I just wanted to say how deeply your post resonated. You captured a side of aging that most people never see the part that takes things you never imagined losing. The honesty in your writing is a kind of courage, especially when you talk about ataxia, the loss of painting and the emotional swings that come with neurological conditions. Sharing all of that is not easy.
I’m not writing to offer clichés. You’ve lived a full creative life, and you’ve earned the right to say that losing painting hurts. When your hands stop doing what your mind still knows how to do, it isn’t just a skill that disappears. It’s a piece of identity. You spent decades building that identity, so of course it matters.
I also wanted to share something you may not have been told clearly. There are artists with tremors, ataxia, Parkinson’s, ALS, and other motor conditions who still create. Not in the same way as before, but in ways that let their artistic mind stay in charge. Some use weighted gloves or arm supports to steady their hands. Others switch to larger canvases and broader tools that don’t require fine precision. There are painters who use sponges, rollers, or palette knives because expression becomes more important than detail.
And beyond physical tools, digital art has opened doors for people with limited motor control. Some paint using eye‑tracking systems. Others use head‑tracking devices that let them guide a stylus with small movements. There are programs that let you paint by speaking commands. Artists who can barely move their hands still create meaningful work this way.
There’s also something quietly beautiful happening in the art world. Some artists train digital tools on their own past paintings so they can continue producing new work in their personal style, even when their hands can’t make the strokes anymore. It isn’t a machine replacing the artist. It’s the artist finding a new way to speak.
None of this erases the loss or pretends your body hasn’t changed. But it does mean your artistic voice can keep going, even if the method looks different now.
None of this is meant to argue with what you said. You’re right: the process matters. It’s the heart of it. And losing that hurts in a way only another artist can understand. I just wanted to say that there are ways to keep creating that don’t erase the meaning of the work or the experience behind it. They don’t give back what was lost but they can give back a little of what painting felt like the sense of shaping something, guiding it, watching it come alive.
You spent your life teaching others how to see. You painted worlds that didn’t exist until you made them real. That part of you is still here. It hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s waiting for whatever new tools your hands or eyes or voice can use.
You’re still an artist. The medium just needs to adapt to the man you are now.
Thank you so much for that wonderful comment. I am exploring new ways of expressing myself, and I was surprised to find how much I enjoy writing, and digging up old memories. I am reminded of Renoir, who late in life was crippled by arthritis. He had paint brushes strapped to his hands so he could keep painting. It was all about finding ways to express yourself, regardless of you limitations.
You're right, David. It's a reality that people share as a category but few actually share personally because each experience is individual.
So this is acknowledgement, more than comfort: what you're doing here is very worthwhile. It's a side I have often wondered about but hadn't seen. Your perspective is rare; can't be improved on; can't be replaced if we lose it.
It's not self-indulgence, or merely self-soothing. It's part of the cultural conversation that *is* the legacy of art.
Many artists don't write about it. I'm glad that you do.
Oh, that last photo series is a joy. That is a treasure that illuminates the magic of your partnership and years together. My partner of 22 years recently suggested we get more pictures together, pointing out we simply do not have many, and he'd like at least one good one a year. I ended up going through and finding pictures of us from nearly every year we've been together. They are not in such a fantastic consistency as your series, but enough to show our lives together. I hope you can hold on to good memories when times are rough.
I really wish USAmerica had a better social safety net. Our elders do not deserve such indignities of trying to maintain rigid individualism to end up in isolated bubbles of pain and poverty. I am glad you have some support, but I have no doubt you would also welcome more.
Thank you for the immense courage it took to share your difficult journey so openly, and I’m so very sorry that this birthday brings these heavy challenges for both you and Cathleen. Please know that your wonderful creative vision and technical brilliance have meant so much to so many of us, and that your impact remains as strong as ever, now and into the future. And I know for sure that your students would say the same. Sending my very best to both of you.
You lay it out pretty plainly. You've always been the best-adjusted emotionally person I know, but nobody can adjust to the failure of function happily. Reading Bryn's suggestion certainly makes me curious! As I recall you were on Midjourney's scrape list, and probably others.
David, So sorry. As a fellow 70 year old, I can relate. As your all work has undoubtedly been scraped by AI, have you considered creating art that way: with prompts in the style of you? Not as satisfying as working at the easel,but you would still be greatly authentic David Mattingly art.
Bryn--I have been looking at AI painting, but I don't think it is for me. I studied the prompt for my work, but it didn't pick up on anything that typified my style. If you type in "In the style of Frank Frazetta," it produces something like Frank's work, but you never are going to think it is a new Frazetta. I enjoyed the process of painting, and all of that is absent with AI prompts. I miss painting, and the process of painting.
I just wanted to say how deeply your post resonated. You captured a side of aging that most people never see the part that takes things you never imagined losing. The honesty in your writing is a kind of courage, especially when you talk about ataxia, the loss of painting and the emotional swings that come with neurological conditions. Sharing all of that is not easy.
