Barb Diedel

(submitted by Liz Langdon)

Topic: Dementia and Memory

This is a curated collection from over 500 coloring pages from 20 books, each hand-colored by Barbara Diedel. Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease ten years ago. Around that time, she turned her creative energy toward coloring. Prior to the diagnosis she raised five children with her husband Ray, who together planted beautiful perennial beds, created and ran a craft/gift shop and did flower arranging for a local florist—all utilizing her eye for color and design. The pages in these books became a way for Barbara to focus as other skills diminished. I am an ART (artist/researcher/teacher) professor, whose personal artwork often includes working with found objects and community, I am grateful to Barb to be able to engage in conversations with her about the formal properties of these images, and curate a display of selections which honors this part of her life. Barbara is now receiving hospice services due to dementia. During recent visits we discussed ideas about her color choices as we paged through these books together. She said “Art is about playing….and making your own choices.”

The therapeutic role of the adult coloring book is disputed by art therapist Cathy Malchiodi (2015) because she argues it is more obsession than mindfulness, more a “feel-good” experience than an authentic creative expression, and not art therapy because it is lacking in a relational aspect. Yet, I suggest that for Barb and others experiencing Alzheimer’s, coloring as engagement with visual stimuli can be a positive and generative obsession.

Malchiodi, C. (2015, June 30). Are you having a relationship with an adult coloring book? Psychology Today.