In November and December of 2013, I spent 6 very rewarding weeks painting the retired sisters of Notre Dame. Yes, I am painting nuns. Before I actually visited, I had pictured something out of Sound of Music, cloistered, beautiful and wizened elderly faces beaming out from the austerity of a black headdress, with lovely bits of white showing through…on red backgrounds, for the ultimate contrast.

What I found, however was an adventure with kind and lovely women that are anything but cloistered, who have long ago given up the headdress, but continue good works and goodness to each other and the world, until they are no longer in this world.  The Notre Dame Health Center is a model for aging graceful.y with dignity, and painting these women was my honor and my pleasure.

You can read more about it on my blog soon: chickswithballsjudytakacs.blogspot.com.

I would like to make it clear, however, that none of the sisters posed for me for Chicks with Balls, though they are all supreme examples of unsung female courage.

The collection of nine NUN paintings were shown together in April 2014 at the
Clara Fritzsche Library Gallery

Notre Dame College

South Euclid, Ohio