In late fall 2012 author and illustrator, Nancy Carlson heard two words from a neurologist that would rock the happy life she had created with her husband Barry McCool. Those words were Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and Barry was just diagnosed with it.
What does one do when the family has no health insurance, is one rent check away from being homeless, has a husband swearing at her all day long and the IRS breathing down her back? Well, this author and illustrator kept on creating and to this day, Nancy not only continues with her children’s books, but also started a blog called “Putting One Foot In Front of the Other,” which is all about their FTD journey.
Opening on Friday, November 16 in the Atrium Gallery of the Bloomington Center for the Arts Bloomington, Minnesota, the Artistry, a regional arts nonprofit serving more than 80,000 people annually through theater, visual arts, arts education and creative placemaking programs, will present “A Doodle a Day: Ten Year Doodle Journey,” an art exhibition featuring the work of Nancy Carlson, running through December 28, 2018. On opening, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, there will be an artist’s reception and Artist Talk will be on Tuesday, December 11, at 7:00 pm.
“This show is dedicated to the memory of my husband Barry McCool who died in November 2016. He was my biggest fan, and I know he would have loved this show of doodles,” writes Nancy Carlson.
Together these small drawings create a visual journal and journey that allowed Carlson the opportunity to express herself and celebrate life, while also learning how to manage the quickly growing needs of caring for her husband and preparing herself for his eventual passing.
For more information, www.artistrymn.org or call 952.563.8575.
About
Born and reared in Edina, Minnesota, Nancy Carlson is an accomplished children’s book author and illustrator who has published more than 60 books, who also is one of the few people who knew even back in kindergarten what she wanted to do for a living: “Make pictures and tell stories!”
To discover more about Nancy and her so-far life travels, www.nancycarlson.com.