Month: June 2022

When Jeanine Semon’s husband, Ed, used to leave for work every morning around 7:30 a.m., he would advise her to stay off the phone until after noon. “That’s all he’d say,” said Jeanine, with a chuckle. “He knew my high-energy painting time was nine in the morning. And then after 12:30, he knew I’d painted. And he was right.” Ed Semon recently passed (April 25, 2022), but even while grieving, Jeanine can still feel his quiet support in her artistic endeavors. “I’ve been painting for more than 65 years,” said Jeanine. “In all that time, Ed never had an opinion, a preference about my work, neither criticism nor compliments. All he did was go along with what I wanted and he was always there to help with the children or cooking or whatever I needed, whether it was driving the car to New Mexico and West Virginia to show and teach, or to art museums and galleries in Chicago and Madison. He was a wonderful man.” Jeanine Gassman grew up in Portage, Wisconsin. She attended University of Wisconsin in Madison for a year, then transferred to Parsons School of Design in New York to study costume design. Disappointed in her New York choice, Jeanine decided to leave Parsons and New York and return to Milwaukee, taking art classes at the two arts schools available. “They were mediocre classes,” said Jeanine. “So, I left and got a job working at the Red Cross.” It was during that time that Jeanine met Ed Semon. They married and had two boys, Bruce and Jesse. Later, Betsy would follow. One day when she was 26, Jeanine took her sons—so small they occupied the same buggy—to the Milwaukee Jewish Community Center. There was an art show on view. “I didn’t know there was an art exhibit,” said Jeanine. “I looked at the paintings, and was electrified. I went out to the desk and asked where the art had come from, and they said that there was an art class on Wednesday nights at seven. I said, ‘That sounds perfect.’ “The following Wednesday, I was in that class, and from there I never stopped painting.” In the beginning, Jeanine concentrated on Wisconsin landscapes. She grew to love the native American philosophy of nature and its respect for creatures and trees. She made jewelry and learned stain glass. She began to have galleries of her own, and she taught art classes in Menomonee Falls, Wisc., Flagstaff, Arizona, and Rome, Italy. “I was always meeting people that connected me,” said Jeanine. “I’m a person that opens the door when it’s offered.” Jeanine describes her work as “healing art,” images that “give joy, comfort, and make you feel good.” She said a friend undergoing chemotherapy set up Jeanine’s dolphin prints in her treatment room for comfort. The hospital in Menomenee Falls where she and Ed raised their family has Jeanine’s paintings on their walls. When Betsy was in school all day, Jeanine returned to the University of Wisconsin part time taking two classes each semester. She graduated with a bachelor of fine arts at age 48. That was in 1978. “I loved every minute of it,” she said. “It didn’t make any difference to me that it was taking a while. I was in no hurry.” Jeanine’s art was a constant by then as Ed taught school and wrote books. Many a winter the couple rented space in Oregon to visit Betsy who had taken a job at KEX Radio in Portland. During one of their stays, Ed suffered a stroke, and the pair moved to an assisted living facility. Several years ago, Jeanine and Ed moved to Rose Schnitzer Manor at Cedar Sinai Park. “There are a lot of good, interesting people here, and wonderful activities,” said Jeanine. “I am a people person, and that’s why I live here.” In May, Jeanine’s work was displayed outside the Manor’s May Café, and she is considering teaching a class to residents. She is writing her third book about art. There are several large canvasses in her apartment upon which she has sketched emerging scenes, some in colors she has never tried before. She is hoping to exhibit her work soon at the Hillsdale library, since her first exhibit was in her hometown library and she loves books. “This one is a series on creation,” said Jeanine, unrolling a set of five prints. “It is interesting because I discovered something psychologically about myself. Every one of these paintings has an exit. There’s a place to go out. There is freedom. “These guys are coming out of the water and they’re floating and they can get out; there’s always an escape, a place to move beyond. These characters started as horses and as they migrated to the sides of the frame, becoming a different sort of water-sky creature. “They represent passages and freedom to me. You know, you can’t keep animals alive and healthy by putting them in a protected place; they need to be able to mix their genes freely to survive.” Jeanine is on a brief painting hiatus while she mourns Ed. But she wants people to know that ideas don’t have an age limit. “I think people ought to know that when you’re 92, creativity is still coming,” she said. “When Ed was sleeping, I had so many ideas in the evening. I think it’s healthy to see that older people can achieve.” For information on Jeanine’s books, go to amazon.com or jeaninesdream.com. ###

One of the beauties of residing in an assisted living community is that there are always new ideas to share and challenges for solving! Residents with decades of life experience bring their thoughts and interests to Rose Schnitzer Manor to lead activities and take lives in a new direction. “Our residents are involved and have so much to offer,” said Life Enrichment Coordinator Fabiana Dal Cero. “Some of the new activities come about through the Resident Council, but many are happening simply because residents see a need and they step up to help make change happen.” For example, Harriet Dietz raised questions about safety during a Resident Council meeting that led to the formation of a Safety Committee, which resulted in a series of helpful presentations from local agencies about security. Eve Rosenfeld has joined Harriet Block in revitalizing the welcome committee, actively greeting and including new members and guiding them in all that Rose Schnitzer Manor has to offer. Books are of interest, and a number of residents have stepped up to ensure all are included in reading. Volunteers took on the task of reorganizing and coding nearly 3,000 titles in the RSM library. Paula Nelson, with other book lovers, began meeting once a week to discuss what they are reading. Arthur Ginsburg takes book discussions in another direction with a monthly book discussion with large-print books provided by Multnomah County Library. Annette Gerard helms the Stop ’n Shop so residents have a place to purchase small sundries. Geneticist Marie Godfrey has initiated a series of presentations about genetics research. A number of residents have begun movement classes. Beverly Nighorn, who tap-danced in the movies as a child, created a seated tap-dancing class, and Jeanine Semon shared yoga every Sunday. Sophia Rose and Spiritual Life Director Cathy Zheutlin co-lead a music and movement class. Pete Brown realized sing-alongs were popular amongst his peers and began sharing his love of music and facility for singing and guitar playing with residents weekly, which was particularly helpful during the pandemic. “We also have a weekly game night that was initiated by a resident, and we’ve had residents offer to take care of the vegetables and herbs in the raised beds,” said Fabiana. “No matter what their interests, we always encourage residents to share their talents with us. It is often our residents’ asking questions that lead us to ideas we’ve never tried, and fun new outings, as well as novel ways of connecting.” To share an idea, please contact Fabiana (4041) or Adam (4055) in Life Enrichment.