Letting life talk through pictures

Born in 1924, despite requiring a walking stick or wheelchair to get around, 92-year-old grandmother Zhao-zhi (招治) still has sharp eyesight, good health and clear thinking. Illiterate and unable to hold a pen, learning to draw was both painful and required strenuous effort. For a time she wanted to give up, but thanks to continuous encouragement from her family, she slowly learned to apply color, cut and paste, tear and stick, do jigsaw puzzles, and finally paint. To date, Zhao-zhi has persevered in painting for more than six years, and now spends 2-3 hours a day in this newfound pursuit. Painting not only stops her from getting bored, but has also allowed her to embark on a new and exiting journey in life.

Her youngest daughter Li Li-hua (李麗花) said: “So far my mother has already produced several hundred paintings, each and every one of which is completely unique.” After witnessing how painting helped focus and stimulate her mother’s mind, she now encourages other elderly people to take up painting as a hobby.

Letting life talk through pictures

URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/294077

(以下是中文對照)

讓生命〝說畫〞

照片

生於民國13年，高齡92歲的招治阿嬤，耳聰目明、身體硬朗、思路清晰，唯有走路膝蓋無力需以拐杖或輪椅代步。她不識字且不會拿筆，一開始學畫畫得非常吃力也很痛苦，一度想放棄；在家人的鼓勵下直練習從著色、剪貼、撕貼、拼圖，直到自己拿筆畫畫。到現在，阿嬤持之以恆也畫六年多了，目前每天習慣花二、三小時畫畫，畫畫不但讓她走出無聊的日子，也畫出人生下一段精彩旅程。

招治阿嬤的小女兒李麗花表示：母親的作品截至目前已有好幾百張，張張各有特色。她鼓勵家中長者試著也拿筆畫畫，畫畫可以讓長者注意力集中，腦力激盪思考如何完成一幅畫。