TRUTH BE TOLD
THE CANVAS OF HER LIFE
Artist Nadya. Image credit: BRANDON SHEPPARD - @ARTVANDELAY100.
By DR VICKI BISMILLA
I want to write about a woman whose retirement is a fulfillment of the artistic talents of her youth, set aside during her years of employment.
However, I am also acutely aware that there are millions of people who are not able to have a comfortable retirement due to a variety of circumstances.
Many people in precarious employment are denied participation in retirement pensions. Preparing for retirement is a decades-long process here in Canada. For our students, it is a process that starts as early as grades six, seven and eight when children are developing their own interests in various areas of study. Choosing courses in Grade 9 starts their career planning which develops throughout their lives and into retirement. The Brookings Institute outlines many factors that help explain why resources, especially women’s resources, are affected in retirement (https://www.brookings.edu/essay/how-does-gender-equality-affect-women-in-retirement/).
People retire at various ages, usually in their sixties or seventies. Some, like actors, may never retire at all like Betty White (Rose) of Golden Girls fame. Lata Mangeshkar has been known to say that she will never stop singing. But ordinary folk like us look forward to retirement.
And for the artist Nadya, whose amazing talent I am highlighting here, retirement was a moment of rebirth. She had been painting in her youth but her job as a director of a very busy international school left her no time to paint. When she retired, she converted her backyard into an oasis, an artist’s nature retreat, but also a place where her grandchildren could romp among trees and ponds. Her backyard and the nature trails in Wellington County, Ontario, inspire her exquisite acrylic paintings on canvas and wood.
Nadya was born to Dr Abdul Haq Bismillah and Joan Salsoni in South Africa. She, her parents and two siblings immigrated to Wellington County when the children were small. Another brother was born here.
She attended the local schools and then University of Toronto. Once she started her career in education in Toronto, life became hectic.
Image credit: BRANDON SHEPPARD - @ARTVANDELAY100.
She and her husband lived and worked in Toronto and commuted back and forth to their home near her parents.
She, like most educators, loved her work and like for many of us, when grandchildren were born, the tugs on her heart, clearly rang the retirement bells. Being with their grandchildren became the joy of their lives for Nadya and her husband.
And she started to paint, at first as a hobby, but when the ideas began to flow out of her mind and on to canvasses we all quickly realized that we have an incredible artist in our midst.
I asked Nadya about her inspiration. “My inspiration comes from nature, changing seasons, rural landscapes, my garden and places I’ve visited. I am moved by the grace of trees, the singularity of a flower, the exotic nature of birds.”
Her advice for children and anyone really, who enjoys painting is to just do it!
“For anyone who wants to paint, I would encourage them to just start painting because skills grow with practice. There are no mistakes because every effort is part of the process.
“I believe we are born with creative energy and we should nurture our creativity in whatever form it takes.
“Indulging our creative selves is extremely positive. It can help ward off negativity, especially during these uncertain days. But most importantly, practise your art everyday to develop your unique voice. I am still learning, still finding my voice.
“One creative act every day will help develop your art and make you feel so good. The biggest lesson I have learned from my creative journey is not to listen to negativity from others or from that inner voice of doubt. I started painting for myself which soon became a way to occupy my grandchildren which then led to commissions.
Image credit: BRANDON SHEPPARD - @ARTVANDELAY100.
“But I always had the complete support of my family to sustain me. I am grateful to them and to many others who find pleasure in my art. When someone likes what you do and wants to hang your work on their walls, that is most humbling and the biggest compliment. It is part of me.”
Nadya can be found on Instagram: @nadyapaints.
Dr Vicki Bismilla is a retired Superintendent of Schools and retired college Vice-President, Academic, and Chief Learning Officer. She has authored two books.