When artist Win Mcgreggor\u2019s eyesight began to deteriorate, she reluctantly set aside her brushes and believed her painting days were over.<\/p>\n
It was about a decade ago, when she began making brooches, that when things started to falter.<\/p>\n
The 90-year-old has macular degeneration, a progressive, age-related eye disease affecting the central retina (macula), leading to blurred vision, distorted straight lines, and, if untreated, significant central vision loss.<\/p>\n
Three years ago she gave up painting completely \u2013 now she\u2019s done a U-turn. A set of watercolours from her daughter Diane Lockward, also an artist, suddenly reignited her desire to paint.<\/p>\n
Adapting to her new way of seeing, Win \u2013 who still has peripheral vision \u2013 has embraced a different style of art.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow because I can\u2019t see where I\u2019m putting the brush, the paintings have turned out to be quite abstract and people seem to like them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For two years, Win has called Arvida Bethlehem Views retirement community in Tauranga her home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want the family to worry about me so I came in here and it\u2019s been wonderful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Win told The Weekend Sun her painting mornings fly by as she is regularly served coffee by the team and they stop and chat about her paintings.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur approach is very resident-led so we encourage residents to be as independent as possible for as long as possible,\u201d said Arvida Bethlehem Views Village manager Jane Verry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team don\u2019t have to help her with painting; she likes to set everything up in her room herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even as a child growing up on a farm in Hamilton, Win\u2019s creative spirit was clear. \u201cAt primary school I sketched a side view of the teacher and it sort of looked like her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although she didn\u2019t pick up painting seriously until after raising her family, Win found immense joy in it, joining an art group and experimenting with subjects like roses and landscapes.<\/p>\n
Her early works were modest but they marked the beginning of a strong enthusiasm for painting.<\/p>\n
Now each morning, after a walk, Win is living life her way by setting up her brushes and watercolours in a dimly lit room \u2013 ready to lose herself in the flow of creativity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve surprised myself with just blobs of paint and so I\u2019ve kept going. I actually like this new abstract way of painting more than the still life I did years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though her peripheral vision limits her ability to capture eyes or fine details, Win uses time at night to think about her next canvas idea, whether it\u2019s a horse or fresh flowers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I grab my brushes and watercolours the hours just slip away. I just can\u2019t wait to get painting.\u201d<\/p>\n
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