Welcome to my very first Blog experience. I guess my first task is to explain what the hell I'm doing here, how I got here, and how and why this blog has come to be.
First off... I was pretty much BORN an artist. One of my very first memories is of me "creating". My mother hates this story, perhaps, because like any story, I tell it the way that I remember it. What you are about to read is my perception of the way it happened and in my world perception is reality. So...thus being said. At three or four years old, or three or four feet tall, I'm sure it was one of those... I created my first masterpiece. My parents were teachers and because of this there were always school supplies around; paper, pens, glue, paste, all kinds of your typical school needs. My chosen medium for the day was ball-point pen on blue lined paper. One other interesting supply that I had at my disposal were little brass binder/fastener "thingies" that I found absolutely fascinating at the time. Hey, you use what you've got around you. Michelangelo would never have been a sculptor if there hadn't been marble readily available to him. So, I set out with my blue ball-point, my blue-lined paper, and my brass fasteners and proceeded to create life-sized, (to me anyway, I was three feet tall.) posable, action figures of Adam and Eve. The fasteners made the perfect tool for me to make their joints move. Did I mention that they were anatomically correct? Somewhat anyway... Her breasts became spinning pinwheels with the brass fasteners for nipples, and he had certain parts that could sway in the breeze. This was not only an artistic accomplishment but through the wonders of those little brass fasteners it was also an engineering marvel. I was truly the DiVinci of Mrs. Manning's morning kindergarden class. Excited by my successful completion of the task I ran to show my mother.
Upon entering the room her chin dropped. The sheer look of awe on her face as she took in the sight of her youngest, most innocent child's construction made me proud. I knew she must be impressed. In fact she was speechless. I was sure that a devout Catholic woman such as herself would have been impressed by her young son's rendering of such an important biblical tale. However, her focus seemed to linger on their anatomical correctness.
The rest of that afternoon is fuzzy to me. I believe there may have been a small fire in the back yard and perhaps a rosary or two was said on my behalf. I do know that since that date, on humid days, I still get the faint taste of soap in my mouth. My masterpiece was never seen again.
I made several more efforts to duplicate my brilliance. My next work was an installation piece. A tasteful hybrid of interior design and modern art. I found among the families collection of school supplies, a wonderful bottle of glue. What a fun bottle. It had a clear liquid glue, not like that messy Elmer's that you'd find in Mrs. Manning's art bin. The top was a pink rubber applicator that could be directed with amazing precision. I pondered what medium would be the most complimentary and would best demonstrate the accuracy of the adhesive. I then remembered my mother's beautiful collection of silk scarves which she kept tucked away in a dresser drawer. What a waste of that delicate beauty. Such a collection should be prominently displayed. So I promptly took each and every one of them and arranged them on the dreary walls of my room. Family, friends, and neighbors gathered to see my accomplishment. It moved my mother to tears. I believe that if you look back at old retail records you will see a spike in Coco Channels sales around that very date, no doubt from a number of copycat artists. After that, art and craft supplies were harder to find around the house.
So those are two of my earliest memories regarding my creative endeavors. I will be back to tell you where I went next with my art, and to keep you up to date with my latest attempts at making a living as an artist. Until then, have a wonderful day.
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