I’m not writing to offer clichés. You’ve lived a full creative life, and you’ve earned the right to say that losing painting hurts. When your hands stop doing what your mind still knows how to do, it isn’t just a skill that disappears. It’s a piece of identity. You spent decades building that identity, so of course it matters.
I also wanted to share something you may not have been told clearly. There are artists with tremors, ataxia, Parkinson’s, ALS, and other motor conditions who still create. Not in the same way as before, but in ways that let their artistic mind stay in charge. Some use weighted gloves or arm supports to steady their hands. Others switch to larger canvases and broader tools that don’t require fine precision. There are painters who use sponges, rollers, or palette knives because expression becomes more important than detail.
And beyond physical tools, digital art has opened doors for people with limited motor control. Some paint using eye‑tracking systems. Others use head‑tracking devices that let them guide a stylus with small movements. There are programs that let you paint by speaking commands. Artists who can barely move their hands still create meaningful work this way.
There’s also something quietly beautiful happening in the art world. Some artists train digital tools on their own past paintings so they can continue producing new work in their personal style, even when their hands can’t make the strokes anymore. It isn’t a machine replacing the artist. It’s the artist finding a new way to speak.
None of this erases the loss or pretends your body hasn’t changed. But it does mean your artistic voice can keep going, even if the method looks different now.
None of this is meant to argue with what you said. You’re right: the process matters. It’s the heart of it. And losing that hurts in a way only another artist can understand. I just wanted to say that there are ways to keep creating that don’t erase the meaning of the work or the experience behind it. They don’t give back what was lost but they can give back a little of what painting felt like the sense of shaping something, guiding it, watching it come alive.
You spent your life teaching others how to see. You painted worlds that didn’t exist until you made them real. That part of you is still here. It hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s waiting for whatever new tools your hands or eyes or voice can use.
You’re still an artist. The medium just needs to adapt to the man you are now.
Thank you so much for that wonderful comment. I am exploring new ways of expressing myself, and I was surprised to find how much I enjoy writing, and digging up old memories. I am reminded of Renoir, who late in life was crippled by arthritis. He had paint brushes strapped to his hands so he could keep painting. It was all about finding ways to express yourself, regardless of you limitations.
You're right, David. It's a reality that people share as a category but few actually share personally because each experience is individual.
So this is acknowledgement, more than comfort: what you're doing here is very worthwhile. It's a side I have often wondered about but hadn't seen. Your perspective is rare; can't be improved on; can't be replaced if we lose it.
It's not self-indulgence, or merely self-soothing. It's part of the cultural conversation that *is* the legacy of art.
Many artists don't write about it. I'm glad that you do.
Oh, that last photo series is a joy. That is a treasure that illuminates the magic of your partnership and years together. My partner of 22 years recently suggested we get more pictures together, pointing out we simply do not have many, and he'd like at least one good one a year. I ended up going through and finding pictures of us from nearly every year we've been together. They are not in such a fantastic consistency as your series, but enough to show our lives together. I hope you can hold on to good memories when times are rough.
I really wish USAmerica had a better social safety net. Our elders do not deserve such indignities of trying to maintain rigid individualism to end up in isolated bubbles of pain and poverty. I am glad you have some support, but I have no doubt you would also welcome more.
Thank you for the immense courage it took to share your difficult journey so openly, and I’m so very sorry that this birthday brings these heavy challenges for both you and Cathleen. Please know that your wonderful creative vision and technical brilliance have meant so much to so many of us, and that your impact remains as strong as ever, now and into the future. And I know for sure that your students would say the same. Sending my very best to both of you.
You lay it out pretty plainly. You've always been the best-adjusted emotionally person I know, but nobody can adjust to the failure of function happily. Reading Bryn's suggestion certainly makes me curious! As I recall you were on Midjourney's scrape list, and probably others.
David, So sorry. As a fellow 70 year old, I can relate. As your all work has undoubtedly been scraped by AI, have you considered creating art that way: with prompts in the style of you? Not as satisfying as working at the easel,but you would still be greatly authentic David Mattingly art.
Bryn--I have been looking at AI painting, but I don't think it is for me. I studied the prompt for my work, but it didn't pick up on anything that typified my style. If you type in "In the style of Frank Frazetta," it produces something like Frank's work, but you never are going to think it is a new Frazetta. I enjoyed the process of painting, and all of that is absent with AI prompts. I miss painting, and the process of painting.
Thanks for sharing David.
As a clinical neuropsychologist I was lucky to evaluate the effectiveness of “Validation Therapy” for aged disoriented patients developed by
"Naomi Feil" see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Feil?wprov=sfti1#
I recommend you check out her
books and videos.
I’m happy to discuss these neurological topics you raised if you want.
Sorry to hear about the health issues. Best wishes to you and Cathleen.