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Art sale showcases work of Dundee area seniors

Every week, a dozen or so senior citizens get together to paint.

They just don't paint, though. They talk, laugh express themselves by putting on canvas what they see and feel in their aging eyes and hearts.

"It's wonderful," said Robert Larson. "We talk about our aches and pains and everything else we can think of."

But more importantly, they paint. The brush strokes that come from their hands while they meet at the Dundee Township Senior Center show years of dedication through practice. They are far from shaky. They are far from being amateurs.

Like every artist, the oil, water color paintings and pencil sketches reflect the world as they see it.

"This group has been meeting for 20 years. We have members who have been painting for 30 years. We're at least 55 years old and come from all over the Fox Valley," said Larson.

Larson is 84 years old. Other members are older.

"We don't just come from Carpentersville. We have members from the Sun City complex in South Elgin."

For eight of the last 20 years, the group has hosted an art show and sale. This year, it will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at the Village Green Condominium complex, 605 Barrington Ave. (Route 68) in East Dundee.

Larson and other members are inviting their neighbors and area residents to see exactly what a group of retired senior citizens can do with a paint brush, imagination and friends.

The show will also give the group a chance to invite new members to join them on Thursdays.

"Painting is good therapy. I remember spending an entire day on weekends in my workshop, painting," he said. "It is really enjoyable. Our weekly workshops are led by an instructor who walks around and gives us ideas on how we can make our paintings better."

Joining the group is not expensive. The price to attend a workshop is $2. Artists must supply their own materials, though.

"This is a good group of men and women who like to meet, talk and paint," he said.

For information about the local artists, the art show or the senior center, call the Dundee Township Park District at (847) 428-7131.

Artwork such as this painting by Karen Murray will be on display and available for purchase at an art show Saturday, June 4, at the Village Green in East Dundee. Courtesy of Karen Murray
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