VENTURA : Art Adds New Dimension to Seniors’ Lives

Dave Franklin didn’t take up a brush and canvas until 18 months ago, when he was already a septuagenarian.

But the first two paintings he completed--a seascape and a sunset--were awarded blue ribbons at the Ventura County Fair last year.

That led the retired Ventura machinist to the conclusion that “maybe I started painting too late. Maybe I should have started a little earlier.”

Franklin, who declined to give his precise age, is among a group of about 20 senior citizens who meet each Tuesday to practice painting at the Senior Recreation Center in Ventura.

Some are lifelong painters, others are beginners trying their hand at a craft that they only now have time for. Still others make their way each week to the center to chat with other artists who have become their friends.

Sally Miller, a painter well-known in the Ventura arts community, teaches the class. But the instruction is very informal, with Miller giving tips and demonstrations only when a student is having a problem with a particular technique.

The class is free to people aged 50 or older, Miller said. It is paid through a county grant for adult education, she said.

Joe Ferreira, 68, said he has painted as a hobby for 35 years. It has always been the creative outlet that counterbalanced his career as an insurance salesman, he said.

“There are no limits in painting,” the Ventura resident said. “You can change the seasons with the stroke of a brush.”

Ferreira said he has even more time to spend on his avocation since retiring two years ago. On Tuesday, he was working on a beach scene that included a bright red lighthouse.

Nancy Lamp, 64, said she has been joining the painting group’s weekly session for nearly two years. She had always wanted to paint but never had the time as she raised children and worked as a dance teacher at Humboldt State University, Lamp said.

“Painting is an absorbing process, and you can’t do it if kids are in your face all the time,” she said.

Sister Mary Editha Andrews said she has been coming to the center for six years. A nun with the Holy Cross order, Andrews said she paints as a way to express her love of nature.

She has also become good friends with several of the other painters, bringing them gifts at Christmas and sharing stories, Andrews said.

“I pray for this group every day,” she said. “They are a wonderful group.”