My Dad was an executive and always looked his best. Being impeccably dressed was a must, and our family made frequent trips to the One Hour Martinizing shop (we never said the dry cleaner), at the top of our street. He must have looked the part in his blindingly white shirt at the early morning meetings.
As an artist, I owe a debt of gratitude to the One Hour Martinizing shop. Every shirt that was picked up was folded firmly around a perfect piece of unbent cardboard. There were stacks of them in the house, available for me to decorate at will.
My Mother, as a would-be archivist, kept some of those early works, possibly to ensure that part of me would never grow up. I note that some of them have yellowed tape at the top, so they must have been put somewhere in the house with pride.
Of course, she didn't keep every drawing, but selected what she would have considered my best at the time. My Dad loved it when I drew ducks in a pond, but I'm sure I learned that skill through watching Mr. Dressup on T.V. I'm absolutely positive that Mr. Dressup taught me how to draw bears as I sat at my little table in the den. (Yes, I checked and there are some videos of Mr. Dressup on You Tube and it did my heart good to see him with Casey and Finnegan again.)
I've gone through the stack of colourful art and have chosen this one to share with you.
As you can see, it's watercolour with pen & ink, so apparently that skill began WAY earlier than previously thought!!! I guess nothing changes in the long run--you become who you were always supposed to be.
Here is a more recent piece, currently in the the Purcell Mountain Painters Group Show at Centre 64 Art Gallery in Kimberley B.C.
It is also watercolour with pen & ink, but this time on handmade paper rather than a piece of cardboard.
Is there a lesson in all of this? I think so. My folks didn't buy expensive art supplies for me, but gave me every opportunity to create. Expensive paint wouldn't have produced a better work of art, but I can still feel how my heart pounded as I looked at my little tin of watercolours that said Paint Box across the top.
So, a Thank You to One Hour Martinizing, another to my Parents, and,
Thank YOU for spending this time with me,
Lori xx
P.S. As I was editing this blog, I received an exciting email. One of my paintings made it through a rigorous adjudication and will be in an International Art Exhibition at the Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery in Vancouver B.C. in July. One more Thank You to those who encourage me on this journey. xx