My first memories about art…
Two distinct memories from elementary school (amongst the irrelevant antics and volleys of wading through class life and peer relations), one having nothing to do with the other.
Memory one.
Mrs. Jackson, my favorite teacher to date, even after all these years, on a seemingly normal classroom day asked that we all get up and peer out the fold-out classroom windows from our second-grade classroom into the grass courtyard of the school. There stood a smiling Mr. Jackson holding a black leather leash and there stood the most beautiful, huge, statuesque black and tan Doberman Pincher dog (until then I did not know these angel-like-velcro type of dogs existed!). That day changed my life. I knew my first dog would be a Dobbie, and sure enough, after I graduated college that dream came true. I love you my very-first-own-dobbie-doggie-angel Keely. I’ll see you at the Rainbow Bridge!
Memory two.
Elementary school….again (I know, boring, right).
There I sit at the front of the classroom, super proud because there stands my Mom! She’s our classroom visitor, tinkled pink, I watched as she set down a rectangular suitcase on the floor in front of her. The anticipation was much for us all to handle as I remember she pulls out several canvas boards and places them backwards on the chalk board chalk tray (majorly dating myself here). As she spoke about lustrous and colorful stories involving a vibrant, beautiful Mexican woman who painted her life and her portraits as colorful and dark as her personality.
Astonished and captivated, I learned her name is Frida Kahlo. I dove in and out of the story my Mom read from a biography book she pulled out of the suitcase, about Frida’s life.
Learning about her ups and downs and how her art was where she felt free to express her health ailments and dark introspection.
This clever school program, dubbed ART IN A SUITCASE…was a silly, catchy name for a monumental yet simple way to introduce and capture the attention of young minds, developing and soaking up creative artistic knowledge like a sponge.
To this day, Frida is still ONE of my very favorite-all time artist -EVER…..my husband, however, is my above- all -all -time- favorite -artist -EVER !