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Today, we are looking in on a talented local Massachusetts artist, Irena Roman. Her situation is the same as thousands and thousands of artists around the United States and the world. We used to call them “Sunday Painters”.
These are the people who spend some of their few waking hours painting daubs good or not good, but always enthusiastically done. Today we are looking at a talented lady from Scituate, Massachusetts. She was brought to my attention by John Hamwey a long-time friend with artistic disposition who popped up just the other day, re-establishing a contact that had frayed as contacts will. Would I like to see the picture that Irena Roman had painted of him and without false modesty hey presto there it was. Immediately the theme of the exhibit was obvious. It was about older people who are called senior citizens. A designation most of them in this boat disdain. We are after all citizens and that is good enough. So, Irena decided to do an exhibit on a number of older folks who resolved in advanced age to adopt a second career. These people are a phenomenon of today’s generation. Fifty years ago most of them would have been dead instead of picking second careers or even third. The picture that follow are in the nature of jubilation. My Latin professor at Harvard, Mason Hammond used to say as he descended the steps at Memorial Church celebrating the life of one of his older colleague, now under ground, croaked “I survived another bullet!” 
John Hamwey, with his picture at the Art Complex in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
“Colin 2017”, a transparent watercolor by Scituate artist Irena Roman at The Duxbury Art Complex Museum.
“Marj”, a transparent watercolor 2016 by Irena Roman
And that is the point, Re invention. The artist gives her subjects the permission to re-invent. Irena’s pictures are a small joy. Her sculler goes out to meditate on the water not to complaint she no longer has Olympic form and speed. She had to re-invent so did John Hamwey, for over 20 years John worked with me on all the graphics pertaining to my books, articles, and ads. Then one day he decided to re-invent himself. Irena painted him at the moment of happiness, not that he had lost but that he has re-invented. I can only hope that Irena’s students and new-viewers take the time to see what she has accomplished in small measure; the true hallmark of the water colorist and those connoisseurs who love them. Pictures by Irena Roman (64) Second Wind: Journeys of Re-Invention can be seen at The Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Massachusetts February 25 – May 13, 2018 
Irena Roman, the artist.
For the music I have selected Joni Mitchell – Songs to aging Children Come (1969) “Songs to aging children come |
