The events that take place in a home with someone suffering from Alzheimer's are unexplainable.
 
The only way to cope or deal with these absurd happenings is to observe, take a moment and create. Need to be through laughter, inevitable crying or making something, the way one reacts is fundamental to their mental stability. If one were to hold on to whatever happens without a release, they would surely go mad. So in my opinion, taking action in this world to address these events is the only way to grow and, in the end, have a healthier mental state. 
 
This is the reason I created this artwork, Still Life with Alzheimer's Number One, which is the first of a series of works depicting what life was like living with alzheimers.
 
This painting depicts an ordinary day in the home of someone living with this disease. 
 
The story behind this work was that one day, someone bought my mother a bouquet of roses. She had placed them in a large glass/vase on the table as one normally would. Beautifying a space. One evening, my father came into the room and interacted with these roses. leaving them in a disastrously beautiful state. I captured this moment in a photograph and later painted it.  
            
At the time, I viewed the subject as something to paint. nothing special. just an ordinary image. 
 
I dedicated many hours of careful attention to detail to create this work. 
 
Once completed, I was no longer speaking of the ordinary. I was speaking of something universal. Something that others can relate to. A topic that exceeds spoken language.
Alzheimer's disease. 
 
There are so many people around the globe dealing with this disease on a day-to-day basis. This painting empathises with those people. Showcasing a singular event to create a connection through common experiences. 
 
This artwork was shown and published on the South African Alzheimer's Association website for many years.