by Joe Devlin

Blue Bar, an oil on canvas rendering of a rooftop bar in Careyes, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Nicole Keating.

October 2011—Mason is 8 years old — a brown-haired, rosy-cheeked bundle of energy. He loves his painting classes and does his best work when his painting is confined within the walls of a 14-by-14-inch pizza box. You see Mason is autistic; he has a neural disorder that overloads his senses and makes communicating with other people difficult. Painting within borders helps to keep Mason in a state of sustained focus, allowing his brain to create new connections.

Nicole Keating. Photo courtesy of Nicole Keating.

Ruth is the sweetest woman you could ever know, tiny and immaculately put together, but cursed with rapidly advancing Alzheimer’s disease. A true southern belle, she always blooms a little as she paints.

Mason and Ruth’s teacher is Nicole Keating, a Half Moon Bay-based artist and Mneme Therapist. Mneme — pronounced Nemma — Therapy is a discipline that aims to help improve the quality of life for individuals with autism, Alzheimer’s, dementia and other related disorders of the brain. Keating’s clients include autistic kids and senior citizens, from the Coastside to Palo Alto. She is offering art as therapy in Half Moon Bay while giving the brain a boost.

“On one level, people with Alzheimer’s and autism could not be more different,” says Keating. “A child with autism can be very sensitive to stimulus. For example, touch, sound, verbal communication, facial expression can all be stumbling blocks for kids on the spectrum. On the other hand, a general problem I see with my Alzheimer’s clients is the desperate need of more stimulation in order to keep their brains sharper longer. Both respond well to the calming, caring, highly structured approach Mneme Therapy provides.”

Most of the half-hour, one-on-one sessions Keating leads start with a song. “Starting with a familiar song calms Mason, strengthens the relationship between us, takes his focus away from distractions, and gets him into an artistic frame of mind. Routine is important with kids with autism. We paint images with distinctive repeating patterns, use bright-colored acrylic paints that have nice textures, and always start in the upper left corner of the paper.”

“My primary goal with my clients is to provide a rewarding experience. It took Mason a few sessions to get into the swing of things, but there is no doubt that he is benefiting from his lessons and having fun. With each session,” Keating says, “Mason becomes more focused and he communicates at a higher level.”

“Ruth may not remember my art lessons, but she always remembers me. Our songs stimulate her memory and help her reconnect with her past. When she paints, it takes her back to the gardens and landscapes she loved earlier in life. Ruth was losing weight and becoming socially withdrawn, staying in her room all day. Now that I see her twice weekly, she has something to look forward to and she stays much more involved in the community,” Keating adds.

“I have always been an artist,” Keating says. “I can envision myself at 3, drawing with my purple marker — the smell of grapes, the sound of the marker scooting across the paper. In my college years I could not visualize how I could make a living being an artist and I had a great love for food, wine, and people. So I got a degree in hospitality management and worked in the restaurant business, most recently as manager of Half Moon Bay’s Pasta Moon. I loved working in the restaurant, but art kept calling me back.”

Keating’s friend and mentor, artist Lisette Lugo, pulled her back into the world of art full time. Lugo is Master Mneme Therapist at the Art Without Boundaries Foundation. Keating became Lugo’s apprentice, studying and working under her supervision for a year before she was ready to take on her own clients. Two years later, Keating is the on-site Mneme Therapist at the Sunrise assisted living facility in Palo Alto, has other clients at the Wings Learning Center in Redwood City, and also sees private clients throughout the Bay Area.

“I love this work, but it is not for everyone,” Keating says. “You need a fundamental understanding of color and artistic technique to work as a Mneme Therapist. You also need to be able to work upside down and backwards — something that is harder than it sounds. Most importantly, you need to be patient, empathetic and compassionate and possess the ability to foster visual communication.”

“Working with my clients is as good for me as it is for them; it creates so much gratitude in my life,” says Keating. “I draw great inspiration from helping others reach their potential and utilize their own creative spirit. You can tap into that at any age; this well never runs dry.”

Keating shows her own work — colorful landscapes and figurative abstractions in oil and acrylics — several times a year, and she loves an audience. “Come to one of my shows or make an appointment and stop by my studio,” she says. Her studio is in the big red barn at 415 Kelly Ave. in Half Moon Bay.