Resident Artists Take On the Holiday Card Challenge

The holidays are a time of year steeped in memories, tradition, and culture. Depending on where you are in the cycle of life, the significance of this time of year will be vastly different. It might be represented by a tree heaving with ornaments, presents, and a jolly, red-suited man in a chimney. It could be associated with tables and tables of cookies and treats. Maybe it’s the only time you’ll wear that ugly sweater. Or it might signify something simpler, like freshly fallen snow on a silent night.

As you age, the holidays don’t necessarily lose their meaning, however they do take on a different significance. Whatever this time of year means for you, there is no greater form of expression than art to tell your story.

Our retirement homes are filled with both budding and accomplished artists and that becomes abundantly clear each year when we launch the annual Holiday Card Challenge. Residents have so many unique interests, talents, and passions. Through a focus on Active Living in our retirement homes, we look for opportunities to unleash that passion, to uncover what makes our residents tick.

Now in its seventh year, the annual Holiday Card Challenge opens the creative floodgates for our resident artists to bring the season to life, using their preferred medium. The winning designs are printed onto paper or digital cards to express the best of the season to our employees, residents, and family members.

We have learned there is no shortage of talent walking the halls of our retirement homes. This year we received more than 50 entries from resident artists across the country. With that, here are the winners of the 2022 Holiday Card Challenge:

Holiday card by Peta, resident of The Village in Hanover, ON.

Although Peta has never gone to art school, she has a passion for creating beautiful illustrations. Her favourite hobby is drawing, and she loves creating art to share with others. At 84-years-old, Peta is thankful for her creative abilities and finds happiness in using her talents to bring a smile to those around her. Peta lives at The Village in Hanover, Ontario.

Holiday Card by Louise, resident of Trillium Court in Kincardine, ON.

Louise lived in Northern Ontario for many years, where she enjoyed a variety of creative and community activities, including volunteering with the local women’s shelter, The Legion, the local long term care home, and the public school. Louise moved to Trillium Court in 2021, where she continues to be an active member of the seniors’ community. An experienced artist, having worked with a variety of media such as painting, quilting, woodcarving, wood burning, fibre arts, embroidery, and more, Louise also has two daughters, four grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Louise is a resident at Trillium Court Long Term Care in Kincardine, Ontario.

Holiday Card by Beatriz, resident of Don Mills Seniors Apartments in Toronto, ON.

Beatriz was born in Manilla, Philippines, and moved to the United States in 1962. Eventually she would move to Montreal in 1964 where she worked as a registered nurse, before settling in Toronto in 1980.

Although she didn’t start painting until the 1990s when she was in her 60s, Beatriz always had an interest in art. She has a connection to nature and especially likes painting open air scenery in water colour and oils. She is mostly self-taught, but she also took classes for two years at Central Tech Art Centre in Toronto. She has also done water colour paintings for the Canadian Botanical Society, specifically for “Canada Blooms” and has some of her work on display there.

Beatriz lives at Don Mills Seniors' Apartments in Toronto.

Holiday Card by Agatha, resident at The Scenic Grande in Calgary, AB.

Agatha grew up in Namaka, AB, just outside of Strathmore. She married in 1957 and raised four children while running a landscaping construction company with her husband, before retiring. As an adult, Agatha began tole painting (folk art painting on tinware) and progressed to taking courses at both the art college and university in Calgary. Agatha’s personal style is realism, painting portraits of her family and their stories, but she also enjoys the freedom and playfulness of painting fantastical scenes. Agatha is a resident at The Scenic Grande in Calgary.