Geri Mormile's artwork is as beautiful as she is.
"We have just a short time on this earth and I think you should do as much as you can, make the most of the time you have here."
At 85-years-old, Mormile's time in this world is coming to an end.
"Though I accept that I am dying, my end I am defying, as my fingers are still flying," Mormile wrote in a poem. "I'll paint as long as I can, I'm not ever done until I can't lift my arm to do it anymore."
Mormile is a patient of Hospice Buffalo and that's where she'll show off her paintings one final time. The name of this exhibit?
"I was sitting here one day and it just came into my mind: 'The Last Picture Show.'"
But Mormile says the exhibit wouldn't be possible without Hospice therapist Abby Unger.
"I thought what a shame it would be to have all this beautiful recent work never seen by folks or only seen after and her not to enjoy people's feedback for the work she's created these past few months," said Unger.
When Unger started coming to Mormile's home earlier this year for art therapy sessions, she noticed dozens of paintings crowding the floor and leaning against furniture.
"What's so meaningful is that she's at once living her life and creating and also reconciling with the fact that she's dying."
Mormile says she is losing her eyesight and her ability to hold a paintbrush. In only two months, she painted 34 pieces for this exhibit. And while she didn't share what is causing her health to deteriorate, Mormile did share some wisdom.
"Keep trying to do better all the time... I can't do what I want [but] I still keep on trying to do better, it's all you can do."
Mormile's artwork will be displayed Thursday evening for friends and family at a private reception at Hospice Buffalo.
