QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SENIORS
Quality of Life
FOR SENIORS
T U E S D A Y, M A Y 3 1 , 2 0 1 6
B3
REGINA LEADER-POST
LIVING LIFE OUTSIDE THE LINES
C A RO L T O D D POSTMEDIA CONTENT WORKS
As children, we are told to “colour inside the lines,” and as adults, we are required to stay within manner of boundaries. Yet, for one Regina senior, art and life outside the lines has brought freedom and peace. “I am having the quality of life that I never had before,” says Jim Toth, who will turn 79 years young this summer. “It’s a quality that, at my age, I am absolutely delighted with and happy with, because I’m at peace,” he says. The journey to that place has not always been easy, but he found his way through his art and his faith. “Religion is an aspect that I have grown and matured in in life to where I am no longer confined by the mores and standards and rituals of everyday church practice,” he says, adding his worship is based on the biblical definition of a church as wherever “two or more are gathered in His name.” At the same time, his faith has helped shape his life in many ways. He has been a Lutheran lay pastor since 1961, and his second wife and his daughters from his first marriage are ordained ministers in their respective churches. Toth was born and raised in Regina and he and his family continue to live there. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, and a post-graduate diploma in Education Administration from the University of Regina. He recently graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree from Carey College at the University of British Columbia. He’s performed as a hypnotist and as Petals the Clown and continues to be an active volunteer, serving with the Regina LeaderPost Foundation, and, in the past, the Rotary Club, the Regina Exhibition Association and Taylor Field. But, it’s his faith, and his art, that continue to be the driving forces in his life. “I worship religion outside the lines as I paint outside the lines,” he says. He began studying watercolour painting in the 1950s before branching into oils and, eventually, acrylics. Today he paints mainly in oils, though he says that “acrylic painting has snuck back into” his studio. He and his wife travel extensively, with the vistas they see finding their way onto his canvasses. The other artists he visits contribute to his growth as an artist. A recent high point was a meeting with Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman. “It was magic. We were so blessed with this wonderful opportunity and experience,” he says. He’s looking forward to a trip to the Grand Tetons National Park next month to visit artist Scott Christensen to, he says, “help me
Don’t put me in a shoebox. J I M TO TH, Reg ina ar tist
Regina senior Jim Toth’s passion for art has elevated his quality of life. In recent years, Toth has focused on plein air (outdoor) painting. P H O TO S C O U RTE SY J IM TOTH
fine tune my brush.” For the last six years or so, he has focused on plein air painting, from the French term meaning open (in full) air. He jokes that he was driven to search for places to paint outdoors by the Prairie winter. “With winter comes the cabin fever,” he says of trips to places like the Anza Borrego desert in Northern California or Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island to wield his brush outside. His brush doesn’t seem to need much tuning: his first solo show and sale of his work at the University of Regina The World Through My Eyes, saw six paintings sold in the first two hours. He terms himself “delighted” with the response. “I am thrilled. I hope more go the same way. This is very uplifting,” he says. The show continues until June 24 at the University Club at the U of R. More information on the show, and on the artist himself is online at jimtothprairieartist.ca/ blog. While marketers encourage “thinking outside the box,” outside the box is where Jim Toth lives. “Don’t put me in a shoebox,” he says. That and painting outside the lines have brought him peace and a high quality of life. Good advice for the rest of us who are still searching.
Qualicum Beach, oil on canvas by Jim Toth.
ABOUT THIS CONTENT: QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SENIORS WAS PRODUCED BY POSTMEDIA CONTENT WORKS AS A RESULT OF ADVERTISERS’ INTEREST IN RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. POSTMEDIA’S EDITORIAL DEPARTMENTS HAD NO INVOLVEMENT IN THE CREATION OF THIS CONTENT.
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