Unleashing Creativity at Sedgebrook
It took retirement to get Arnold Feinberg's creative juices flowing, but the resulting artwork has been well worth the wait. A resident of Sedgebrook retirement community in Lincolnshire, Feinberg's profession had been as an electrician. When he retired in the late '90s, he said "I needed something to do. I decided to start sculpting. I like to be creative."
Without any artistic training, Feinberg started participating in a group at Northshore Senior Center, near his home at the time in Wilmette. "There were interesting people in the group and they became my mentors. One had been an art director for a large advertising agency, one was a surgeon, another was the father of a senator. All were interested in sculpting, and it was a lot of fun." There was no formal instruction; the participants just all helped each other out. Feinberg started clay sculpting from live models. He gradually decided to pursue more humorous subjects, relying heavily on memories from his childhood and people in his life "I remember when I was little, playing cowboys and Indians. We'd sit on a fireplug and pretend it was a horse," he said, pointing to a sculpture of an authentically attired cowboy sitting astride a fire hydrant. With a nod to his brother-in-law who is an obstetrician, Feinberg sculpted a woman giving birth, with her obstetrician standing nearby furiously perusing his "How'2'" book.
Feinberg has created dozens of pieces, many of which he said, are proudly owned by family members. "My granddaughter is eight and she loves Disney, and especially Mickey Mouse. I sculpted Mickey dressed as the sorcerer for her," he said. "My son has my 'fiddler on the roof' sculpture. People offered to buy it from me but my son said, 'absolutely not.'"
With a nice art studio on-site at Sedgebrook, Feinberg said that he's started expanding his artistic horizons. "I've never painted on canvas before but there are classes for watercolor, acrylics, and colored pencils," he said. He still returns to Northshore Senior Center regularly as well.
Feinberg moved to Sedgebrook approximately 18 months ago and declared that it was a good decision. "The programs are nice, the community is kept up beautifully, and everyone is really friendly," he said. And best of all, he has time to pursue his hobbies, and launch some new ones.
About Sedgebrook
Sedgebrook is a Life Plan Community offering a diverse lifestyle, maintenance-free living, and outstanding amenities. Five-star rated Radford Green Health Care and Rehabilitation is located on the 7 2-acre Sedgebrook campus in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Sedgebrook is a Senior Care Development, LLC, affiliated community and managed by Life Care Services LLC. For additional information visit www.WelcomeToSedgebrook.com or call 847-901-3319.