A
nationally known wildlife and western
painter, Marian Anderson for years
until recently displayed her oil‑on‑canvas
creations at various art shows, often
alongside the works of contemporaries
Terry Redlin and Les Kouba. In her
career, she has earned an “artist
of the year” designation from at least
three wildlife‑related organizations.
About
25 years ago, a doctor diagnosed Anderson
with degenerative arthritis, also
known as osteoarthritis. According
to a National Institutes of Health
Web site, osteoarthritis is the most
common form of arthritis and “a joint
disease that mostly affects cartilage.”
The disease causes cartilage to break
down and wear away. When bones losing
this protective cartilage rub together,
a person often experiences joint pain,
swelling and reduced motion. Factors
causing osteoarthritis include age,
joint injury, being overweight and
joint stress from sports or certain
repetitive jobs.
“The
first time I felt anything wrong was
when I was 27,” said 70‑year‑old
Anderson in a telephone interview.
“I had hip pain then, but wasn’t diagnosed
with degenerative arthritis until
my forties.”
Over
the last 15 years, Anderson has had
two thumb‑joint replacement
operations, and later, two hip replacements.
“The
thumb‑joint replacements were
important to my career,” she said.
“At one time I thought I wouldn’t
be able to paint again. Every time
my heart beat, I could feel a jabbing
pain in my thumb joint. I couldn’t
even hold a cup of coffee. And I can’t
even begin to tell you the pain I
had before the hip replacements.”
Now
she is experiencing back and spine
pain, and walks with a limp. She attributes
part of her condition to having to
stand hours on end over a 20‑year
period on hard cement floors at various
art shows.
“As
an artist, I am now sitting all the
time,” she said. “I used to stand
while painting until doing so became
too physically difficult because of
hip joint pain. Now I have a special
easel so I can look straight ahead
at the canvas while seated. At art
shows I had to begin using a special
(elevated) chair so I could look at
people straight in the eye while sitting
down.”
If
able to “do life over,” she said she
would get more exercise and not sit
or stand while doing work in the same
spot for days and weeks on end.
For
more, see danieljvance.com
. This column made is possible by
a grant from Blue Valley Sod, bluevalleysod.com.
