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SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL AGING GRACEFULLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013 S15 Art eases aging Treasury makes final push to end paper benefit checks By PATRICIA SABATINI Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The U.S. Treasury Department is making a final push to prod people who still receive Social Security and other federal benefit checks in the mail to save taxpayers big bucks and sign up for direct deposit. Two years ago, the department issued a rule setting a March 1, 2013, deadline for phasing out paper benefit checks. While roughly 90 percent of people already have converted to electronic payments, the department still issues some 5 million benefit checks per month. Eliminating those remaining checks would save taxpayers about $1 billion over the next 10 years, the department said. Producing and mailing a paper check costs the government $1.02 vs. 10 cents for an electronic payment. "Switching to electronic payment is not optional — it's the law," said David Lebryk, commissioner of Treasury's financial- management service. People who do not have an account with a bank or credit union can have payments electronically deposited onto a prepaid debit card called Direct Express Debit MasterCard. Enrollees receive the card in the mail and payments are automatically credited to the card each month. Money on the card can be used to pay bills and make purchases anywhere that accepts MasterCard. There are no sign-up fees or monthly fees. Recipients can withdraw cash from the card at an ATM once a month at no charge. After that, withdrawals cost 90 cents. Lost cards are replaced one time for free. Subsequent replacement cards cost $4. The downside to having benefits loaded onto a card is that recipients could get hit with a fee, say for making more than one cash withdrawal per month, Treasury Department spokesman Walt Henderson said. Beyond a natural tendency to procrastinate, misunderstandings about direct deposit could be preventing people from converting to electronic payments, he said. Although the deadline for people to sign up is less than two months away, those who don't comply won't stop receiving benefits. "We realize there are unique circumstances, so we are not going to cut off a person's check. But we will be reaching out to make sure they understand the requirement," Henderson said. In a relatively small number of cases, the government is allowing people to continue receiving paper checks. Automatic waivers are being granted to anyone 90 or older as of May 1, 2011. People living in remote areas without sufficient banking services and certain people with mental impairments also may apply for a waiver. Waiver applications are available at 1-800-333-1795. For more information: www.GoDirect.org, or call 1-800-333-1795. By JUSTINE DACOSTA features@santacruzsentinel.com BEN LOMOND — Art is an ageless expression. Getting older has its drawbacks, but for artists, the process of aging can lead to a rebirth of their work and the way they view art in the world. Linda Levy, a longtime artist and executive director of the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, which offers a host of classes, said an added dimension can emerge in an artist's work as they grow older and bring something different to their artwork. "Experience, wisdom, deeper meaning," she said, adding there's a sense of urgency to express oneself as time is running out. Levy, now in her golden years, has explored the human figure through mediums including clay and drawing as well as digital painting, which she picked up in 1985. The Internet has allowed her to access visuals she couldn't have imagined 40 years ago. "Change is my only constant," she said. "I am not afraid to try something new." Santa Cruz County is home to artists of all ages who work in just about every medium imaginable. Michele Faia, 65, teaches watercolor mandala, and said women who are middle-aged and older tend to enroll in her classes. Her work has changed over the years, and she feels that artists just improve with time. "When you stay at your craft, you develop, try new things," she said. They can also bring life experience to the palette. Faia is a breast cancer survivor, and she uses mandalas for healing. "Art is a healing tool," she said. She sees her job as an instructor as a way to help her students "turn on" their creativity and teach them how to let it flow. "You become alive with the creativity," she said. Oftentimes, people develop the urge to connect with something more meaningful within themselves as they age. If people are open to letting their creativity flow, they can find themselves in an ocean of self-expression. "It takes me deeper, into a spiritual place," Faia, an Aptos resident, said of creating art now. "When your soul opens up to find out who you are, you find ways to express it." Dale Bates, 77, has been an artist for 60 years. The Felton resident creates and teaches classes on raku, a type of Japanese pottery, and agrees that one's art just improves with age. "Your ability never goes cold," he said. "It gets a little bit tighter, a little more articulate." He said anyone can tap into their inner artist, and suggests that seniors new to the scene begin by taking a class. "It just gets them started," he said. For Bates, his art was his calling. His age is meaningless when he's creating. "It's gratifying," he said. "That's why I keep it up." Levy has this piece of advice for seniors interested in tapping into their inner artist: "Go for it. There is no right or wrong, so don't be afraid to unleash that creative inner child." AT A GLANCE T H E S A N T A C R U Z M O U N T A I N S A R T C E N T E R WHAT: A local nonprofit promoting the arts, the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center features gallery shows, adult and children's art classes, and clay and ceramic workshops. WHERE: 9341 Mill St., Ben Lomond DETAILS: 336-3513 or visit www.mountainartcenter.org. LINDA LEVY: www.kinglevy. com MICHELE FAIA: www. michelefaia.com DALE BATES: www. mountainartcenter.org/ Artists/dale_bates.htm SHMUEL THALER/SENTINEL Artists exhibiting at the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center exemplify that making meaningful and beautiful art has no age limit. Life experience changes the way many see the world, creating artistic rebirth

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