Grandma on bed rest delights social media with her stunning paintings
“I’ve been busy,” she proudly told ABC News.
— -- This grandma is delighting the internet with her stunning, colorful paintings.
Joan Holland, 83, has been on bed rest in her assisted living facility in Cranford, New Jersey, for one year, and admitted she gets bored. But recently, she rediscovered her love for Paint by Numbers, a painting kit for adults.
“I’ve been busy,” she proudly told ABC News of her handiwork. “I’ve been confined to bed rest only for a year. And you get tired of laying around in bed. I tried knitting and was good for a while, and I tried reading. But the Paint by Numbers, the painting is perfect. It was easy to set up, easy to clean up and didn’t make a big mess. And I had good results from it.”
An adorable photo of Holland showing off her masterpieces has gone viral, with more than 3,000 likes after her granddaughter, Jill Sobocinski, tweeted it.
“It was really, really beautiful to me,” Sobocinski said of her grandmother’s talents. “It brings her a lot of happiness. She loves to show them off.
“Being stuck there, she does get cranky sometimes,” Sobocinski added. “This is her outlet and her getaway. It brings her joy. Being there and seeing her do this, it’s an inspiration to me and my family. Maybe we need to take up watercolors, too.”
Sobocinski shared the photo because of Holland’s radiant smile in the photo, a rare occurrence since her grandmother has been stuck in bed.
“She doesn’t look that happy all the time, but this brings it out in her,” she said.
After Holland completes a painting, she gives them away to her nurses or family members.
“I could be in an art gallery but I don’t like to be surrounded by them,” she explained. “They’ve served my purpose and now someone else can enjoy them.”
The average painting takes her about 10 days to complete.
“I enjoy it very much,” she said. “I enjoy seeing them go along as they get more and more interesting.”
And this creative grandma has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
“I’m here for a while longer, so you’ll see more,” said Holland. “I’m already thinking about my next painting.”