In partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Cornwall and Area, the Cline House Gallery has opened a deeply personal solo exhibition by artist Cynthia Van Frank, titled “Lest We Forget – About My Mother.” The show runs from May 8 to May 31 and offers a poignant look into Van Frank’s evolving relationship with her 93-year-old mother, who lives with dementia.
“This is a very special and deeply personal series for me,” Van Frank said during the opening reception on May 10. “It started when my mom had a fall—on her 90th birthday. As we noticed changes in her memory and personality, painting became my way of understanding what she was going through and how I felt about it.”
The exhibit features intimate portraits and still lifes—objects like hairbrushes, shoes, chairs, and candy dishes—that hold significance for Van Frank and her mother. These “touchstones,” as she calls them, serve as emotional anchors to memories now fading.
“When I would give her a shower and brush her hair, I’d see the brush, with some of her white hair caught in it, and I’d just have this rush of feeling,” she explained. “Painting that object helped me process the moment. Somehow, it made me feel more peaceful about everything.”
Van Frank describes her artistic style as emotional realism, a blend of contemporary realism and expressive texture that captures both the physical detail and emotional weight of her subject matter.
Some works, rendered in stark purples and blues, evoke a sense of emotional turbulence. “There’s a lot of loss in these pieces—grieving, caregiving, love,” Van Frank said.
“In one painting, I’d just washed her hair with this special purple shampoo, and I looked at her and said, ‘Mommy, you look like a queen.’ I took a picture, and that became the basis for the piece. It was peaceful but chaotic too—just like how dementia feels.”
She added, “Everybody’s journey with dementia is different. I’m very lucky my mom has stayed positive and kind through it all. Being with her has really taught me to be present. That’s not just a buzzword—she’s really present, and I have to meet her where she is, every single time.”
The exhibition aims to preserve her mother’s legacy and also open a larger conversation about the emotional and societal impact of dementia, which affects more than 55 million people globally. Van Frank noted that many visitors to the exhibit have shared their own stories of caregiving and memory loss. “There’s a universality to this,” she said. “Even if it’s not dementia, we’re all going to lose someone. We’ve all lost someone. We will.”
Two events will accompany the exhibit at the Cline House Gallery. On May 23 from 1–3 p.m., Van Frank will be joined by writers Victoria Leblanc and Elisabeth Recurt for an Artist Talk exploring how art can support memory preservation, emotional healing, and caregiving.
A community Fundraising Tea, in collaboration with the Alzheimer Society of Cornwall and Area, will be held on May 28 from 1–3 p.m., with proceeds supporting Alzheimer’s care and community arts programming.
Reflecting on the role of objects in the paintings, Van Frank said: “We start in our mothers. Even if that relationship is complicated, we spend our lives looking for that same feeling of security. These objects—they’re part of her. They carry that feeling.”
Visitors can view Lest We Forget – About My Mother at the Cline House Gallery, open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
