Capturing Life 2000

In January 2000, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital unveiled Capturing Life, a series of Nadine's paintings showing actual people with disabilities.

Excerpts from the Artist's Statement:

The subjects in these paintings are real people, but I didn't want to paint them as portraits. Instead, I opted to show them caught in some activity, totally absorbed in what they are doing. This puts the focus, not on the person or the disability, but rather, on what the person is doing.

These paintings are large. Each is five feet high and some are as wide as six feet. The huge size makes each individual appear larger than life.

When viewers stand in front of one of these paintings they become part of the scene. Close cropping and limited spatial depth increase this sense of intimacy. Swift brush strokes convey the boldness and inner energy of the subject. Color areas are not flat, and there is little reworking. I did not want these subjects to appear cautious, but to be seen embracing life.

These paintings are successful if the viewer looks at them and responds to the strength, dignity and heroism portrayed. These are abstract concepts. Of the many ways there are to communicate, perhaps the best way to talk about such concepts is through the medium of paint.

1. Josie Johnson was five when she lost her lower right leg in a farm accident. Today she is a recreational therapist who provides peer support to persons with amputations.

2. A concert pianist and retired University of Nebraska professor of piano, Audun Ravnan continues to make music even though a stroke has stilled the left side of his body.

3. Bob Kerrey served as a member of the elite SEAL Corps of the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. He was injured in combat, which resulted in the amputation of his lower leg. Kerrey served as both governor and U.S. Senator from Nebraska.

4. Eric Kingery was born without legs and has played wheelchair basketball since he was a teen.

5. Sponsored by Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital and the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation, the Madonna Magic wheelchair basketball team plays a fast-paced game.

6. A gang-related shooting left Jack Coleman a quadriplegic and unable to breathe on his own. A strong opponent of gang violence, he regularly speaks to youth.

7. Ruth Griess was paralyzed following a vehicle accident. Today, she leads an active life, chauffeurs her children to school and helps her husband on their farm.

8. At age 12, Paul Krabbenhoft fell from a tree and injured his spinal cord. Today, he is a physician at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital and leads the spinal cord injury team.

9. A sledding accident left Lynn DeSantiago paralyzed below the mid-abdomen. Today, she is a typical youth who likes recess better than math, Nintendo and playing with her dog.

10. Severely injured in a car accident, Rafael Tatay was in a coma for three months. Less than a year later he was able to return to his high school.

11. Following a vehicle accident in 1995, Aleda White suffered multiple broken bones, fractured vertebrae, nerve damage, and a traumatic brain injury that kept her in a coma for 10 days. Since then, she has returned to work, married, and given birth to a daughter.

12. A bomb accident interrupted Sgt. Rod Getting's career as an officer with the Nebraska State Patrol. He overcame severe burns, the loss of his thumbs and other injuries to return to his job.