My dad, Harry O. Nawroth, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in the final years of his life. He lost his fight last year on this date at the age of 83. Some days he had good days, some days not so good. But deep down inside, my dad was in there. I'm glad that he's no longer suffering. I didn't realize how far he had slipped away from us until he had passed away. As I perused old photos of him, I remembered how he used to be. I was mad at myself for accepting this new version of my dad in his final years. Even though it is a blessing that he's no longer suffering, there are many other fathers, mothers, and other family members suffering this disease. That's why I'm again participating in my local Alzheimer's Walk in September.
I had a vision of this print in my head since last year, and while it didn't turn out quite as I originally saw it, I think this version is much stronger.
The flower is a forget-me-not, which is the flower of September, my dad's birth month. I used blues tones because it was my dad's favorite color. The white/light blue lines of the flower represent the chaotic nature of the disease as it destroys the brain while the dark blue lines represent the person's true self that is being consuming.
The textures are rough and coarse, reflecting the aggravation of not only person suffering, but their family members suffering too.
The line "forget me" is easily legible, but the word "not" is nearly invisible to represent the lost of memory.
This print is not for sale, but for those who donate $35 or more to my Alzheimer's Walk, I will give away a hand-signed and numbered 11x17 archival print. Once the fundraising for 2012 is over, this print will not be made again.
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