We’re on ‘stay-cation’ this week — taking time to explore and enjoy our corner of Vermont during this particularly beautiful time of year. Studio time has been next to zero.

Mid-process stitching

A special thanks to my artist mother-in-law for getting me off the hook with the suggestion of this post’s subject: ageism doesn’t factor into being an artist. She’s been reading lately about Françoise Gilot, 95 and Carmen Herrera, 101, two artists who have proven that making art can be a life-long endeavor. The above links lead to wonderful interviews that will inspire you.

I’ve been doing a bit of research since she brought up the idea, and have been heartened by what I’ve found.

Check out Hilarie M. Sheets’ 2013 article for ARTnews, ‘You Become Better With Age’, for a discussion about many artists, past and present, who didn’t / haven’t allowed age to thwart their practice. Quotes from living artists emphasize that accumulated years often bring a sense of liberation and renewal, paving the way for new and significant discoveries while at times generating a measure of success that had previously been elusive.

Another Nap     ©2016 Elizabeth Fram

Also, Ermine Saner writes for the Guardian about how age affects the practice of women artists.

The benefits don’t stop with professionals. Lata 65 of Lisbon, Portugal is a wonderfully uplifting example of older folks who are finding new ways of appreciating and making contemporary art while beautifying their neighborhoods with a spray can.

In our youth-obsessed world where technology rapidly makes jobs obsolete and athletes age out of careers in their mid-thirties, isn’t it reassuring to know that there is no shelf life on creativity?