September is Alzheimer awareness month. Mas.s touches upon this devastating disease in his painting "Where am I?!" A self reflection.

Mas.s has touched upon one of the fastest growing diseases in Western society. He states "Alzheimer or dementia is not to be approached in medical terms only. Medication and cures should always be seconding care and solidarity. Patients often experience a grave sense of fear, of being all alone." Hold them and love them if you can. There is no better medicine." He knows from the inside. September is Alzheimer awareness month. He loves to share his amazing story. 

He says, "I think this is a very important work of mine. It touches upon deepest fear of many people, of loosing their mind or seeing somebody else loosing their mind. It is very intrusive, lays bare our vulnerabilities, but it can also a humbling experience." "This painting depicts (vascular) dementia, it depicts how he has perceived this and what you could do about it. He says, "Hold on to each other. "heart to heart" when everything becomes blurry, out of sync, chaotic and at times blanked out. That is what my wife did and it helped. Security is the keyword, not being alone, although it still is a lonely fight."

He goes on "In my own experience I can describe (vascular) dementia, like if 1000 pictures per second go through your brain or loads of wasps buzzing in your head. Disorientated. Constant movement. Its like a ship in a storm.  Little real consciousness, 4 or 5 moments per year. Very frightening at times."  Holding on, holding on to eachother is the only way to counteract this experience, keeping the heart in order, feeling secure, receiving love and care in an otherwise lonely fight. That is what my wife did. She was my guardian angel." He goes on "The heart is all important. Our brain may be disfunctioned but the heart and it's granted accessories keeps you going. The place where love comes in and out."

After cancer at a early age, radiotherapy and a reoccurence, the neckarteries slowly blocked up over a period of 23 years with the result that his family thought that he would not see the end of the year in 2011. Two very risky operations saw a respectively 97 and 87 percent closure of the main arteries in the neck effectively and increasingly depriving the brain from oxygen over a sustained period of time., He says "I  am ok now and fit for another 25 years!"
The picture tells the story...... He says "If it was not for the protecting and loving hand of my wife I would not have survived. I am very personal on this one but I believe it is important for people to know what they could do in these situations, fully realising that every situation is different."

The pastel and soft colours and shapes stand for the many interactions and circumstances everybody is confronted with. Sharp primary colours are not used, all is vague, soft and weak. The whites are the blanks drawn in his perception.The brain is deprived of oxygen and depicted with the "thousands" of jittery images, blank, grey and black.  The blacks  are the TIA's. The reds are the moments of conciousness.The heart is kept alive and willing to be kept alive through care, solidarity and security from people that where close to him. Depicted by the holding of hands, transmitting this love and care.