The exhibit is officially over, but Betty Rothaus still looks like a proud parent gazing at her creations as she lovingly wanders the conference room turned art gallery at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living off Camino Tassajara.
“Our ability to see color is so magical. Because there are no absolute colors, just reflective light,” says Rothaus, art director at Reutlinger for the past 15 years. Her recent exhibit, “Portraits by Betty … A Celebration of Life,” showcased a breathtaking array of soft pastel and charcoal portraits.
The show originated out of a weekly program for residents and caregivers. Subjects were invited to sit for a portrait for later display in the wing or near the resident’s room.
“One woman was shy, so I suggested we begin by drawing her hands. She enjoyed the experience and later asked to sit for a portrait,” recalls Rothaus, who feels inspired by working with elders in a Jewish environment.
Reutlinger is home to 180 residents of varying needs. Rothaus, who prefers the title artist-in-residence, works in a bright, colorful art room and has developed a unique program to encourage artistry in older students.
“Studies show that residents feel healthier and happier when they are creating art,” she says. “Many residents come out of their shells when they see their paintings displayed on the wall.”
One look at Rothaus’ portraits of residents, staff and volunteers, and suddenly the old adage about eyes being the window to the soul no longer sounds like a worn out cliché. For, if eyes truly serve as some sort of spiritual looking glass, then Rothaus has an uncanny knack for leaving her subject’s shades wide open.
Pausing in front of a portrait that seemed to radiate with life, Rothaus explains that she gives her subjects a choice of being painted in color or black and white.
“I remember when one resident saw her finished portrait, she said, ‘That’s me, the real thing … with no put-on,'” says 57-year-old Rothaus, who dedicated the show to her mom, Pauline, a former resident of the home who recently died. The display was also dedicated to her father and aunt, both artists who served as role models.
Dressed in a turtleneck, black pants and a tan suede shirt, Rothaus gestures frequently with her hands, often touching her short dark hair when she talks. It’s hard to believe the soft-spoken artist – with her casual dress, and chic matching earrings and necklace – is approaching early seniorhood herself.
Born in 1947 to one of the few Jewish families in Jacksonville, Fla., she holds a master’s degree in fine arts and has studied, taught and exhibited locally, nationally and internationally. She spent some time touring Israel, where she took water from the Dead Sea and used it to make a series of watercolors.
She worked in Paris with noted printmaker William Stanley Hayter and for years has created a broad spectrum of art – from abstract to realism. In addition to her love of portraits, she is also drawn to the phenomena of nature and the intersection between the arts and sciences.
She particularly enjoys creating solar light sculptures. Working with material forms containing reflective light and color, she calls the designs a metaphor for the human spirit. Like our bodies, she explains, these vessels contain something timeless and beyond form.
“I draw inspiration from my spiritual connection to nature, and awe at the wonder of other beings,” says Rothaus, discussing how her work has evolved over the years.
She just completed a master class in pastel portraiture – a natural extension of her increasing enchantment with portraiture – and has branched out into a second career painting commissioned portraits. Working out of the studio at her Walnut Creek home, she’s in the process of distributing a brochure and constructing a Web site highlighting her work.
Rothaus is also gearing up for a group show to be held with other artists who teach frail elders, sponsored and organized by the San Francisco-based “Eldergivers and Art with Elders” program. The juried exhibit featuring the residents’ artwork will be held at the opening of the new DeYoung Museum in October.
“I love observing and recording the human form with its individual physical characteristics,” says Rothaus. “Beyond a likeness, what unfolds within this process is a deeper kind of seeing, revealing the energy and presence of each person.”
Judith Markowitz, Reutlinger’s director of marketing, says that, through her art, Rothaus has forged a special connection beyond the resident-caregiver role, “of truly being able to see the inner spirit.”
Indeed, it’s not a far stretch to picture Rothaus as a gourmet chef, expertly peeling an onion … shedding layer upon layer … until only the inner, exposed yet soft core remains.
