoys quilting in the company of her niece! She is a creative at heart and also loves dancing in all its forms and painting with her grandsons. Barbie is an extremely important part of our PFP community, she shares her bright energy with us each week and has also generously quilted blankets for the babies that have joined our PFP family in recent years. Barbie we treasure you and your creative flare. Thank you for supporting our showcase!

Gail Nelson, floral designer, seamstress, and stylist

Anybody who has met Gail Nelson will tell you that she has a great sense of style, so it’s no big surprise that Gail has a creative side. If you’ve ever wondered where Gail finds such beautiful sun hats, she creates them herself! Gail began dabbling in creation following her diagnosis and now uses it as a form of therapy and a way to unwind. Gail’s display absolutely lit up the Creative Showcase

Yolanda Espinoza, Seamstress, Designer, Jeweler and Leathersmith

Pursuing different creative outlets has been a part of Yolanda's life for a very long time. However, since retiring from a teaching career of 32 years, Yolanda has really expanded her repertoire of creations. She now makes her own unique purses; starting a small business selling purses and purse charms called "Dazzle Me Bags." Always one to continue to challenge herself and try designing new things, Yolanda then took a jewelry making class which set her on a new path of creating all kinds of unique jewelry pieces, with a focus on rings. And would you believe that Yolanda has recently pivoted again and is now exploring working with leather!

Living with Parkinson's has slowed Yolanda down tremendously which can be frustrating at times when she is working on her various creative ventures. However, Yolanda finds that this work is very relaxing and helpful in combating the anxiety that she experiences associated with her PD.

Maurice Schmidt, Artist

Maurice Schmidt, a dedicated participant in Polly’s local Brain & Body class, discovered his passion for art at the age of 14, and has been creating ever since. Pictured above is a portrait Maurice created of Polly’s dog, Cooper. You can find more of Maurice’s work here on his website.

Gail and Richard, Musicians

Sondra Crowley, Porcelain Painter

Sondra Crowley is well known for her beautiful hand-painted porcelain creations. Although Sondra could not attend the showcase in person, she sent her gorgeous creations ahead for us to share. Sondra has been painting “over glaze” on porcelain on and off for a period of over 40 years. She taught porcelain painting for a number of years and is a member of International Porcelain Art Teachers. The last 7 years she has had the Parkinson's symptom of tremor in her right hand but is extremely grateful that so far she has been able to control her tremor enough so that she can still experience the joy that painting brings her.

Verna Grice, Painter

Growing up in Louisiana, Verna always had an artistic side. In 1948 she traveled to Mexico City where she studied Spanish and art. After many years of work and adventure, Verna painted the first painting of her adult life in 2004. Verna and her daughter, Susan Grice, worked together to create “the Grice Method” of painting garden art that can be hung outside.

Christopher Lion, Poet

Christopher Lion is a PFP Board Member and Founder of the Quiver, a Texas-based non-profit focused on encouraging and promoting art by people with Parkinson’s through a curated selection of paintings, poetry, essays, photography and other art forms. Christopher brought a variety of exceptional art-pieces (pictured above) from the Quiver’s recent art show, piercing the heart of Parkinson’s. He also shared some of his poetry in a live poetry reading. You can read Christopher’s poems here on the Quiver.org.

Polly Caprio

Did you know that PFP Brain & Body Instructor Polly Caprio is also an artist? Pictured above are Polly’s lunch notes, creative and funny notes that Polly send with her kids’ lunch boxes for many years. Luckily, Polly saved them! Polly is also a talented painter and crocheter.

Painting for Parkinson’s

Our first Painting for Parkinson's event was a huge success and we are so grateful for the enthusiastic student volunteers of TX MedstART who shared their time, energy and talents with us to create this event. Using the key principles of PFP; Move, Shout, Balance & Connect as inspiration, the students and our PFP participants spent a morning painting and creating meaningful connections with new friends while finding a sense of relaxation & ease through the medium of painting. We were blown away by the creations from our participants and were so proud to share them at our Creative Showcase this year.